Did the headline catch your attention? Good. It was meant to.
Headlines are a secret spice that can give you a higher return for the time you spend online.
From your posts to guest posts; from your tweets and posts on Facebook and other social media sites to every press release you ever write – copy that starts with a killer headline will get read more, shared more, and ultimately, will show stronger long-term results.
Attention is the currency of the Internet. Knowing how to capture it is the first step in turning traffic into dollars. People are busy, and you have scant seconds to seize their attention.
A compelling headline is, by far, the most effective way to do it.
Your headline has one job: to sell the click (to get people to click on a headline from a link within an email, RSS feed, social media site, etc.). Once you get a reader to your post, your job shifts. Your copy must then hold your reader’s attention and get his eyes moving down the page.
But before that can happen, you MUST command the click.
Whether your reader is browsing her RSS reader, Twitter feed, or Facebook wall, you have just slivers of seconds to secure her attention. When it comes to your copy, you’ll want to hone in on specific audience needs, but design your headline to maximize attention.
Universal human triggers such as power, prestige, trust, vice, or alarm perform remarkably well. Wrap these core emotions in curiosity, and you have a potent cocktail to capture the clicks.
You can find many headline templates online, as well as some sample headlines later in this post, but use them at your own risk. Headline templates can be highly effective, but they can also be entirely inappropriate to your audience, and will backfire if used poorly.
The most important thing to consider when writing a great headline isn’t the words themselves, but why those words were used.
Photo Credit: Anna L Conti
Study the headlines on the magazines in the checkout lane next time your in the grocery store. Cosmopolitan is a great example, with headlines designed for maximum buyer conversion. They are designed to get you to pick up the magazine by compelling you with a great headline.
Once you pick up the magazine, you’re a lot more likely to buy it.
Success!
It’s as though the headlines were written before the article itself.
Truth is, they probably were.
Why You Should Write Your Headline First
It isn’t always necessary to write your headline first, but it is a highly effective strategy for producing focused, quality content. Starting with the headline can give you a bird’s-eye view of your topic, whether you’re writing a blog post, lead magnet, sales letter, or even a chapter heading in your awesome new novel.
A killer headline can help you craft the content to follow, leading a path of precision from your pledge at the top to your call to action at the bottom.
Your headline is a promise to your reader. By making that promise first, you’ll know exactly what to deliver. Your headline clearly communicates the benefit of your copy; driving excitement and initiating the first flutters of early satisfaction.
You make promises before fulfilling them in real life, right? Your headline’s the same. When you write your copy first, you must work backwards to determine your promise. Yet, if you go promise first, then use your copy to deliver on that promise, you’re more likely to write copy that’s organized, effective, and easier for your reader to understand, and ultimately share.
Once you’ve finished your copy, give it a once-over, tweaking to ensure it’s in alignment with your promise. An incongruent headline could make your readers feel as though you’ve gone back on your word or that you tricked them, and that’s the last thing you want to do.
You’re developing a relationship with your audience; trust is everything.
Take time to craft your headline. There will be days when your headline comes easy, and others when it’s pulling teeth. Fortunately, headline writing gets easier over time. Not necessarily because you’re writing more, but because you develop a deeper understanding of the psychology behind a powerful headline.
This takes constant study, but like any special effect, you can always spot what makes a headline work once you know what to look for.
If you don’t like the results of your headline, don’t be afraid to spend more time on it or come back to it after a while. An awkward headline will be ignored, and getting noticed is everything online. The times when I’ve spent as long on the headline as I did on the copy always paid off in re-tweets.
Why You Should Use Templates
Basic headline templates can work wonders because human nature evolves at the speed of evolution, not technology. Today’s headlines tap into the same emotional triggers that have driven human behavior for decades before Madison Avenue.
Creativity is borrowed. Don’t think for a second that every headline should be unique. How many of those headlines that you see at the grocery store have been recycled? Doesn’t Cosmopolitan use the same headlines, or variations of past ones, over and over and over again?
Spend your time writing original headlines and you’ll spend little time doing anything else. Riffing on what works isn’t lazy, it’s smart. But if you don’t understand the psychology behind the headline, or what makes it work, then you risk writing it all wrong.
And an ineffective headline gathers no readers and holds no attention.
Truly understand the triggers that can make a marginal headline magic, and you will hold the keys to the kingdom. Ask yourself the following questions to gain insight into your target readers:
- What are their biggest fears?
- What are their biggest frustrations?
- What are their most limiting beliefs?
- What are their biggest obstacles to success?
- What are their secret hopes and dreams?
- How do they see themselves?
Understand your market and you will be able to use templates far more effectively. The most important thing is to test your headlines, observe what works, and implement your improvements.
One of the best places to test is among the ever-streaming brevity of Twitter.
Testing Headlines on Twitter
Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com
Twitter is THE place for sharing content. Nowhere else online is content spread so voraciously. If you have hopes of your content going viral, you must be on Twitter. Yet, one of the quiet benefits of Twitter for a budding copywriter is that it’s the best lab on the Web for testing headlines.
Not only is everyone’s Twitter stream in constant motion, you have just 140 characters to compel your readers to click. These are prime testing grounds for grabbing attention!
Re-tweets are easy to get, once you know how to get them, and gathering those re-tweets can do wonders for your authority. The key, like on your blog, is crafting a headline that commands attention.
Offer a benefit, then be original, unique, insistent, and specific.
Above all, practice. Try intelligently inserting your topic into one of these 21 Tweets to Capture the Click, then discover how easy getting eyes on your content can be.
- Don’t read this unless…
- WOW. These amazing pictures of…
- Unbelievable: 10 ways to…
- How to… in three simple steps
- 5 things you should already know about…
- WAY too funny not to read…
- How to use … to succeed at…
- 5 ways to keep more money in your pocket by…
- 3 Secrets of better …
- Kiss your …. Goodbye
- Make your … work in four simple steps
- 10 tips for smarter and more effective…
- Multiply profits with…
- 10 … you thought were…, but aren’t
- Who else wants…?
- The ultimate guide to…
- … that will get you noticed by the people that matter
- 10 … that get immediate results
- Warning! This post is ….
- How to … like a rock star
While a clever headline can get people to click, it won’t necessarily get people to share your post. For that, the quality of your copy will make all the difference. When it comes to social media, what you share is a reflection of you.
If you share empty content, people will avoid you. However, if you share must-read posts or stuff that’s sure to go viral, it makes you look like you have your keystrokes on the pulse of what’s trending or useful, and increases your value.
Make your content awesome enough that people are always eager to give it a link.
Once you’re confident in your copy, hit Twitter to see what works and what doesn’t. Keep notes, learn and evolve, and you’ll soon find yourself at the top of your game.
Sample Headlines
I could write an entire book on headlines, and maybe I will someday, though I’m hardly an expert and there are many copywriters far better than me. Copyblogger does a great job. I’m constantly learning and forever fascinated by the art, psychology, and science of a well-crafted headline.
You can use any of the below headline templates to get started, but don’t fool yourself into thinking they’ll work if you’re not willing to take the time to understand why they should.
- 27 Myths of _______
- 6 Celebrities Who _______
- 15 Steps to _______ Success
- Top 10 Blogs About _______
- What Everyone Should Know About _______
- 10 Reasons Not to _______
- 100 Most Hilarious _______
- 6 Ways to _______
- How to Use _______ For Research
- Why 90% of _______ Should Be Ignored
- 6 Warning Signs That _______
- Get _______ Now
- The History of _______
- How to Find the Perfect _______
- How Safe is Your _______ From _______?
- The Zen of _______
- 12 Examples of Successful _______
- 11 Lies _______ Love to Tell
- How Much Money _______ Really Costs You
- How to _______ in 5 Minutes (or less!)
- How to Take Charge of Your _______ Once and For All
- Are You Making These _______ Mistakes?
- How to _______
- How to be _______
- 10 Reasons You Should _______
- _______ Jobs You Can Easily Do Yourself (This is How)
- This is the World’s Worst _______
- This is the Best Way to _______
- _______ Then and Now
- How to _______ In Less Time Than You Thought Possible
- 97 Ways to Make Social Media Work For _______
- Why You Should Never _______
Try some of these out, or experiment by altering other headlines you like. Just remember to stay within your niche and don’t write a headline which promises something your copy can’t deliver.
This is an excerpt from the book, Writing Online. Follow Sean on Twitter.
About Sean Platt
I agree headlines are important and all, but once I realised I’d been swizzed into coming here I didn’t bother to read the article. I don’t think misleading headlines are ever good – they might grab attention but they also damage trust.
Normally, I’d agree with you 100%, but the premise of the post is ALL about powerful headlines, their ability to draw attention and sell the click. As long as the post delivers quality, which I believe this post absolutely does, trust should be in order.
Man I’m conflicted:
I have to admit, your article rocks and is chock full of goodness however your headline (I feel) is completely misleading. (Of course the headline worked to catch my attention, I clicked and now I’m commenting) but now your content isn’t as much the center of my attention as is the the means of which you got me here.
It’s a shame because the article content (in my own mind) is over shadowed by me expressing how dissatisfied by the means of how I was invited. (Imagine emotion battling logic right now – content good -means of how I arrived bad)
I know it’s to prove a point about how powerful headlines are but I still feel bamboozled. I’m no stranger to using titles that “strike a pose” and catch peoples attention however I always found a way to tie the title into the articles message so they didn’t feel “swagged.”
At least even after realizing your title didn’t provide a pay off to my interest I can acknowledge the content is stellar. I just felt you bent this one a bit too far.
I totally disagree with the previous comments!! I was brought in by the title and then read all you article!! I loved it! Headline worked for me!
Thanks! I’m glad it worked. :)
Hi Sean,
Yes i am fascinated by your headline and was brought in. But your content is what attracts me further to start reading from beginning to the end. I have to say i am not disappointed. In fact, thanks for all the examples you have given. Brilliant ideas for new post.
I thought the content complement your headlines very well. That’s what you are trying to present here.
I fell for the title too, and didn’t know how I happened to still read through the article. Interesting.
I think that’s somewhat surly – I thought it was a great post and the headline trick was absolutely appropriate
Thankyou!
Every newbie copywriter should read this post. Sean, you’ve managed to basically give a crash-course in how to write a headline that anyone could immediately apply. I especially love the real life examples of magazines and gossip rags. The National Enquirer has some of the best attention grabbing headlines of all.
SO true. You can learn everything you need to know about writing headlines by hanging out at the grocery store for a day.
Sean,
This is an amazing post. You have clearly put down every piece of information needed to craft a headline. Sure headline is THE thing that decides whether people want to click through or not. It is the key to get the readers to your blog.
And I disagree with the first commenter; I see that this heading delivers the message of the post. It is all about how headline matters, isn’t?
Well done.
Jane.
Thanks Jane, on both counts. I think the headline did exactly what it was supposed to do. :)
Your headline got my attention and I did read a good bit of your article… But I feel that your headline had nothing to do with the content in the article…. I was expecting a story about a study or some survey showing that blogs are falling out of fashion, but I just got a lengthy lecture on headlines.
End result: I feel like you misleaded me and lied to me… That’s not a very good way at all to build trust. I don’t know if I’ll bother clicking on your twitter links in the future based on this little bait-and-switch…
Thanks for the valuable lesson…
Sorry you feel that way. I totally get where you’re coming from, but this post has helped a lot of people precisely because it helped them to really think about the intention of a headline. It wasn’t supposed to be a lengthy lecture so much as a thorough tutorial.
I’m sorry this post failed for you. That is unfortunate.
While I somewhat agree about feeling like the post had nothing to do with the headline, I really enjoyed the post. In the past, I always felt that simple was best, but sometimes simple doesn’t grab attention the way you’d want it to. It’s important to be simple but also to be alluring, and I think this post did a great job of explaining that. Thanks for the helpful information!