Attention！ Here are the headline-writing techniques you need to master onChina’s"internet！

避雷！這些網(wǎng)感標題掌握了互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的流量密碼？

As the old saying goes， “A good start is half the battle.” In China’s fiercely competitive social media sphere， where “[internet] traffic is king"（流量為王liúliàngwéiwáng），” having the right headline can be a crucial way of standing out and， in some exceptional cases， turning those views and clicks into a healthy income as"an influencer.

Chinese netizens refer to headlines that leverage current trends， controversy， and emotional manipulation for traffic as having"a “sense of the internet （網(wǎng)感wǎnggǎn）”—in other words， clickbait. These titles tap into “the secret code of internet traffic （互聯(lián)網(wǎng)的流量密碼hùliánwǎng de liúliàngmìmǎ），” making it impossible for you to ignore them and scroll past （even though you know you should）. Clever bloggers and vloggers have developed tried-and-tested formulas that are sure to grab readers’ eyeballs， which should sound familiar to anyone who surfs the net in China today.

Life advice： Be emotional

First， showing empathy and sincerity is essential for encouraging readers to click. Who would say no to posts that seem to understand your sorrow， offer emotional support， or provide honest recommendations？ Headlines that begin with phrases like “Please （求求了Qiúqiú le）” or “Sincere suggestion （真心建議Zhēnxīnjiànyì）” are commonly seen on Chinese social media.

Please， you ladies have to"try this facial mask！

Qiúqiújiěmèimenyídìngyàochángshìzhèkuǎnmiànmó！

求求姐妹們一定要嘗試這款面膜！

Life advice： Make sure to visit Altay in the fall

Rénshēngjiànyì： yídìngyàozàiqiūtiānqùAlètài

人生建議：一定要在秋天去阿勒泰

Everyone wants a shortcut to success， so"phrases like “As long as you do… you can… （只要你做……你就會……Zhǐyàonǐzuò……nǐjiùhuì……）” sound very appealing. Exclamations and rhetorical questions also resonate with readers， especially if they relate to a hot social issue， such as “Why on earth is it so difficult for married， childless women to find a job （憑什么女生已婚未育找工作這么難Píng shénmenǚshēngyǐhūnwèiyùzhǎogōngzuòzhèmenán）？”

It may be a truth universally acknowledged that social media was made for showing off， but the right headline can also disguise your boasting into advice that others can follow to replicate your success：

I went from 75 kg"to 45 kg in one month. How did I do it？

Cóng yìbǎiwǔshíjīndàojiǔshíjīnzhǐyòngleyígèyuè， wǒshìzěnmezuòdào de？

從150斤到90斤只用了一個月，我是怎么做到的？

A Gen Z saved 300K in just one year of working！

“Línglínghòu”gōngzuòyìniáncúnkuǎnsānshíwàn！

“00后”工作一年存款30萬！

Avoid！ The art of negativity

If sincerity doesn’t do the trick， there’s another option： exaggerating one’s emotions for drama. With expressions like “No way， how is this possible （不是吧，這都可以Búshìba， zhèdōukěyǐ？”“Help （救命Jiùmìng）！”“Shocking （震驚Zhènjīng）！” or simply “What （什么Shénme）！” writers can pique readers’ natural curiosity and entice them to read on.

Emotions and life lessons don’t need to be positive， either. The internet thrives on negativity， and readers enjoy “posts about experiencing failure （失敗經(jīng)驗帖shībàijīngyàntiě）” as much as （if not more than） successes： either because they hope to avoid making the same mistakes， or just for schadenfreude. Common types include the “persuading to retreat post （勸退帖quàntuìtiě）” and the “avoiding landmine post 避雷帖 （bìléitiě），” also known as the “avoiding hole post （避坑帖bìkēngtiě）.” These posts compare bad products， travel destinations， businesses， or any other experience to holes you can fall down or hidden bombs that can blow up in your face if you accidentally “step” on them （踩雷cǎiléi，"or踩坑"cǎikēng）.

Avoid these mines！ A list of all the makeup mistakes I’ve made

Bìléi！ Xìshǔwǒzǒuguò de měizhuāngwānlù

避雷！細數(shù)我走過的美妝彎路

Retreat！ A record of harrowing pitfalls at a popular restaurant

Quàntuì！ Wǎnghóngcāntīngcǎikēnglìxiǎnjì

勸退！網(wǎng)紅餐廳踩坑歷險記

Last June， popular blogger Liao"Hsin-chung"quipped， “There are landmines everywhere in China！” He noted that content with the hashtag bilei （避雷） had 4 billion total views on"lifestyle app Xiaohongshu"at his time of writing， and almost every city in China had posts warning people to stay away. He called the term “l(fā)andmine” a “gimmick （噱頭xuétóu）” that almost guarantees strong opinions and debate， thus generating hordes of identical-sounding headlines.

Headlines stuck in the system

It can be hard to tell among all the"life tips， landmines， and"funny memes， but posts and"articles addressing"social issues or conflicts still exist on the internet， and they too have mastered certain codes and formulas to grab attention.

In 2020， a long piece of investigative journalism"titled “Delivery Drivers"Trapped in the System （《外賣騎手，困在系統(tǒng)里》Wàimàiqíshǒu， kùnzàixìtǒng li）” was"published by Portrait magazine to wide acclaim， as it exposed how automation of the gig economy via food delivery apps forced China’s delivery workers to put up with longer hours and dehumanizing conditions. The format， “XX trapped in...” has since been replicated by a host of other media and"adopted by netizens to illustrate social"predicaments.

Another popular headline style for"contemporary

plights and concerns can be found in this 2020 article from Shanghai-based news site The Paper on “small-town test-takers，” students of less privileged backgrounds who dedicate intense time and resources to"studying for the"college entrance examination as they have no other path to success：

Small-town test-takers： Is it possible to live a life that isn’t defined by others？

Xiǎozhènzuòtíjiā， guòbúbèidìngyì de rénshēngyǒukěnéng ma？

小鎮(zhèn)做題家，過不被定義的人生有可能嗎？

According to headlines， women， college students， and middle-aged people are all struggling to live lives not defined by others. Another hot topic recently appearing in many headlines is the “Chinese-style family"（中式家庭Zhōngshìjiātíng）” or “East Asian parents"（東亞父母Dōngyàfùmǔ）”：

In Chinese-style families， why are parent-child relationships so twisted？

Zhōngshìjiātíngzhōng， wèishénmeqīnzǐguānxìnàmenǐngba？

中式家庭中，為什么親子關系那么擰巴？

East Asian parents have a hard time telling their kids “sorry”

Dōngyàfùmǔ， nányǐduìháizishuōchū “duìbuqǐ”

東亞父母，難以對孩子說出“對不起”

Those who don’t manage to escape societal and family pressures might find themselves the subject of another headline type： “The end of the universe is taking the civil service exam （宇宙的盡頭是考編Yǔzhòu de jìntóu shì kǎo biān），”"popularized by a series of articles highlighting"young people’s shifting interest from the private sector to stable， respectable"civil service jobs amid growing unemployment and economic uncertainty. Netizens adopt the phrase “the end of the"universe"is...”"to describe"bitter compromises they’ve made"and their sense of helplessness over their"life choices.

Given the sense of “involution （內(nèi)卷nèijuǎn）” in all parts of modern Chinese society， it should come as no surprise that clickbait headlines are becoming over-saturated on the internet， and it’s hard to gain fame and fortune on the internet through clicks alone. It’s important to remember that， no matter how dramatic or unusual a title may be， these are"just tricks"to grab attention："The quality of the article is what matters.