You’ve seen the “STOP” and “SLOW DOWN” signs on your local highways,
right? Even if you’re driving at 100 kph, you read them and obediently
follow the instructions.
You hardly ever miss them because they’re in your face with a clear message.
That’s exactly what a magnetic headline does as well.
It makes your readers stop and take notice, even if they have a hundred other posts on their Twitter or Facebook timelines.
But if your headlines are boring, you’re effectively invisible to your audience – no one sees you.
Studies show that 80% of people read headlines, but only 20% actually read the full piece of content that follows.
So how exactly can you create headlines for your blog posts that catch eye-balls and get noticed?
Thankfully, with so much research into web copy and persuasion, there
are exact formulas that you can apply to your blog headlines and make
them more attractive.
Here are seven of them.
1. Deliver Tangible Value By Using Numbers and Data
Using numbers in your headlines is one of the best ways to get
noticed and increase click through rates. Research after research
confirms that readers are much likelier to click on a headline that
includes numbers than a plain text headline.
A study by Conductor found that readers click more frequently on headlines that include numbers.
Studies have also found that the higher the number, the more effective your headlines becomes.
That is why longer list posts have such high click through and social sharing rates.
For example, here’s a simple headline
- Reasons Why Most People Fail Their First Driving Test
Now look how using numbers can make it more interesting
- 13 Reasons Why 73% of People Fail Their First Driving Test
Headlines with numbers are so effective because they give your
readers a certain value that they can expect from your post. It gives
clarity to your message and the promise you’re making in your headline.
2. Entice Readers With a Clearly Stated Benefit
People read content because they’re looking for solutions to specific
problems. The problem could be anything – curiosity, boredom, need for
specific information etc.
When you create benefit driven headlines, you’re actually
highlighting the solution to your readers’ problems. It gives them a
strong reason to click on the headline and read the full content. The
more clearly you communicate a benefit, the higher click through rates
you’ll get.
Here are a couple of examples of really useful and benefit driven headlines
- Why Do Sites Rank High on Google When They Aren’t Optimized
- How Create Professional Client Proposal in Minutes
Notice how both these headlines make the benefit very clear. They
have identified the problem their readers are facing, and they directly
address the solutions.
For example, the second headline highlights a couple of benefits.
- Create professional client proposals (effective, good looking, comprehensive)
- In Minutes (save time)
That is how you capture the attention of your readers.
3. Trigger Action With Emotionally Driven Headlines
Your readers are humans, not just numbers. And humans have emotions.
Headlines that successfully trigger the right emotions in their readers
drive more action.
You can do that by using powerful words that evoke emotion. Words
like amazing, breathtaking, unbelievable, eye-opening, miraculous,
daring etc. are examples of powerful words that spur your readers into
action.
These are adjectives that grab your reader’s attention and make your headlines stand out.
Emotional headlines also work well since they touch the readers at a personal level. They make them feel human.
Here are a few examples of such headlines
- The Writing Formula That’ll Make You Powerful, Persuasive and Popular
- How To Quit Your Job, Move To Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World
- 11 Mindblowing Scientific Discoveries That’ll Change Healthcare Forever
However, using too many adjectives in one headline can reduce its
effectiveness. So make sure every power word is actually adding some
value to your headline and is not just there to fill the space.
4. Use Question Based Headlines to Generate Curiosity
When your headlines ask questions, they immediately trigger curiosity
in the reader’s mind. The stronger the question, the more curios your
readers will become. That is why question based headlines are much more
effective than plain statements.
For example, which headline will grab your attention?
- Don’t Struggle To Attract Traffic To Your Blog
- Are You Struggling To Attract Traffic To Your Blog?
The second headline will make you click on it, while you’re likely to ignore the first one.
When a reader sees a question-based headline, he assumes that your
content answers that question. It creates a certain level of credibility
and makes your heading much more click-worthy.
5. Create “How To” Headlines to Grab Attention
“How To” posts are among the most popular types of content and rarely
fail to grab attention. Just like question-based headlines, they evoke a
strong sense of curiosity in your readers.
But it also makes them feel that they’ll miss out on valuable
information if they do not read what’s inside. How-To is a promise that
you’re making in your headline. You’re promising your readers to
comprehensively cover a topic and tell them everything they need to
know.
That’s why you should only use this heading format when you can
actually deliver on the promise. Otherwise you’ll lose credibility.
For example, here are a couple headings that’ll surely make heads turn
- How To Build a Thriving Email List in 3 Months Even If You’re on a Tight Budget
- How To Make Your Readers Beg You For More Content and Pay You In Advance
Typically, How-To posts are longer than other post formats, and include a step by step guideline for achieving a certain target.
6. Create Conversational Headlines for Higher Engagement
Controversy sells!
You see it every day on television, news channels and social media.
Controversial topics, opinions, people or anything else associated with
controversy generates interest among people.
That’s exactly why controversial headlines work so well.
They challenge the conventional wisdom and go against the beliefs of
people. Naturally, this gets them interested and engaged in your
content.
Here are a few examples of effective controversial headlines
- Content is NOT the King, It Never Was and Never Will Be (And Who Actually Rules)
- Why SEO is a Waste of Time and What You Should Be Doing Instead
- Bigger the Expert, Bigger the Lier – 10 Content Marketing Myths You’ve Always Believed
However, these are high risk headlines that can easily get people
offended. You need to use them carefully and ensure that you have solid
research to back your argument. Using them too frequently can brand your
business in the wrong way.
7. Use Negative Superlatives
Just like controversial headlines, using negatives words in your headlines can also trigger a strong interest in your content.
Negative headlines tap into the insecurities of your readers and
create a strong sense of guilt in them. It makes them feel left behind
and on the wrong track.
All of these things are good if your content is actually helping your readers.
Here are a few examples of negative headlines
- 17 Reasons Why You’ll Continue To Struggle as a Blogger in 2016
- The Simple Reason Why You’re Just Another Average Blogger That Nobody Cares About
- You’re Destined for Failure in Business (Unless You Change This Habit)
However, the negative headline formula should be used sparingly.
Using it frequently can demotivate your readers and make them lose
interest in your content.
Wrapping Up
In the age of social media and information overload, crafting
eye-catching and effective headlines is more important than ever before.
Ideally, you should spend a significant portion of your writing time in
finalizing your headlines.
The different types of headlines I’ve shared in this post will help
you understand what makes a headline attractive and why people click on
them.
But these are just guidelines. Ultimately, it comes down to how well
you understand your audience and tailor your headlines according to
their interests.
What other headline types do you know about? And which headline formula works the best for you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.