It can be challenging to pinpoint what exactly makes one story resonate with our publishers (and their readers) and what makes one skippable. But in looking at the articles with the highest number of pickups in August, it seems that a two-ingredient recipe might just be the key to a winning story.
The top three stories of last month are all 1) widely relatable and 2) use data and research to back the piece's findings. Read on to see which stories dominated as summer came to a close, and what made them stand out among the 400+ published in August.
The baby names that shot up the charts in 2026, and the pop culture moments behind them
If there's one topic that unites all of us, it's baby names. Sure, it sounds silly on the surface, but when you think about it, there are so few things all humans share and one of them is having a name, whether it's the most common one on Earth (Muhammad) or a name no one else has. The numbers are undeniable: Many of us in the editorial world know that baby name content clicks like few other stories do. The Social Security Administration's annual baby name ranking yields many sites' most reliable traffic drivers nationwide, but this article offers a unique tilt: tying increasingly popular baby names to specific 2026 pop culture moments, from celebrity kids to the rise of anime. The list format also makes it easy to digest and every reader likely has an opinion on the names included, leading to robust (to put it gently) comments and lots of shares.
Think you need 10,000 steps a day? Science says otherwise
As you've likely seen before in these monthly roundups, another framework that tends to lead to successful performance is myth-busting. When an article challenges a widely held belief (in this case, that you need to walk 10,000 steps a day to stay healthy), who doesn't want to find out "the truth"? Adding the "science says" attribution in the headline — and outlining that science in the piece — also gives the article authority and clout. The research-backed findings provide publishers with the confidence that the piece is low-risk. Plus, this one falls in the health space, which has become one of Stacker's top-performing content categories. A win-win-win-win.
How much does memory care cost? A complete state-by-state guide
There are plenty of state-by-state cost guides out there, and they tend to do well because they a) are based on data and b) pique curiosity because people want to know how their state compares to others. But this one is unique because it touches on a topic that has both emotional and financial gravity for many of us. Whether it's in the past, right now, or something coming down the line, most people will experience caring for aging parents in their life. When you add in the localization value here, plus the infographics and charts, it's an easy read for publishers and audiences alike.
The through-line
The top stories of August have two very important things in common: they are nearly universally relatable (we all have names, worry about our health, and worry about our parents' or other senior loved ones' health), and they lean on data or research to support their thesis. The former gives publishers confidence that the story will resonate with a large portion of their audience, and the latter gives them confidence that the piece’s findings are authoritative and sound.
Two of the top three specifically connect with family themes, the kind of things that emotionally engage readers. When you look further down at the top 10 articles of August, you see that theme continue. For example, both "Cost of raising a child in major US metros in 2026" and "Dry texting: The meaning behind teens' short texts" are among the month's highest performers.
There's also more curiosity-piquing content among the stories that dominate the leaderboard, like "The unofficial state dishes in the US most fiercely defended by locals." (Who doesn't want to know if they agree with their state's pick? I, for one, cannot argue with New Jersey's.)
And many, as you can see, offer localization angles (the memory care, state dishes, and cost of raising a child articles), allowing a broad set of local publishers to showcase why it's relevant to their readers.
'Til next month!
Jaimie Etkin is the director of publisher partnerships at Stacker. She was previously the company's head of content strategy and has worked as a content strategist and digital editor for the past two decades at publications like Newsweek, HuffPost, and BuzzFeed News.
