Front-loading

Titles get cut off on mobile, in sidebars and in notifications, and viewers scan the first few words before deciding whether to keep reading. Front-loading puts the subject, the number or the surprise at the front and lets the qualifiers trail behind it. The same habit applies to a spoken hook, where the payoff of the opening sentence should arrive before a viewer has time to swipe away. Overdone, it produces titles that read like keyword lists. The test is whether the shortened version still makes sense standing on its own.