At a time when people trust the news less than ever, how can journalists capture the attention of average citizens to provide information about their community, their country and the world?
By not making things complicated.
Our research published in Science Advances shows that simple headlines significantly increase article engagement and clicks compared to headlines with complex language.
Our research found that typical news readers prefer simple headlines over complex ones. But more importantly, we found that this was not the case for those who actually write headlines – the journalists themselves.
We first used data from The Washington Post and Upworthy to see how language features like word length and word frequency affected the number of clicks on an article’s headline. These data sets included over 31,000 randomized experiments – also known as A/B tests – that compared two or more headline versions of the same underlying article to see which generated the most clicks.
Headlines that used more common words—simple words like “job” instead of “occupation”—shorter headlines, and those that were phrased in a narrative style with more pronouns instead of prepositions received more clicks. For example, the Washington Post’s headline “Meghan and Harry talk to Oprah. Here’s why they shouldn’t say too much” was more successful than the alternative headline “Are Meghan and Harry telling Oprah all about the royal family? Don’t bet on it.” This example shows how a more direct headline can sometimes generate more interest.
In subsequent laboratory experiments, we found that typical news readers tended to focus on simple rather than complex headlines because they were easier to understand. When journalists participated in the same experiments, they showed no preference for simple headlines over complex ones. In other words, those who write news appear to respond less to simple headlines than the general public.
Generations of communications consultants have advised communicators to stick to the rather stark-sounding acronym KISS: Keep it Simple, Stupid. We suggest a modified version for journalists. Since KISJ is not quite so simple, we suggest: Keep It Simple, Staffers. Simplicity increases the number of people who click on a news headline and improves the reader’s recall of the article’s content. Most importantly, simplicity increases reader engagement – the amount of attention they pay to the information.
Why it is important
News organizations that seem ahead of their time have already implemented KISS strategies. For example, Ezra Klein, a journalist who founded the explainer-focused news site Vox, recommends that journalists not write for their editors.
As our work shows, writers and editors respond to complexity differently than people who consume news. Therefore, one way for journalists to avoid the problem of writing for editors is to simplify the text with readers in mind: use shorter words, write shorter sentences, and use more everyday words instead of complex alternatives. Work that is more accessible reaches the widest audience and generates the greatest engagement.
Simple writing can have wider impacts beyond engagement. Information has never been more plentiful, and yet readers are constantly looking for credible news providers. One possible way to improve people’s attitudes and feelings about news is through simplicity. Since simple writing is associated with higher feelings of trust and warmth compared to complex writing, news providers should think carefully about word choice when crafting their next article or broadcast.
Simplicity in headline writing is important because the news market is extremely competitive and because it breaks down the barrier between the public and important information. Our research does not suggest that traditional news sites should become “clickbait.” Rather, it suggests that when headlines become more accessible to the average news reader, they will be more effective at engaging and, hopefully, creating a more informed public.
