Get Your Reader's Attention
You have 2 seconds to turn a web surfer to a reader. Make sure your headline works!
Publishing anything on the internet may be easier than publishing on print, but with so much information floating on our screens, it's hard to get our content noticed. Ever noticed how newspaper always have catchy headlines for their biggest stories, and how tabloid sheets are able to get people to buy their downright pointless content simply based on their headlines alone?
Bloggers and online writers (myself included) need to improve on creating super headlines before even writing content, this is especially true for product ads or marketing/sales pages. Potential readers 'judge' your entire post in half a second purely on how interesting your headline is, no matter how great the body of the article might be, if they don't click on the headline, it's as good as blank.
Tips for Catchy Headlines
Tips for Catchy Headlines
- How To Headlines
- Guarantees and Warranties
- Ask a Question
- Testimonies
- Give Benefits Outright
- Use Lists
- Tell Me Why
"How To" Headlines
Simply start your headline with How T0... and cite the intended results. This is probably one of the most simple and effective way to get your reader's attention. For example, we can rewrite this article's headline to "How To Attract Readers Instantly With Great Headlines!".
Simply start your headline with How T0... and cite the intended results. This is probably one of the most simple and effective way to get your reader's attention. For example, we can rewrite this article's headline to "How To Attract Readers Instantly With Great Headlines!".
Guarantees and Warranties
Make a promise upfront, it makes your reader go "hmm, OK, let's see if it really works" and forces them to check out the content. You can give warranties based on time, steps, or actual solution to a topic with this strategy.
Make a promise upfront, it makes your reader go "hmm, OK, let's see if it really works" and forces them to check out the content. You can give warranties based on time, steps, or actual solution to a topic with this strategy.
For this article, I used the specific word "guaranteed" in the title. For sales copies, adding terms like "or your money back" and "unconditional warranty" adds a lot of consumer confidence to your product. Adding the time factor helps for certain articles like cooking recipes, for example "Our Oven Bakes a Perfect Cake in 5 minutes, or your money back!".
Ask a Question
Start your pitch with a question. A question forces the reader to subliminally respond to your headline whether they want to or not... Question-type headlines attract very targeted audiences all the time and it's very effective for sales conversion.
Start your pitch with a question. A question forces the reader to subliminally respond to your headline whether they want to or not... Question-type headlines attract very targeted audiences all the time and it's very effective for sales conversion.
Think about it, if my headline goes:
"Do you want to improve your widget sales by 80% in 10 days like I did?"
"Do you want to improve your widget sales by 80% in 10 days like I did?"
You either answer 'yes' or 'no' when you scan the headline. If you say 'yes', chances are, you'll click on my link and read my opening paragraph. If you say 'no', then you weren't my intended reader in the first place, right?
Testimonials
No, not the Friendster kind (who uses Friendster???)
No, not the Friendster kind (who uses Friendster???)
Testimonials add a certain element of truth and past-success to your story. It gives the impression that someone already accomplished what the article suggests and it could work for them too.
"How I gained 80 pounds of pure muscle with water alone!"
"Learn how our self-defense program helped Meyghan Pox defeat a 100-ton robot!"
This is a very powerful marketing and selling tactic for many products, particularly if the testimonial came from a public figure or at least a well-known person in your niche market.
Give Benefits Outright
If you're in a very targeted niche, you should know exactly what your readers are looking for. Give them what they want in the headline up front and you'll get their attention enough for them to read your article. The secret to benefits-based headline is it makes your reader say "OK, how?" immediately after reading your headline.
If you're in a very targeted niche, you should know exactly what your readers are looking for. Give them what they want in the headline up front and you'll get their attention enough for them to read your article. The secret to benefits-based headline is it makes your reader say "OK, how?" immediately after reading your headline.
Let's say you're in the marathon running niche, give a solution-based headline like "Run a Full Marathon Without Leg Cramps!". There headline tells the reader that the article has the solution, they'll have to read it to find out how.
Use Lists
Syndicated web portals like Yahoo use these types of headlines a lot these days, and they're very effective. List type headlines not only mixes the element of "benefits" or "solution" -based article, but also tells the reader that they can skim through the content if they wish. There's no 'fear' of reading a lengthy article to get the gist of the article.
Syndicated web portals like Yahoo use these types of headlines a lot these days, and they're very effective. List type headlines not only mixes the element of "benefits" or "solution" -based article, but also tells the reader that they can skim through the content if they wish. There's no 'fear' of reading a lengthy article to get the gist of the article.
"10 Easy Steps To Get Your Kids To Clean Up Their Rooms"
"5 Quick Recipes for Vegan Steaks"
"100 Ways To Skin a Cat"
"5 Quick Recipes for Vegan Steaks"
"100 Ways To Skin a Cat"
You know what I mean.
"Tell Me Why"
Why, why, why... There are many topics out there that your readers may not be aware of, and if you can create fresh curiosity about a common topic with your headline, chances are, your reader will think "is this something I'm not aware of?" and read your article. Adding a List element like we mentioned above will make the headline even better.
Why, why, why... There are many topics out there that your readers may not be aware of, and if you can create fresh curiosity about a common topic with your headline, chances are, your reader will think "is this something I'm not aware of?" and read your article. Adding a List element like we mentioned above will make the headline even better.
"5 reasons why aliens may never have landed in New Mexico"
"15 reasons why the iPhone will be discontinued"
"Why these 10 motorcycle can increase your sex appeal"
"15 reasons why the iPhone will be discontinued"
"Why these 10 motorcycle can increase your sex appeal"
Remember this important fact. If your reader don't click your headline, none of your content matters.
I'm sure there are many other ways to create compelling headlines, and not all of these tactics work on all niches or situation, but make it an effort to spend serious amount of time creating a headline before you start writing the content.
There are more articles like this over at Learn Niche Marketing, a website PURELY for newbie SEO and Internet Marketers created by David Tong
David also maintains a popular free simple photography tutorials site for beginners and advanced photographers alike.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dave_L_Tong
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