Thanks for the mention Ian, much appreciated. I agree these headline types have become very tired indeed. There was a time when they were viable and worthy, but they have become worn out.

And you know what? That’s a good thing because writers have an opportunity to stand out from the noise of it all by using headlines that work.

I say ‘work’ not as a means to explain manipulation. Rather our job is to adequately convey what our readers will find in the article and snag their interest. If we don’t - crickets.

We need to employ our literary skills, our knowledge of the language, our creativity. We are creatives after all.

A headline has to be compelling enough to make a reader click, then the content has to back it up. This is distinct from manipulative marketing tactics. These are poles apart, a universe of difference between the two.