We have all come across those attention grabbing titles, which seem interesting enough to click but when you open the page, it is a mere disappointment. Sometimes, the article is not even about what the title made you think it was about. This kind of click-baiting is not only bad for the company but is also deceitful. Sensational and unrealistically ‘viral’ titles are not credible and may make you look untrustworthy at worst and not-serious at best. Either ways, it is better to avoid them. In this article, let us take a look at some of the reasons why sensational titles are so outdated.
1. They are tiresome
One of the major irksome qualities of sensational titles is that they tend to turn off visitors. A lot of people find sensationalism associated with tawdriness and low quality. They may also feel annoyed or put off when they see screaming titles that seek attention. While some people may click on these topics, they will eventually hurt you more in the long term. It is a better idea to avoid these sensational titles and instead, stick to something that is more appealing to journalistic standards. Indeed, many studies point towards the popularity of websites that seem authoritative and serious.
2. They raise expectations
On the one hand, sensationalism tends to drive people away. On the other hand, many people are attracted to your titles and they begin to click through. They may even read through your blog posts regularly, after falling into the trap of sensational headlines. However, you will need to come up with more and more sensational topics and titles in order to keep your new breed of readers interested. These are the readers who may just be clicking on your blog topic because the title looks interesting. When they do not find anything that they are looking for, they may simply leave and never come back.
3. Sensationalism is not sustainable
In the long term, sensationalism is not sustainable. It is not possible to constantly come up with witty titles when the context is not interesting enough. It is not necessary for every blog post to be read like entertainment. A majority of blog posts are boring because, well, life can be quite monotonous too. Nobody can party everyday and so can’t your blog. With this in mind, you will probably need to write in a level of seriousness that matches your business and company’s ideals. Look for the long term sustainability rather than temporary clicks and views.
Looking forward
Initially, you may find that sensational titles are fetching more visits to your blog. However, in the long run, they are not a sustainable way to engage in content marketing. They also have the tendency to reduce your credibility overall and make you look less serious than you might want to appear. Additionally, you may even look untrustworthy and may damage your company’s reputation. Looking at all these factors, it is a better idea to avoid sensationalism and to just stick to good writing and journalism.
