Several years ago, the Internet was awash with an exotic species of headline based on something called the “curiosity gap.” That is, the writer tells the reader enough to pique interest and then, like a cheap magician, says, “You Won’t Believe What Happens Next.” These headlines conquered the world (well, my world) for several months, then fell out of fashion for the same reason that people tire of every marketing gimmick: When you’re savvy to the source of fluency, you tend to discount the stimulus as boring or manipulative. When the audience knows the formula, a magic trick isn’t magic
...more
