Click bait stories, like these at CNBC Make It all use numbers in the headline. For reasons unknown, having numbers in the headline attracts more clicks, as seen in these top 5 stories on March 21, 2026.

Consequently, we now have lots of “listicles” (“I’m and writer and there are 10 reasons you should have numbers in the headline, and 3 that actually work” – hah hah).