Growing a brand and effective marketing on the Internet relies on creating eye-catching and engaging headlines. A good headline “hooks” readers and makes them want to click to learn more. It also establishes your presence and can boost sales and success. Content is one of the most important elements – if not the most important element – of marketing online. Not only does it boost your page rankings on search engines, but it also helps to engage your audience. In order for content to be effective, it needs to be eye-catching, relatable, relevant, and well written. However, there’s one element of content that many marketers overlook: the headline. Many marketers put so much effort into composing perfectly polished articles, blog posts, and other types of content within the body of the text that they often forget to focus on the headline – the part of content that readers (and search engines) first see.
Why Headlines Matter
The old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” doesn’t apply when it comes to creating headlines for content. In fact, headlines are the very basis of content. They let readers know what to expect from a piece of content. In other words, they are the first impression of a piece of content.
If your headlines aren’t
- engaging,
- eye-catching,
- and informative
it’s more likely than not that readers’ aren’t going to bother clicking on an email to read more or they won’t scroll past the first bold words they see on your blog posts and articles. Even if the rest of the content is amazing, if the headline is weak, only a small percentage of people are going to read it.
Headlines can influence the mindset of readers. If they’re well-written, they are going to draw in readers and encourage them to read more; however, if they are poorly written, chances are readers aren’t going to bother continuing on to read the body of the copy. A headline can make or break a blog post, an email subject line, an article, an ad, and even a homepage. In short, your headlines matter, and they matter a lot. So, how do you write a great headline that will grab the attention of your readers and boost conversions? Below, are some useful tips for creating effective headlines.
Make it Unique
There are millions of pieces of content on the web, and just as many emails sent. In order to stand out from the crowd, your headlines need to be unique. If your headlines are just like every other headline out there, your content – and your business – won’t stand out.
Be Specific
Not only do your headlines need to be unique, but they also need to be specific. The headline should offer the right amount of information to let readers know the information you are presenting them with will be interesting to them. If a headline isn’t specific, readers won’t know whether or not reading on will be beneficial to them.
Present Urgency
Whenever it is possible, a headline should present a sense of urgency. It should compel readers in such a way that they will feel as if they are missing out on something important if they don’t continue reading. While this isn’t a rule that applies to all content, when it can be used, it is extremely effective. Email subject lines and landing pages are usually great places to insert a sense of urgency into the headline.
Make it Useful
Think about it: you probably aren’t going to read a book, an article, a blog post, an email, or anything else unless you feel that it contains information that will be useful to you. Your readers feel the same way. After all, what’s the sense of taking the time to click on something and continue reading if the content isn’t going to present useful information.
By creating headlines that contain useful information, you can let your readers know that the rest of the content also contains details that they will find useful. How will your content benefit readers? What will the gain from it? Incorporate those things into the headline to make it really attention-grabbing and enticing.
Use Simple, Yet Powerful Words
The language used in a headline automatically effects whether or not your content will be considered “click-worthy”. If your headlines feature words that are bland, boring, and uninspiring, your audience will immediately be turned off. The same is true if you use highly technical words that laymen can’t understand. By using language that is simple, yet powerful, your headlines will be much more enticing.
