If you can’t write a headline that attracts attention, it doesn’t matter how dynamic or how informative your content is, no one will read it.
Your headline has to attract interest and curiosity. It’s what tells your reader that what they are about to read is worth reading.
So how do you get a reader’s attention? You write a headline that draws them in.
Whether you’re writing your newsletter, writing articles, writing sales letters or writing web content, people will first focus on the words that grab their attention and since the first thing they see is your headline it better get their attention quickly.
To write headlines that grab attention use these 5 powerful attention getting strategies:
1. Write Headlines That Create Curiosity & Interest
Consider this headline, “Lose Ten pounds while sitting in your chair” Does that sound like it might be something you could use? If you sit all day at a desk, I’m guessing it would. But it also stirs up curiosity. We don’t think of sitting as a way to lose weight so this idea has the power to intrigue.
2. Your Headline Should Include a Benefit
What’s the best benefit your article offers your reader? Going back to our title of “How to train your dog in 24 hours” the benefit is fast training. This is more likely to attract attention than simply saying “How to Train Your Dog“.
3. Be Specific with your Headline
If you’re vague about what you have to say you’re reader will lose interest. Think about this. Would you rather have a ‘yummy dessert’ or a ‘lemon chiffon Pie’? Or how about this, “How to save on your Grocery Bill” or “How to Save 40% on Your Grocery Bill Every Month“. Give as much detail as your headline will allow without getting too wordy.
Also avoid comparisons that state ‘faster than’ or ‘bigger than’. To a reader, they would be asking ‘faster than what?’, ‘Bigger than what?’ Sharpen up the picture with specifics.
4. Headlines Should Not Be Misleading
Don’t mislead your readers. Promising something that you can’t deliver on is irresponsible.Create an eye-catching headline that reflects what you’re actually delivering.
“How to make a million Dollars in one week” will have readers rolling their eyeballs. It’s not realistic nor is it likely that you can deliver on that. Unless your reader is completely gullible, it will get ignored.
Get your reader’s attention but not at the expense of misleading them or bending the truth.
For examples of great headlines, check out the headlines on other articles, newspapers, magazines and websites. Note the headlines that catch your eye and create a swipe file of headlines that entice you and pull form their methods of attraction.
5. Optimize Your headlines for the Search Engines
Don’t forget the search engines when you write. Choose keywords phrases that the search engines will recognize yet aren’t too competitive.
Start by using your favorite keyword tool to determine a keyword phrase that best describes your content.
For instance, if you are writing about dog training, a headline that reads, “How to train your dog in 24 hours“, is better than ‘Dog Training Tips’ which is a much more competitive keyword phrase.
“How to Train your Dog” is much less competitive and has a better chance of ranking higher in the search engines.
In fact use these 4 steps to writing effective SEO copy as a guideline.
Once you’ve settled on the best keyword phrase you can develop those keywords into a heading that attracts attention and gets your content read
You May Also Find These Interesting...
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
A catchy title never misses to grab attention. I think the title and first few lines is enough for the readers to decide whether to read on or not. Its really important to work on the title