Writing a headline is one of the most challenging tasks when it comes to writing blog posts. Not only do you have to write something that pops, it has to be an ultra-concentrated sentence of what your blog post is essentially about. It has to capture the imagination while teasing just enough information to draw in readers.
That’s probably why a lot of content marketers leave it as the last thing they do when creating a blog or article. But you don’t need a digital marketing consultant like me to tell you that.
After sitting down one evening, I started to brainstorm a few tips that can help push the creative process along, and these 4 tips are generally what I use when making a headline that pops out, entices, and brings traffic to my website.
Tips to Shaping One Heck of a Headline
1. Do Your Homework
One way to learn how to write a great headline is to find one what you like and analyze what makes it successful. Whether you know it or not, you encounter dozens of headlines every day when you read:
Analyze all of these headlines and titles thoroughly, then focus your attention on the ones that compelled you to click on them. Next, ask yourself some insightful questions about them:
Don’t forget about the ones you DID NOT click on. Ask yourself:
Jot down the answers to your questions and have them readily available. I jot down my findings on my Sticky Notes application in my laptop, that way, they are there when I need to remind myself.
Keep in mind, however, that you are essentially basing the value of a headline on your own personal likes and so what you like might not work for everyone else. But, on the other hand, the truth of the matter is that you aren’t going to please everybody, all of the time.
2. Try and Spot the Winning Headline Formula
For years, digital marketing content writers have conducted research to see what headline factors and trends bring traffic to a website.
Multiple findings point to the following elements that the most successful headlines have:
Of course, you don’t want to load up your headline with all of these factors because then you’d have a whole mess of stuff that doesn’t make much sense. As with any content creation, the goal is to shape a quality title that delivers the overall message of what the blog is about and lures visitors at the same time.
You don’t want to oversell anything either, as that generally sends visitors running away from your site, not to. Avoid hyperbole like “These 27 Headline Creation Tips Will Blow Your Mind” when, in fact, the majority of those tips are mediocre at best. You’ll lose credibility that way.
3. Practice, Then Produce
As with anything in life, you need to practice in order to get better at it. Making an eye-catching headline is no different. Practice is something that I would consider somewhat of an umbrella term in this case. It means several different things, but it all has the same end goal: honing your ability to create a great headline.
Below is what you should focus on:
Once you’ve practiced all that you can, you should be able to produce quality headlines that can attract traffic, but your learning doesn’t stop there.
4. Most Importantly, Write For YOUR Audience
When it comes to marketing in general, not everyone is going to like your advertising strategy. The same is true when it comes to digital marketing.
What counts, though, is getting the audience that you are trying to reach out to like you. Don’t create a headline to have something to show your family at the next holiday dinner, to appease your boss, or to make you sound witty to other digital marketers. That’s not the point.
The point is to write a headline for your audience, tailored to the data you have collected. You can collect data through a survey or an A/B test.
An A/B test, in a nutshell, is when you compare two versions of a single thing—in this case a headline—to see which one performs better with your audience. A number of programs exist that can help you do this like KISSmetrics, but if you have Google Analytics, you can try out their Experiment systems tool to get this done for free.