Grab Attention First
Your headlines are promises and you’ve got to promise something that your readers want if you want their attention. Your readers need to know exactly what they’ll get when they click through to read your content. What are you promising and why should it matter to them? What do they get out of giving you their attention and time?
That’s why it’s so important to start everything you do from the perspective of WHO are you writing for… what are their goals… dreams… fears… challenges… secret fantasies?
Which of these is more interesting to you?
Five Good Types of Headlines
Or…
Read This Now: The Secret Triggers Behind 43 Powerfully Simple Fill-in-the-Blank Blog Post Headline Templates You Can Use to Get Slightly More Rich and Famous Starting Today
Both describe the same content (what you’re reading right now). The second has action (read now!), intrigue (secret triggers?), specificity (hey bloggers, this is for you), implied “ease” of results (it’s got fill-in-the-blank templates included), and a believable result promised (get slightly rich and famous).
Understand Secret Desires
We all want enough money to live our dreams, to create loving lasting relationships, and to be healthy and experience life fully. Health, wealth, relationships and wisdom/spirituality are triggers that grab our attention. Know which of these desires you’re playing to when you write your headlines and work it in where it fits.
Get Really Good at This “Headline Thing”
How do you get good at writing headlines that grab people’s attention and get them to keep reading?
1. Write lots of headlines.
Some will bomb. Others will rock. Do it enough and you start to get a better feel for what’ll work.
Test your headlines. Try split testing and experiment with different headlines when you share your content on social networks to see what gets attention.
Run headlines by your team, colleagues or mastermind group for their feedback and specifically ask them “what can I change to make you more likely to read this blog post based on the title?”
Like anything else in life, experience makes a difference so practice lots (and then move to step 2 and learn from experienced writers).
2. Read and dissect lots of headlines.
Don’t just read headlines, but take time to ask, “Why did this grab me?” Notice what gets your attention and dissect why.
Browse the magazine aisle at your supermarket or meander through your local bookstore. Look at the bestsellers on Amazon. Why did you stop and look at the magazines or books you did?
If you want to really learn what works in headlines, study direct response copywriting and books like The 100 Greatest Advertisements, Influence, Scientific Advertising, and anything Dan Kennedy’s written.
3. Model what works.
Use templates. Watch people in your niche and see what they’re doing that’s working well.
Save articles that give you both fill-in-the-blank templates AND tell you why they work so you understand what it is you’re doing.