by Gerry McGovern
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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%)
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