5 Basic Types of Social Media Headlines

Whenever we sit down to create a nice piece of content, we learned in a previous post that we really need to pay attention to our headlines – especially when we share that content on our accounts from Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc.

But did you know that there are five (5) basic types of social media headlines. So let is look more deeply at these different kinds of headlines:

1. News Headlines — This is especially true when we are reporting a piece of popular breaking Your objective is to generate some buzz around some juicy gossip, and let your readers know what is going on at the moment. The fact is that breaking news travels across social media even faster than traditional news channels. In fact, news on social sites makes news agencies appear slow and dated. However, the biggest drawback of sharing this type of content is that it is not evergreen. In most cases, the peak of traffic received from a breaking news post occurs on the day you share it.
2. Setting Goal Headlines—This kind of headline is one that provides a better or new way to accomplish a goal, and to become even be more wealthy, more powerful, more attractive, and so forth. Look at the covers of magazines at any newsstand for lots of examples of this type of headline. Magazines writers are masters of this.
3. Solving Problem Headlines—The other side of the goal headlines is the trusty problem headline. Many marketers believe that fear sells much better than positive messages – most newspapers editors will wholeheartedly agree.
4. How-to Headlines—This is where you share an effective tutorial, technique, formula or recipe that accomplishes something very beneficial. It is very similar to the goal headline, but is more specific in providing actual steps in creating something.
5. Entertainment Headlines—Social media is slammed full of great entertainment. There we can funny videos, adorable pictures, gut splitting jokes or even links to failure events called “fails”. This kind of coffee break material is what really built up social media to what it is today.

If you look for a common denominator in all of these basic types of social media headlines, you will notice that they generate some sort of emotional response. And they end up triggering an emotional reaction in viewers. We must never forget that we wish to induce an action of some sort from our readers. This action could be anything from giving an “up” vote on your Reddit channel to purchasing a new online marketing course priced at $2000.

Emotional Response Triggers

For gaining maximum attention of your readers and getting them take some kind of action, you must understand their emotional triggers and hot buttons. For instance, would you know how to get them cry, laugh, or even scream at their computer screens? Here are actually some emotional triggers straight from Hollywood, which are designed to emotionally affect your audience.

1. Boost and Slam—What are the absolute worst/best/most/least of all? Compare them and then contrast them.
2. Laugh, Snigger, Cry—Learning to jerk on the heartstrings of your readers will always be effective. This particularly true whenever you combine cheer, weep, and snigger.
3. Anger and Outrage—Listen to talk hosts on TV or radio who have mastered the use of this trigger.
4. Fear, Scams, and Pending Disasters—Generate some disgust and fears – then get some clicks.
5. Sexy and Attractive—Sex always sells and always will.
6. Us versus Them—Get your audience polarized and then get attention. Politics and religion are always good ways to get it going.
7. Shock—Take your readers by surprise and present things that are outrageous.
8. Curiosity—This is the process of getting readers to feel that they must read your content.
9. Caught in the Act—Readers adore stories when elite people get nailed and caught doing something that is morally wrong or a crime – especially when the action goes against what that person stood for in public.
10. Contrary and Contentious—Post challenges to ideas that have been accepted for generations. Attack deep-seated assumptions. Slay some sacred cows in the beliefs of others.

When you combine several of these emotional triggers along with one of these five (5) basic types of social media headlines, you will increase your chances of creating a partially viral post on social media.