Do you suck at writing headlines? Does it seem like you can’t get your blog posts read? Maybe it’s your headline. You want the headline to stop them from skim reading so you can wow them with your content.
There’s been a lot of talk about content lately. I hate to repeat that content is king, but it really is. However, if your content isn’t getting read, it doesn’t matter how great it is, no one will know about it.
How do you get your content read? First you have to grab the reader’s attention. You do that with a killer headline. In fact, you should practice writing headlines as much as possible. If you’re sitting there bored, can’t think of what to write, try writing some headlines.
First and foremost, headlines should be capitalized. That’s what grabs the reader’s attention. Filler words like to, or, for, by, etc. do not need capitalization, but all other words in your headline should be.
Example:
==> 7 easy ways to cut your costs
That doesn’t really grab a persons attention. A better way to write it is:
==> 7 Easy Ways to Cut Your Costs
This headline stands out and is more likely to grab the readers attention.
Can we improve this headline? Where are we cutting costs? Is it in business? Grocery shopping? Vacation costs?
Let’s pretend your reader is searching through RSS feeds. She’s trying to save money. Your site is all about saving money, but you have some other headlines to compete with.
The reader is skimming through the headlines. She finds:
Cut Your Grocery CostsSave Money on Your Next Grocery BillSpend Less Money on FoodCut Weekly Food CostsThose may be interesting titles, but then she finds your headline and it states:
==> 7 Easy Ways to Save Money and Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half
This one is more likely to grab her attention. Why? Because you’ve told her it’s easy. People like easy. You’ve told her you’re going to save her money, which is what she’s looking for and you’re going to help her cut her food bill in half. This is a big plus. Saving money is one thing, but cutting the bill in half is better. However, if you use a headline like this you need to deliver on the promise. Never mislead a reader unless it serves a purpose.
That’s a pretty good headline, but we can also add some emotional pain if we want to. People are generally looking for solutions because they are in some kind of painful situation, including financial pain. In this case we could expand that headline even more:
Tired of Spending too Much on Food?7 Easy Ways to Save Money and Cut Your Grocery Bill in HalfUsing emotion in your headlines and the beginning of your article will not only grab her attention, but also let her know that you’ve been where she’s at and you’re going to give her some solutions to her problems.
Another thing to remember is your target audience. In my example I used ‘she’ instead of a generalization like ‘they’ or ‘the reader’. Why?
Because it’s easier to write for one person than it is to write for a crowd. If you target one person and speak to that one person, you will actually reach more people. Thinking about everyone in your target audience can also be overwhelming. What can you possibly say to all of those people? Instead, pick one person in your target audience and write to that person. It becomes much easier when you focus on one person.
There are many ways to grab a reader’s attention, but if you spend a little more time working on your title or headline, you’ll get a better response rate than you would with generic headlines.
Spend time each day writing out headlines. This will improve your skills and it also prepares your mind to start thinking more about headlines. Before long, it’ll be a breeze to come up with a great title.
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