Out of 18 choices, why does one piece of content get 49% of the vote while another gets 0%?
Over the last six years, I have tested a range of headings and summaries. The tests were carried out in 14 countries with almost 3,000 people. People were asked to scan 31 headings and 18 summaries about a particular subject and then quickly choose the one that stood out for them.
These were the subject areas:
- The launch of iTunes
- A pet-food scare
- A launch of discount software by Microsoft
- The launch of the final Harry Potter book
Here's a summary of the results:
Top Headings
- Tons of tunes (22%)
- Poison found in pet food (30%)
- $3 software for developing countries (23%)
- Flying off the shelves (31%)
Bottom Headings
- Apple's Music Store breaks the mould and sells technology (0%)
- Rodent poison found in now-recalled pet food blamed for animal deaths (0%)
- Three-Dollar Windows for Govt.-Subsidized Student Computers... (0%)
- 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' sells 2.6 million copies in 24 hours (0%)
Top Summaries
- 99 cents per download, no restrictions. One million tracks sold online in one week encouraging sign for ailing music industry. Apple... (49%)
- By Josh Fineman and Michael Quint. March 23 (Bloomberg)—Rat poison killed at least 16 cats and dogs and prompted last week's recall of 60 million cans of... (38%)
- Microsoft plans to offer a US$3 stripped-down package of Windows, Office and other software to people in developing... (34%)
- WARNING: If you don't want to know what happens in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," stop reading now. JK Rowling is far too savvy a... (38%)
