Making one sentence attractive

It's not hard to capture a reader's attention; there only needs to be one sentence that reveals why you want to read the writing piece.

Journalists write stories that entice readers by appealing to their personal preferences and beliefs. With an overwhelming amount of publications that publish the same stories, it is difficult to stand out amongst the rest.

The main way to appeal to a bigger audience is by informing readers on information that is exclusive to the piece, but how will readers know that your article is the best to read? Headlines resolve that issue by demanding the attention of the reader and explaining what the story is about.

Screenshot: Prmeasured.com

The brief sentence has many benefits where it can: act as the hook by compelling the reader, accurately present information the way it is instead of promoting clickbait and informing readers on why this story is new and relevant.

Personally, my attention span has diminished where I skip stories because of their lengthy headlines. Based on a couple words, they need to appeal to my topic preferences as well as be clear on what exactly I am about to invest my time into. Complex is an entertainment publication that I regularly read for updates on the music industry. The headline titled "Here are the Performances at the 2017 Grammys" is straight to the point on what I am about to access. To avoid clickbait articles, I prefer my headlines to be specific on the story's central message.

Even though I read more stories that have concise headlines, I still have a respect towards journalists who try to be clever. Usually summary blurbs accompany the more unique headlines in order to give more context.

Regarding Vox's article on Adele winning 'Album of the Year' at the Grammy Awards, the summary blurb properly explains the story without getting into the details. Depending on the writer, summary blurbs are generalized enough that it compels me to keep reading for more information.

Headlines and summary blurbs are important components to the story. Without them, it would be difficult to make a story attractive.