My First Click-Bait Title
Last week, an essay about my adoption reunion experience was published on Narratively. What do you think of the title and blurb?
I wrote and revised this piece last spring and started sending it out in the summer. It was about 6,000 words in length. A Narratively editor wrote to say they were interested in it if I could cut it down to about 2,500 words. So I did, and I willingly signed a contract giving them the right to title it as they saw fit — pretty standard stuff for a non-academic publisher. My title, btw, was “Not My Heart.” Obviously not very click-bait-y.
The essay has been out for a few days, and it’s driven over 200 views on my webpage. So I’m not complaining — just curious about how readers think.
Reaction to the essay has been positive within my own network, but on Narratively’s Facebook page, there are a bunch of negative comments like “Disgusting!” I’m wondering if the title and the blurb below it are to blame — but of course, some readers might just be repulsed by my whole approach to self-revelation or to exploring the complexities of adoption.
I’d love know what you think. Does the title and the blurb below it draw you in, or put you off?
