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4 tips how to write better headlines
Monday, March 23, 2015
How many times have you written a good article, but once you publish it the click-through it is not as expected?
Keep in mind that the internet is similar to a jungle, and that everyone is trying to fight for the same share of attention. Readers are being bombarded with a myriad of articles every day, and we as online marketers need to be sure that our piece stands out.
Seems difficult?
Well it definitely is not easy. Below we are going to give you four points on how to create stronger headlines.
1. Use numbers in your titles
A study issued in 2013 by Moz revealed that the titles which had a number performed better with the readers. As can be seen from the graphic below titles which had some sort of value in their title, outperformed other variations.
2. Check what others are doing
Even though might be a given one, sometimes we do tend to forget to check what others are doing. If you take a quick look at your competitors, you can easily see the reach which they have had through their content. For instance, if they mentioned the use of a special offer in their title and it fared quite well, it might be a good idea to adopt a similar approach. However do keep in mind that what worked for others, might not work for you.
Moral of the story is: test, test, and test even more!
3. Use questions asked by your customer
What better way to engage your customers, than using their own questions in the headlines of you articles? From time to time, our customers might ask us questions directly related to our business. Since we would know already that this piece of information is needed, we already know that there is a demand for it. Thus the click-through rate should increase.
However important to keep in mind that we do not want to reveal too much information as otherwise we would be defeating the purpose. Who would want to read more, when the title is giving away everything? It is like seeing a movie trailer which has already revealed the whole of the plot – who would see the movie?
4. Brainstorm multiple variations
Let me guess – the normal process is that you spent enough time to write a well-articulated article, but then you spent not more than one minute thinking about your title. Keep in mind that the title is going to be the first thing which your audience is going to see. If they are not enticed by it, how do you expect them to take the time to click on the link and read the whole of the article?
Even though this might be an extreme, Upworthy advice their writers to come up with 25 different articles in order to choose the best one. In principle this recommendation is quite valid, and if you have a number of titles to choose from, it might be help you choose the ones that fits best.
Sources