When curiosity gaps backfire: effects of headline concreteness on information selection decisions
Author Information
Author(s): Aubin Le Quéré, Matias J. Nathan
Primary Institution: Cornell University
Hypothesis
Conflicting results in the experimental record could be explained by the presence of a curvilinear relationship between the information offered in headlines and the decision to choose an article to read.
Conclusion
Increased headline concreteness can both positively and negatively predict headline clickthrough rates, suggesting an optimal level of concreteness that maximizes engagement.
Supporting Evidence
- The study confirmed that the effects of headline concreteness on clickthrough rates vary with the overall concreteness of other headlines.
- Headlines that convey just the right amount of information maximize clickthrough rates at scale.
- At low levels of average test concreteness, higher-concreteness headlines are more likely to be clicked.
- At high levels of average test concreteness, higher-concreteness headlines are less likely to be clicked.
Takeaway
This study found that headlines that are not too vague and not too specific get the most clicks, like a perfect balance of information.
Methodology
The study analyzed a corpus of 27,616 field experiments with headlines, using a continuous measure of headline concreteness to assess its impact on clickthrough rates.
Potential Biases
The study may be influenced by the specific audience of Upworthy, which is known for clickbait headlines.
Limitations
The experiments were conducted with a specific audience on an English-language site, which may not represent broader preferences.
Participant Demographics
Participants were viewers of the Upworthy website, primarily American audiences.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
(0.051, 0.153)
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website