A headline should give readers enough information to decide whether the article is for them. Name the topic and make the promise clear. Save the explanation, examples and evidence for the article.
What the headline tests found
In a 2025 analysis of 8,977 headline experiments, researchers M. S. Aubin Le Quéré and J. N. Matias found that the effect of adding detail depended on how concrete the competing headlines already were. When the starting headlines were vague, more concrete wording tended to improve click-through rates. When the headlines were already concrete, adding more detail could lower click-through rates.
The experiments came from Upworthy. They measured clicks, so they cannot tell us how much readers learned, how long they stayed or whether they felt the article delivered. The study also does not give every publisher a fixed amount of detail to put in a headline.
Give readers something to judge
Imagine an article about making a website faster. “This one change made a huge difference” leaves readers guessing what changed and whether the story matters to them. “How smaller images improved mobile load times” names the change and the outcome. The article can then explain how the change was tested, the size of the improvement and what might differ on another site.
The same headline would overpromise if the article only showed that the files were smaller. A reader who clicks for evidence about load times should find that evidence in the piece. If it is missing, narrow the promise to what you actually measured.
A quick edit before publishing
Underline the words that name the subject. If you can only underline “this” or “one thing,” try naming the thing.
Ask what a reader will expect to find after clicking. Check that the article answers it.
Move background, methods and examples into the article unless a detail changes the meaning of the headline.
Show the topic. Save the details. A reader should be able to tell what the article is about before deciding whether to open it.
