7 Essential Headline Writing Tricks
Writing a great headline is an extremely important part of creating good online content.
“8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest” - Copyblogger.com
More than half the people who see your headline won’t read a word more of your content. This is your chance to make a statement and grab the reader's attention.
Plus, the power of a well written headline can do lots to help your articles search engine optimization.
Since most of you aren’t even reading this anymore, why wait any longer - here’s 7 tricks for writing a better headline.
Use big numbers at the beginning of your headline
Everybody agrees that using numbers in your headline is a technique that works. There’s also a few conditions that you should try to stick to when using numbers to be successful. Use bigger numbers to show your articles value and place them at the start of your headline. Plus, using digits will outperform writing out the number in a headline.
Emphasize a word by using ALL CAPS
Create a sense of urgency in your headline by implementing the use of all caps. Pick an import word or two and make them stick out with caps lock. You won’t want to do this on every headline since that will take away from the immediacy, but using all caps occasionally can be powerful.
Use questions
If your article is answering a question, use that question as your headline. Many people type their questions straight into a search engine looking for answers so there’s no point in beating around the bush if your article answers that question. This shows readers exactly what your article will be about.
Write multiple headlines
You’re not always going to find the best headline on your first try. Spend a few minutes writing out as many headlines as you can then edit them accordingly. Try using different adjectives or structuring them differently and you’ll be surprised at how many variations you can come up with. Once you have 3 or 4 strong headlines, take a step back and decide which one would interest you the most.
Do keyword research
Keywords are the most important part of crafting a great headline. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you make a new headline, stick with what works and build off that. Using a keyword tool, or a simple Google search, see what people are actually searching for and implement those keywords. Check out what keywords similar articles have and use those for inspiration.
Keep it simple
You could spend a full day coming up with clever headlines that use puns or jokes, but is it worth it? You want to exercise your creative voice in a headline but don’t alienate your audience by making it too ‘wordy’. Keep it simple, get straight to your point, and offer value so people want to read more.
Be specific
No matter what your article is about there’s almost no doubt there’s already something out there with the same topic. Don’t try to make a blanket statement headline to try to appeal to more people. Focus on exactly what your content is about and advertise it as such.
By Harlen Malkowich