How to write headlines and why they matter

Headlines are the first thing that people see when it comes to your writing. They will either grab the attention of readers and site visitors or bore them. There isn’t one right way to write a headline, but certain types of headlines have proven themselves to be successful.

Here’s some good answer to question how to write good headlines picked up from sites like BuzzFeed, Business Insider in just 15 minutes:

• 10 apsolutely ingenious ways to open wine without a corkscrew
• Symptoms of deadly flu strain spreading across US tend to ‘escalate’, doctor says
• 14 content marketing tools that will double your search traffic
• Great domestic guide to the best bars in Zagreb
• The best recipes for cookie dummies
• How to turn LinekdIn into a job machine
• How to become master digital ninja
• 6 reasons bacon is better than sex
• 7 reasons Gold is better than Bitcoin
• Secrets that will change how you shop online
• Smartphone battery explodes after man inexplicably bites into it

Like it? Would you click? All of these are very clickable, so how they do it? What is the magic formula? By following similar “formulas,” you’ll find yourself writing headlines that will persuade people to click over to your content and read your copy. That’s why you need to get them right. So your headlines shouldn’t focus on selling to the reader. Instead, they should entice and draw readers in to finish the entire article.

Think, you have to make your headline as intriguing as possible, or make it:

Useful

Think about the headlines that you actually click on when you’re scrolling through your news feed. They’re probably usually the headlines that offer something that help. You need to offer people the same useful value in your own headlines. Start out by understanding what will be useful to your audience, and then offer them what they need.

Urgent

Think FOMO here (for the uninitiated: Fear Of Missing Out.) There is so much trying to grab our attention online. It’s easy to ignore something that we think isn’t time-sensitive. Urgency is the hardest of the four U’s to capture, and it might not always apply to your specific article topic.

Unique

Anything that you can do to make your headline stand out will help. Think about the headlines that you actually click on when you’re scrolling through your news feed. They’re probably usually the headlines that offer something that can help you.

You need to offer people the same useful value in your own headlines. Start out by understanding what will be useful to your audience, and then offer them what they need.

Ultra-specific

Have you ever wondered why so many headlines these days have numbers in them? Readers like to know exactly what they can expect if they click on a headline.

For example: 10 content marketing tools that will double your search traffic. Headlines that push people to read because they offer an answer to problems they have.

Make it a guide

The guide formula is a classic way to show people that your post can solve their problems. It’s as easy as rephrasing your headline to read: The (Adjective) Guide to (Ultra-Specific Topic). Be careful about how you phrase the contents of the blanks, though.

Give away the big benefit

The headline needs to convince them that there’s a benefit to them taking time out of their day to look at your content. This is as simple as writing a few headlines like “Make Your Own Email Template in Minutes” or “Fast and Easy Ways to Cook Bacon.”

Appeal to your readers

You can write headlines that focus on people’s wants and needs and highlight the result of meeting those wants or needs by turning them into “how-tos.” Don’t include the process in the headline, though, since you don’t want to give away the big secret. That certainly won’t compel readers to stick around for your whole post.

Make numerical list post

If you’re tired of seeing list posts all over the place, you might want to rethink. People write them because they’re clickable and readable. Include emotional words in the blog title to make list posts even more effective, like “sneaky” or “legitimate.”

Headline formulas for your articles, blog posts, and social media posts

No matter the formula or formulas that you choose to use when writing new headlines, you need to keep an eye on the length.

You want headlines to be long enough to cover all of the information, but short enough that they aren’t too lengthy.

The highest-converting headlines have between 16 and 18 words. Try to keep your headlines within this range for the best results.

After all…

While there’s no one-size-fits-all way to write a headline, there are some headline formulas that you can follow to create better-performing ones. The answer may be in your headlines. These are the first thing that people see from your brand before deciding whether or not to click over to your copy.

Turning your content into an actionable guide is a classic way to convince readers that they won’t regret reading your post because it can solve their problems. You should always give away the big benefit of what’s in it for readers to read your post, too. Don’t give away too much, but lay out why your post is valuable.

Appealing to your readers’ “how-to” instinct will also draw them in. People want to improve their quality of life. If your post can help them do that, they’ll be sold.

So, that’s my five bucks for answering question How to write headlines. What is yours? Thx for reading.