Improve Your Headlines

We are now living in a short attention based world where the headline needs to speak for an entire article. As Twitter and other social media means are slowly ruling the news consuming world, the headline speaks volume in only a few short words. A recent article on Ragan.com, “9 Tips for Writing Magnetic Headlines Right Away,” provides some great tips for writing a catchy headline.

Use numbers- Studies show that using numbers in headlines increases consumer traffic. For example, this article, “Nine Tips for Writing Magnetic Headlines Right Away”, allows for the reader to get a sense of the length of the article, therefore the reader can allot a specific amount of time to the article.

Speak directly to the reader- Using words like “you” or “your” helps personalize the article for the reader. Compare these two headlines:

8 Tips for Writing

Your 8 Tips for Writing

The second headline, “Your 8 Tips for Writing” is more appealing because it suggesting that it was meant for you, the reader.

Make it bold- Making your reader go “huh?” is sometimes not a bad thing. A headline such as, “Improve How You Write Your headlines-Because Nobody Cares About Your Content,” can make your reader do a double-take and say “what?” which will inevitably lead to heavier traffic.

Appeal to the reader’s curiosity- By asking a question to the reader it evokes curiosity while the reader looks for a response in the article, for example:

“Do You Read Headlines?”

Stress the “urgency factor”- Key words like “now,” “today,” “immediately,” and phrases such as “right away” instills a sense of urgency and immediate result for example:

“How You Could Improve Your Klout Score Today!”

Be specific- Being specific can allows interested readers to value the content on a deeper level. The more specific your headline, the more specific your audience may become which may allow your reader to be more invested in your content. For example:

“Get More Readers by Improving Your Headlines”

Appeal to emotions- Playing to your readers emotions allows you to connect with your readers and possible establish a more constant following, for example:
“Get the Respect You Deserve: How to Improve Your Email Signature”

Don’t be too witty- Let’s be honest, sometimes headlines go over our heads. In this case, we miss vital readers, so let’s keep it simple people.

For more tips, visit the article.