Do you write killer headlines? You have a great idea for a post, article, newsletter or report. This is pretty big news and you want everyone to open it and read it. So where do you start. How do you get to your goal of mass readership? You start with writing a killer headline.
Why?
Because, your headline is the first thing your readers will see. It is what starts the exchange of their time for your information. If your headline isn’t compelling to your reader then they will not continue reading. You need to submit to the fact that every sentence you write is to get your readers to go to the next sentence and so on until they get to your call to action. If your headline does not compel them to go to the next sentence then you have no chance of succeeding. You have failed.
Here are some interesting statistics you want to be aware of.
8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.
Don’t let those numbers fool you. It is very difficult to write a post that gets mass readership. You can be a great writer but that has nothing to do with getting readers if you cannot get them past the headline. Here are 5 tips to help you write that killer headline that will help you improve your odds and help you get closer to reaching your goal. These tips have been around since man started writing but I find they are a great reminder.
- Get to the point – first impressions count. Important! Read this blog post.
- Be bold and controversial. Read this blog post, or else!
- Include your keywords in your headline. Why you need to write killer headlines
- Solve a problem. How to get your blog post read.
- Use headlines that contain a list. 5 ways to write a killer headline.
This is just the tip of getting to your goal. You still have to get your article in front of people so they can read it. Be sure to promote it to your lists, share it on your social networks, ask your friends to share/like it, cross your fingers, hope, pray and then just maybe you will reach your goal. Until then, keep creating killer headlines and great content.
Remember, you don’t have to start big but you do have to start. Keep us posted on your progress, we’d love to hear from you.
12 Comments
Comments are closed.
That is so true that the headline makes a huge difference in whether someone will be compelled to read your blog or not. If you are terrible at creating compelling headlines (as I struggle with it), hire someone on Fiverr who will help you do that if you must but so true, the headline will be a huge determining factor in so many ways whether your blog post is looked at or not.
I said this about 8 years ago when Twitter was gaining popularity. Hiring a good headline writer is far more important than hiring a copywriter. Fantastic summary! Thanks.
I love using twitter as a foundation for headlines. It also allows you to prcatice up on what converts.
Sure. It’s just like the subject line of an e-mail. You have to get them to open it
More than ever these days.
It is increasingly urgent to write an attractive headline in this day of information overload. You are so correct that one must compete for people’s attention upfront. Great article.
Headline helps only if content is interesting as well, just a good headline is like a sea without water 😉
I couldn’t agree more with you. Nothing bugs me more than a great headline that gets me to commit to reading more only to be disappointed by the results.
I agree with Susan. Similar to the Subject of an email.
Headlines are crucial because most people scan and do not read content. Make sure the headline has meta data that is in the cross linked pages, header and titles as well.
Absolutely.
Good tips! Thanks! It is so true how important good headlines are!!!