The best way to increase your website’s or blog’s popularity is by writing content people can’t resist. Many authors and copywriters take years to train and spend thousands of dollars learning how to write effectively and engagingly. But what can you do if you don’t have that kind of money to spend and you need a solution now? There’s one aspect of all your content that if written successfully can dramatically improve your results. It all comes down to writing effective headlines. Let me show you how with these tips.
Make Them Stand Out
The reason headlines are so effective at dragging readers in is that they stand out more than anything else on the page. They can judge quickly about the article’s contents without reading further into it. That’s why you really don’t need to focus on getting anything else right but the headline if you have limited resources. Make it bold, make it large and make it catchy (more on this later).
Give it a Clue to Your Content
You need to make your headline relevant to your content. Nothing will turn readers away faster than them realizing they’re not reading what they thought they were going to read. You’ll want to get creative but never forget to keep it relevant.
Bait Them
Think about what your target audience will be interested in reading and then craft your headline based on that. You know better than anyone what your industry will want to read. Give it to them! Why would anyone want to read about heavy metal music on your classical music website? Even if you’re being creative, make sure it’s something that will interest your readers and not turn them off right away.
Hook Them
You’re going to need a hook. It’s the part of your creative headline that really draws them in. Use these tips to create a great hook:
- Make it shocking (Why you’re ruining your blog…)
- Make it relate to popular culture (What I learned about carpentry from Lady Gaga…)
- Give them a “How-to” (How to earn $1,000 in a week…)
- Answer a common question or solve a common problem (Housebreak your pet quickly…)
- Make it a list – readers love lists! (10 tips to great headlines…)
- Go contrary to popular belief (Why using Facebook can hurt your business…)
- Offer a freebie (How to get a free logo…)
There are many more ways to generate a great hook for your headline, just think about what will make them want to read more.
Sub-headings
The truth is that even if you have a great headline; many people will still only skim your article. Readers on the internet get bored quickly. Make it easier for them by dividing your article or blog post up with smaller, equally attractive sub-headings. You can show them why they will want to keep reading and make your post look a lot easier to read at the same time. This works great to keep readers involved!
So there you have it! Follow these tips to write consistently great headlines. You’ll find that readers stay on your page longer and get more involved in your content if you do!
Written by Brandon Freund
Brandon is the owner of Big Dogs Internet Marketing. He enjoys helping small businesses succeed online and writes business building tips for success on the Big Dogs Internet Marketing Blog.
My most popular post ever is this one:
What a New York prostitute can teach you about Conversion.
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When crafting this title I worked pretty much along the lines of what iyou’re saying here.
And it worked!
Great tips, how to’s and list posts always work a treat for me. I also believe that if you make an effort to consistently engage with your readers they will come back and spend a lot longer reading your posts.
Good tips. One that I do often but sometimes overlook is subheadings. They serve as signposts to the reader and break up the mass of content. Will try to remember to put them in more consistently. One other item to consider is including an image at the start of the article.