Bad News: Negative Headlines Get Much More Attention

That news mantra “If it bleeds, it leads” is all our fault.

People who are in the news business, as well as hacks-turned-flacks like yours truly, understand this unfortunate aspect of consumer cravings. People who just watch, read or listen to the news hate this.

The ironic thing is, according to this telling study by Outbrain, it’s all their fault. In short, negative headlines get more attention — much more — than positive headlines. Find out how after the jump…

“Negative superlatives.”

That’s what this new study discovered, or really confirmed, what works in the news business. “Never,” “Bad” or “Worst” works much better for circulation and ratings than touchy-feely words like “Always” and “Best.”