Capitol News

David Markowitz, associate professor of communication at Michigan State University, has been investigating how language influences social and psychological processes. In today's competitive news environment, high-quality journalism from credible sources must vie for attention against misinformation and a growing volume of partisan content.

According to research published today in the journal Science Advances by Markowitz and his colleagues, simple writing is key to attracting online readers. The study suggests that journalists should write clearly and without ambiguity to engage more effectively with their audience.

“Newsrooms want engagement, and citizens, in general, want to be informed. Simple writing provides both. It can help news outlets compete in the competitive online attention economy and makes news more approachable to online readers,” said Markowitz.

Markowitz collaborated with Hillary Shulman, associate professor of communication at Ohio State University, and Todd Rogers, professor of public policy at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. They evaluated over 30,000 field experiments assessing how headlines from the Washington Post and Upworthy influenced click rates on stories. A simplicity index was developed for this purpose based on criteria such as common words usage, readability (words per sentence and syllables per word), analytic writing (reflecting story complexity), and character count.

The data revealed that linguistically simple headlines garnered more engagement than complex ones. “Simplicity is often preferred linguistically because it feels better than complexity to most people,” said Markowitz. “It can impact what people read, what people click on, and how they think about companies and institutions competing for our attention.”

“The best way to increase demand for good, credible journalism is to realize that simpler is better,” added Shulman.

The researchers also discovered that complex headlines had less retention value; readers were less likely to remember them later as shown in online experiments. “Small efforts aimed at increasing the simplicity or fluency of language can increase the attention of casual readers — and also make them more informed and educated about the news of the day,” noted Markowitz.

Simplifying headlines can have significant impacts on readership numbers. For instance, during the study period, if just 0.10% more visitors clicked on simpler headlines at the Washington Post website (2.1% versus 2%) leading them to read three articles each visit could result in an additional 200,000 readers.

“This not only makes the news accessible to more people but it can also help newsrooms with their bottom line," explained Markowitz. "More visitors mean ad buyers are more attracted to a publication."

While general consumers prefer simple headlines, journalists did not show a preference between simple or complex ones but remembered both types equally well after reading them. This may indicate a disconnect between what journalists believe audiences want versus what they actually engage with.

To address this gap, Markowitz recommends emphasizing writing for average readers in journalism training programs across various platforms including educational institutions or workshops.

“It’s important that those who are producing news are intentional and thoughtful with their writing,” he said. “In order to get news into the hands of those who need it most you need a ‘keep it simple mentality’.”

Journalists often view themselves as storytellers; thus simplifying a headline should be akin to crafting a story using common familiar words making it memorable engaging according Markowitz who emphasized: "Words have power using ones clear concise reporting leads informed public."