Okay, up until now we’ve been narrowing our focus from the big picture of what it takes to be a successful writer to the importance of figuring out the perfect niche for yourself—one where you can resonate with the readers who are already in that niche.
Today, we’re going to get into the nitty gritty and talk about the writing itself. Specifically, the most important part of every article:
Your headline.
The Importance of Headlines: Don’t Let Your First Impression be Your Last
We live in an era of information overload. Everybody with a computer and an internet connection has the ability to spill their words online. But most of those words are no good.
Readers know this. They aren’t interested in the noise. They are looking for something else–quality, trustworthy writing that can help them solve their problems.
You have the answers to their questions, the solutions to their problems, but how are you going to let your readers KNOW that you have what they want?
By crafting brilliant headlines.
The great copywriter David Ogilvy once said:
“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read [your article]. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
The right headlines will catch and hold people’s attention, convincing them to read what you have to say.
But if you don’t write great headlines, it doesn’t matter how brilliant your ideas are, no one will listen to them. Because no one will even bother to click on your article.
Your headline is your first impression—don’t make it your last.
How to Write Headlines that Ensure Your Article Will be Read
Here are 3 tips for writing the perfect headline:
- Offer irresistible value
- Include Power Words and other attention-grabbing ingredients
- Use a proven formula
Offering irresistible value involves knowing exactly what problem your readers have and how you plan to solve it, then communicating that powerfully in your headline. The more specific you are, the better.
The value provided in articlces generally falls into the categories of entertainment, information, inspiration, or any combination of the above.
So before you begin to write your article, consider which of these values you plan to target, and make sure that your headline addresses that.
Attention grabbing ingredients will give you a leg up on the competition. Many of these strategies help people take a second look, and sometimes a second look is all you need.
For instance:
- Did you know that adding numbers to your headline can increase click-through rate?
- And odd numbers tend to be more engaging than even numbers?
- And emotional power words (particularly negative emotion words) draw readers in like flies to honey?
These are only some of the tips & tricks that top writers use to create irresistible headlines. But they will give you a great start!
Proven formulas help you to write great headlines consistently without reinventing the wheel. Depending on the form of your article (whether it is a list post, a how-to post, a contrarian post, etc), different headline structures will be more or less appropriate.
That’s Too Much to Remember! I Need a Headline Helper
Well, how about that?
I just so happen to have two quick & easy tools to help you remember all you need to know to craft brilliant headlines at the drop of a hat.
The Headline Helper includes several effective formulas based on article type. And the Headline Practice PDF teaches you how to develop a headline writing skill of your own.
Take a look, practice a few headlines using the formulas, and use these strategies to create your own irresistible headlines!
You can download your copy of the Headline Helper HERE.
And a Headline Practice PDF HERE.
And…that’s it!
Congratulations on making it through the Writing Revolution Mini Course.
Now you are poised to take on the writing world and start pursuing your dream of becoming a prolific, successful writer 🙂
If you’re excited to get started, but still unsure about what steps to take going forward, keep an eye on your email for a special opportunity…