Do a number on your followers
Want your message to go viral? Use digits
Articles with numerals in their titles tend to be shared more on Facebook than stories without digits, according to research by viral marketing scientist Dan Zarrella. That’s one more reason to use numerals, not words, online.
Among others, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen:
- They’re more scannable, says Nielsen’s eye-tracking research.
- They’re smaller, which saves scarce real estate in headlines and index listings — not to mention tweets.
- They deliver tangible facts, which is what Web visitors seek online.
Yes, AP Style calls for spelling out one through nine. But the benefits of using numerals — at least online — may outweigh traditional usage standards.
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