Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#1

Post by pascal07 » Sat, May 12, 2012, 12:47 PM UTC

Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?
elezea.com

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#2

Post by wamatt » Sat, May 12, 2012, 1:27 PM UTC

Are all rhetorical questions bad?

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#3

Post by bdunn » Sat, May 12, 2012, 1:34 PM UTC

What's wrong with marketing an article? People respond well to questions, "Top 5...", and other tried and true methods of "baiting" someone into giving your post a chance.

I don't I would have read your post if it was titled like an academic paper.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#4

Post by Spoom » Sat, May 12, 2012, 1:42 PM UTC

No. Wait... I see what you did there.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#5

Post by tomelders » Sat, May 12, 2012, 1:53 PM UTC

I have to agree. Whilst "questions as headlines" don't mean the article is bull-hunky, I'm finding it's a very convenient rule of thumb.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#6

Post by nikcub » Sat, May 12, 2012, 1:56 PM UTC

My pet peeve. This was closely watched at Techcrunch and we mocked other blogs (and our own bloggers) who fell back on it frequently (pronouncing titles with question marks with an inflection).

Using a question mark just means you aren't sure of your position or what you are trying to say. It makes it easier to sit on the fence and not really say anything, playing it safe.

I think most readers prefer a firm opinion or statement, regardless of if they agree with it or not.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#7

Post by acoyfellow » Sat, May 12, 2012, 2:19 PM UTC

Interesting points.. but I'm unsure if your use of a question mark in this HN post is a ironic or a coincidence?

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#8

Post by heyitsnick » Sat, May 12, 2012, 2:23 PM UTC

I'm co-editor for a niche news site (http://pokerfuse.com) and we strictly do not write any headlines in the "is...?" format. It's a good check before publishing anything - if your headline naturally falls in to this format, it should be a signal that either (a) we shouldn't be writing this story, (b) we should stand by our convictions and write the headline in the affirmative, (c) the story needs more research before publishing. We pass up on some easy pageviews, but we see the upside in more loyal/repeat visitors.

edit:

NewsItem.objects.published().count()

>>> 648

NewsItem.objects.published().filter(title__istartswith='is', title__endswith='?').count()

>>> 2

(a couple of stories do have this format, but they seem like the rare appropriate cases)

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#9

Post by withad » Sat, May 12, 2012, 2:26 PM UTC

Any time I see a headline ending in a question mark, I always think of this SMBC comic - http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2075.

Re: Is it time to stop writing headlines that end in question marks?

#10

Post by its_so_on » Sat, May 12, 2012, 2:28 PM UTC

heyitsnick wrote: post #8

I'm co-editor for a niche news site ( http://pokerfuse.com ) and we strictly do not write any headlines in the "is...?" format. It's a good check before publishing anything - if your headline naturally falls in to this format, it should be a signal that either (a) we shouldn't be writing this story, (b) we should stand by our convictions and write the headline in the affirmative, (c) the story needs more research bef…

why would you insist on starting with an "Is"? A proper yes or no question can start with "Is", "Are", "Does", "Do", "Have", "Has", "Were", "Did", etc etc. How many of your titles end with a question-mark? It's hard to think of how any of those can be false positives.