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I love a good headline. Whenever I sit down on Sunday nights to write my weekly blog posts, the first thing I do is try to think about a witty or catchy headline. However, in my News Writing & Media Relations class, I'm starting to find myself struggling over what kind of title to go with. Unfortunately, press releases aren't the same as blogs. You have to be strategic with what kind of tone or purpose to have in mind when writing a headline. Below are a few different types of headlines to consider when writing:

• Direct: These are the headlines you'll usually see on the Classifieds page, like "Car for Sale". This may seem kind of abrupt, but some people do like things short, sweet, and to the point.
• News: This type of headline is most commonly used with media writing. "President Obama to unveil new healthcare reform" is a good example, it tells you what happened, no questions asked, while conveying an air of authority to tell the reader "read me, I know what's going on."
• How-to: You probably find yourself beginning most of your Google searches with "how to..." Creating a post beginning with how to will undoubtedly garner more views, and let people know that you're here to help.
• Question: People are inherently curious...and anxious. Having a headline posing a question like "Are you feeding your kids the right foods?" will stir the curiosity in people, and encourage them to read more to make sure they're doing the right things.
• Testimonial: "Why I Chose to Go Vegetarian" people will more likely look for a second opinion when making a decision. If you establish yourself as a reliable resource for a topic, people will come to you in packs because they'll know you're the expert.
• Teaser: Titling a piece with something like "The Biggest Event of the Year" could encourage readers to find out more. But take care, if you hype it up too much, people won't appreciate being let down.

Do you find yourself creating these headlines? Have they made a difference in your views? Let us know!

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.