The #3 Key Emotions That Triggers Engagement
The real reason people don't engage your article (How to command the attention of your readersđ„)
FinallyâŠ
Weâre at the final part of our 3-day headline journey.
And honestly?
It reminds me of where I am right nowâmy final year in medical schoolđ
And as I write this, I canât help but feel it â that âweâre almost thereâ moment.
Not the full celebration yet, but the quiet joy of progress.
Thatâs exactly how I feel about this series.
And now, letâs talk about whatâs happening inside the readerâs mindâthe reason why people click⊠or donât.
A few months ago, I took a course in Brain Anatomy.
It wasnât just about naming partsâit was about understanding response.
And I learned something simple but powerful:
The brain can be likened to a child.
Carefree like an annoying teenagerâŠ
Nonchalant like a 5-year-oldâŠ
But one thing they both have in common?
Theyâre easily distracted.
And as a skilled writer, your job is to distract your readers on purpose (in a good way).
Pull them inâŠ.
âŠ.and direct it fully toward your content.
In a pool of thousands of articles, your goal is simple:
Command their attention!
Your readerâs brain isnât looking for effort.
Itâs scanning for triggers.
Just like a child, their minds are drawn to:
1. Curiosity
Kids can be sometimes annoying.
They ask questions non-stop. âWhy is the sky blue?â âWhatâs inside that box?â âWhy canât I touch it?â
Theyâll poke, peek, press, and open anything that looks âunusualâ.
Thatâs how your readerâs brain works, too.
Itâs naturally wired to question anything that looks âdifferentâ.
How to apply this in your headlines:
>Contradict A Norm
âConsistency Is Not Keyâ You've Been Lied To By Top Gurusâ
âI Stopped Following My Passion, Now I Make $200 Monthlyâ
>Make Your Headlines Colorful
Play with numbers.
â5 Dead Simple Steps To Growing Your Medium Account (Thank Me Later)â
âThe Only Guide To Making Bastard Money (Only 1% of Writers Know This)â
Let me chip in a little trick with numbers:
The mind enjoys comfort
The mind loves quick things.
When you readers see a 5 step-by-step guide, their minds immediately interprets your article as something they can quickly read.
> Tell A Personal Story
Humans are natural gossip.
Package your life story in a catchy headline and watch them drool over your content.
âHow I Made My First $100 Dollar On Xâ Even As A Beginnerâ
2. Fear
Say these two headlines out loud:
â100 People Died Yesterdayâ
â100 People Got Free Scholarshipsâ
Which one are you more likely to click?
Letâs be honestâ90% will choose the death.
Youâd want to check if the 25th person was your annoying neighbor.
(No offense, Karen)
Or worse⊠someone you know.
Thatâs the grip fear has.
It demands attention.
It makes us pause, scroll back, and clickâeven when we didnât plan to.
So if curiosity doesn't stop them
Mix it with a little fear.
Curiosity opens the doorâŠ
But fear?
It drags them in.
âThe 1 Mistake Thatâs Quietly Killing Your Contentâ
âAre You Making This 3 Deadly Mistake? (The Real Reason Nobody Is Reading Your Article)â
â99% of Writers Quit Because Of Thisâ A Must Read For New Writersâ
The last trigger is Desire.
Desire is what makes people stop and say: âThis is exactly what Iâve been looking for.â
speaking of desireâŠ
Iâve created something from my heart for you â
A headline vault packed with 100 plug-and-play templates to help you write magnetic headlines that attract, intrigue, and convert.
Inside it?
đ„ Youâll unlock the third emotional trigger I didnât share in this email (the one that changed everything for me)
đ„ And get access to a reusable stash of proven categorized headlines you can plug into any article, offer, or post.
So if youâve ever stared at a blank headline box or felt like âI just donât know what to writeâ...
This is your shortcut.
This isnât really about pushing a product.
Iâve already shared everything you need to start writing better headlines.
The resource is just a shortcutâsomething you can always go back to when youâre stuck or need fresh inspiration.
And beyond the templates, I really want to hear from you.
If youâre trying to find your voiceâŠ
If youâve been writing but feel like somethingâs still offâespecially on Medium or anywhere elseâ
Send me a message.
Tell me what youâve learned.
Tell me where youâre stuck.
Even send me your headline if you want feedback.
Iâll respond. Personally.
Iâm cheering for you.
âThe Janice Brown