You’ve tried to write engaging headlines, and it’s not working. Your traffic is dropping. You keep thinking content marketing is a scam. And you’re ready to give up.
But it’s not a scam, and you can write highly engaging headlines if you understand these simple tips. Pay attention. Here’s how it works.
The Reason Engaging Headlines Work
Crafting the perfect, high-converting headline is a worthwhile effort. If you don’t snatch people’s attention right away and keep snatching it, their minds wander. And next thing you know, the only person reading your content is your mom.
That’s not good.
Instead of typing out headlines until you get one that sounds good to you, stop everything. You’ve got to understand the engine that drives engaging headlines. It takes a little effort to understand the method behind the madness, but trust me, it’s worth it.
“It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.”
-David Ogilvy
Headlines can make all the difference. Even changing one word in a subject line can increase click throughs 46%! People simply don’t read online content – they skim it. And even then, they only skim it if the headline snagged them really good. In fact, statistically speaking, you won’t even finish reading this post. And even if your content gets read, it probably won’t get shared – only about 10% of online content has headlines powerful enough to get shared.
So getting it right can literally mean the difference between getting skimmed or getting ignored. You might be wasting 90% of your time and money simply by underestimating the power of the headline.
But if you’re read to get serious about your conversion rates and click-throughs, listen up! Here’s how to do engaging headlines right.
How to Do Headlines Right: 5 Powerful Methods
1. Keep the Four U’s in Mind
Headlines should always be (at least two of these):
- Unique
- Ultra-specific
- Urgent
- Useful
2. Include a Hyphen or Colon
Readers are 9% more likely to read your content if the headline has a hyphen or colon. It makes the piece seem more authoritative, complete, and urgent.
3. Understand Why Your Readers Will Need This Info
Use a rational that uniquely ties your content into their specific needs. Why should they read your content? Because it will make all their wildest dreams come true, of course! This means your headline should make the benefit obvious, focusing on:
- Reasons
- Tricks
- Strategies
- Tips
- Ways
4. Get Their Attention
Your readers have many things vying for their attention. You can write powerful and engaging headlines if you call for attention. Write with urgency and a sense of importance to stand out and demand attention.
5. Keep It Simple
Engaging headlines are extremely simple, and easy to comprehend on the spot. Don’t use big words or complex sentences. The shorter and simpler, the more reads you’ll get.
When it comes down to it, your content should be helpful and interesting, and your headline should simply point that out. Use wording that shows confidence in the value of your content. And understand just how this information will make their lives better.
Throw in some unique punctuation and attention-grabbing words for good measure! But above all, write directly to the reader. Step into their shoes, and speak to where they are at. Good, engaging headlines aren’t just a formula – they’re also a perspective.
