When browsing through your Facebook and Twitter feed, you are inundated with headline after headline. Some are trying too hard and some not hard enough, but when you come across something called “13 Celebrities with Voldemort’s Nose” you just know you are going to click on that. Who wouldn’t want to see James Bond morphed with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? How do you go about creating captivating headlines like Voldemort’s nose?
Whether funny or serious, this blog explores a few short things to consider when creating great headlines and captivating audiences before they even read your article.
So, let’s look at a few things you should consider when writing your blog:
1. Education is the New Sexy
Do you want a headline that will grab the reader’s attention? Then educate them before they even get to your article, SEOCopywriting.com writes. If your headline does not provide a small lesson, a lot of people will pass you by. People like to be educated and they like to show others how educated they are. This means, they will read and share an article that has a smart headline that gives enough information to entice them, but not too much information to spoil the article. The reader will then expect to see a solid article to back up the creative headline.
2. Get Into a New Groove
Don’t be afraid to try something new with your headlines. Readers are overwhelmed by all the headlines out there that talk about something being the “best ever” or headlines that are overly long and complicated. Incorporate words or phrases that many people still won’t expect to see in the headline, this will grab the reader’s attention while also informing them that they are about to learn a great deal about your chosen topic.
3. Pay Attention to the Internet’s Reactions
The Internet is great for gauging what kind of headlines will grab people’s attention and which will throw them off. For example, while many of Upworthy’s headlines get lots of clicks and shares, several on the Internet are getting annoyed with Upworthy style headlines. People have even created a list of what a classic book’s title would be if Upworthy had written the title. You can still do similar headlines, but keep in mind that you shouldn’t have an overly long headline. Just place yourself in the position of your targeted audience and think about whether or not your headline would grip them, or if it would even grip you. If it wouldn’t grip you and entice you to read it, then don’t use that headline!
If you are stuck on trying to find a great headline, don’t despair. Many writers will go through headline after headline before they decide on the best one. (We even went through a few for this article!) You can also go to a few successful websites to see how they fashion their headlines.
A few are:
4. Never Forget
After you have crafted an excellent headline, don’t forget to craft amazing content. You want your content to strongly backup and support your headlines. Once you have created amazing captivating headlines and content, you will see your readership growing and will watch as your content begins to go viral. Remember, headlines are the glorious sprinkles and buttercream icing that top a yummy cupcake!
