More Clickbait Headlines I Refuse to Click On

Ed Newman

Mar 28, 2019·2 min read

I used to think Inc. was a publication for entrepreneurs.

Flipboard headlines from March 25

Duke’s Zion Williamson Kept Repeating 1 Word After Last Night’s Victory. It Teaches a Major Lesson in Emotional…

Want to Raise a Happy, Successful Child? A 43-Year Study Says You’ll First Have to Overcome This

Mark Cuban Says There Is Only 1 Reason He will Agree to a Business Meeting, an…

If You’re Looking to Improve Your Energy and Productivity, Eat The Same Lunch Every Day

Apple Spent Years Planning Its Entry to This $120 Billion Industry. It All Starts at Noon Today.

I’m not opposed to having headlines entice readers, but the above five are so cliche these days that it really has become a turn-off.

Here are three more I just spied at the Inc.com website.

Warren Buffett Says He Became a Self-Made Billionaire Because He Played by 1 Simple Rule of Life (Which Most People Don’t)

Richard Branson Says This Emotion Helped Him Start Virgin Atlantic, and It Will Work for You Too

Here’s What Happened after MailChimp’s Ben Chestnut was Told he was a Bad Leader

I’m sure the articles are well-written and offer insights. I just find the headline style abrasive, so I won’t click on them as a matter of principle. How about you? Am I being too finicky?

The feeling I get is something akin to the annoyance I have when I’m being tailgated while stuck behind a truck. I want to say, “Back off, buddy. I have nowhere else to go.” Except in this case I have plenty of places to go.

Alas, there are worse things that can happen. Am I alone in this? I really want to know.