This is the first in a series of articles of “Are your Headlines Grabbing Your Readers Attention?”
Your headline can be the make or break for your marketing piece – whether it is a blog post, web page or an email.
There is little point in spending hours writing a killer marketing piece if your headline does not work because it is usually the headline that gets people to start reading in the first place.
No reading = No results!
If the headline is not powerful or catchy, then the article will fizzle. Bottom line is this; it will not be read by many people, if at all.
If you just use a generic headline, you run the risk that it will fade into the general “noise” of web headlines.
It just won’t work, even if it accurately represents the article content.
Your article just will not stand out of the crowd.
If you are going to spend an hour or more writing a smashing article, then it is worth investing 10-15 minutes in getting the headline right too.
As an aside, it is worth investing time into getting some professional advice and education on how to write headlines to ensure that each article and web page that you present has a strong headline that will grab readers attention and encourage them to keep reading, or click through from an except.
So here are some guidelines formulated from various marketing and copywriting experts that I have consulted over the years, to help you create powerful marking headlines.
Follow these steps and your articles will no longer fade into the background static of website content.
Your aim from reading these posts is to create headlines that make your content stand out and get read.
Why are powerful headlines important?
Well . . . read the heading in these newspaper articles and see if you feel compelled to read on.
- The 80/20 rule applies. 80% of people will read the headline, but only 20% will proceed to read the article.
- Your headline must still accurately represent what the article is about or you risk alienating your readers.
- There are many online marketers out there creating content for marketing purposes, so you need to make your headline stand out from theirs.
- If set up properly for social media sharing, your website article heading well feature in your social media posts, driving traffic to your website, (or not).
So, let’s get started with the first step. Not surprisingly, this is identifying the reason for writing the article.
What is the Purpose of your Article?
Are your Headlines Grabbing Your Readers Attention?
Knowing the purpose of your article is fundamental to getting the heading right.
If you do not know why people are going to want to read your article, how can you create a heading that is going to draw them in?
(Newspaper articles fill a variety of emotional needs that people have, and they are definitely delivered in an emotional way.)
Essentially, your headline should express a solution to some need, issue, want, or pain they are currently experiencing.
It should get right to the heart of the matter, and make the reader feel that the answers to their questions will appear in the article.
And it should draw them in in an emotional and compelling way.
For example:
Storytelling as a means of communicating a message is an old tradition which has stood the test of time. That’s why for many of my blog articles, I use stories and metaphors to convey my message.
And that is why I like this particular article in The Harvard Review as example of a powerful headline.
https://hbr.org/2014/03/the-irresistible-power-of-storytelling-as-a-strategic-business-tool/
(By the way, this is a very useful article for your article writing as well.)
The title is “The Irresistible Power of Storytelling as a Strategic Business Tool”.
This headline tells you immediately that you are going to be shown a powerful business tool. And that it is going to be irresistible and powerful.
It promise to show how storytelling relates to business strategies and results.
The word irresistible is very emotional and highlights how important this strategy is going to be in your business marketing.
A headline like “How to use storytelling” simply would not have had the same impact.
To start with, it does not answer the basic question, “why am I interested in storytelling?”
So if the author Harrison Monarth did not fully understand the purpose of writing his article before he started, then his headline would likely have let him, and you, down.
Understanding what your article is about and what its purpose is will be paramount to creating powerful headlines that get your articles read.
And isn’t that what you want after all?
Well, that is quite simple really!
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Watch this short VIDEO
How to write attention-grabbing headlines
What should you do now?
- Stay subscribed and read the next article in this series.
- Check your article headlines against these ideas.
- Want some help or ideas? Just contact us at Hotpink Websites now.
Or, CLICK HERE if you need a new website – Website Enquiry.
You can read the NEXT article in this series here.
Quote
The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
~ Max de Pree
Remember – Are your Headlines Grabbing Your Readers Attention?
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