Who writes intriguing headlines that draws an audience and sells newspapers? Usually that task falls to the copy editor. The authors of the bones of any article may be asked to make suggestions but that practice is routinely frowned upon—having the potential to unduly influence the editor about the story that follows.

Because we live in an age of an internet saturated with research opportunities, there is little room left for ho-hum headlines such as “Annual Update” or “Stock Options Rising” to grab the attention of the reading public. To make a splash, editors need to spice up titles with a little more pizazz—currently known as “clickbait.”

Here are some eye-catching examples recently seen in the WSJ:

• “Hearts of Darkness for Apocalypse Dow.” Apparently, Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” was the inspiration for the movie “Apocalypse Now.” How fitting that ‘chart’ rhymes with ‘heart’ and ‘now’ rhymes with ‘Dow’.
• “Keep your Eyes on the Prize” which works for a stock investment as well as a civil rights song of several decades’ past.
• How about “Facebook Earnings—No Nipple Slips Here.” The headline was inspired by Mark Zuckerberg speaking before Congress about the ability of artificial intelligence to detect nudity better than “hate speech.”

So, think about your story titles—they can draw the curious reader your direction