If you talk to enough writers, you will know that headlines are what sell your article. You could have written the best piece of your life, but know one will know how amazing it is if your headline makes them snore. Your headline creates the first impression of your article and needs to intrigue the reader enough to get them to make it to the first line of copy. If you can do that, your chances of potential clients moving forward in your article increase substantially.
So what exactly makes a great headline? There are many, but here are five key things to help you get started:
1) Tell a secret
This is a great way get attention and build trust. The juicier the headline, the better, but the headline needs to be accurate and use keywords the reader will find in the article.
“How I lost 80 pounds by eating zebra meat.”
2) Create a sense of urgency
The reader sees that they must do something now or something will happen.
“Free baby elephant with download, offer ends at midnight”
3) Demonstrate value
Explain to your viewers why they should read your article.
“Create fabulous blog graphics in minutes”
4) Use numbers
Numbers give the reader a clear picture of what your article is about, and they know it won’t take all day to get the information. The digits should be attractive and realistic, as well. Unless you are a crazy cat person, the headline below is better than “30,921 ways to get your face slaughtered.”
“6 easy ways to bathe a stinky cat”
5) Keep it short and sexy
Have fun with words and use a few bold and colorful words. Titles like: “Stimulate your Readers,” or “Spice up your blog” are fun and specific. Just don’t go to crazy and over-sex the entire article or your readers will get bored fast.
“Surgery in Space”
Susan Sullivan
Susan lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area with her husband and children. She is an avid distance runner, environmentalist, part-time beekeeper, chicken farmer and amateur photographer.