Are you a content writer?
Can you write the remarkable Headline you always wanted to?
Are you good with words and have a good grasp of the language? Then you invariably know that your success depends on the number of readers you can reach out to.
You will agree with me that the most important arrow in your arsenal to reach out to your readers or audience is your Headline. It needs to be able to stop the readers in their tracks (read – ‘scrolling the phone’) and arouse their curiosity to dive back into your piece of content.
“The greatest writers have the gift of brilliant brevity, are hard workers, diligent scholars and competent stylists."- Ernest Hemingway
To be good at writing a Headline, is to be good at expressing yourself in its brevity and in being succinct.
While writing an article can be exhausting or even daunting, writing a summary headline is albeit a tricky task. Especially if you are attempting a 2500 word article, it can take hours and sometimes, days. But then to get that article to be read by a large audience you need to add the right headline. A Smash and Grab method to bring the reader where you want them to be – in front of your article.
Headline is the Key
Yes -Headline is the Key. It is the hook that helps you sink deeper into your reader’s mind, to take the readers where you want them to be, which is to your content. It is that sales copy that makes waves for the readers to attract. It is the Headline which has to get your reader interested, generate that curiosity to read more.
The headline is the hoarding or the store billboard which beckons the reader to step inside .It is thus another important part of content writing. It is that part which can make or break your article, i.e. the success of having the readers flock to it. It is the Pied Piper of Hamlin which draws the reader’s attention inside.
Writing a Headline is a tricky business.
You need to catch a reader and lead him or her to check out your article using these headlines You need to add the psychological element, burn the curiosity lamp and follow the best practices to make it engaging and stand out
Here we will look at some of the aspects of writing that very powerful headline that all content managers should strive for. Especially after you have written your Iliad. Here I am going to tell you how to get it right.
WRITING THAT SINGLE LINE OF TEXT
While we understand the technicalities of writing the attention-grabbing headline we will also look at some of the best practices. And lastly we will look at some of the tools that can help you develop or assess your headline capabilities.
Writing the summary or headline of an article is very similar to the copywriting function of an advertising agency. Advertisers know this game so well that they can immediately sense how to get the customer (reader for us) hooked. Copywriters are at work day and night, looking to break the emotional barrier and get their content in the minds of the readers. Just look around (read –‘look into your mobile and social feeds’) and you will see them in action.
David Ogilvy, one of the Gurus of advertising, says that on an average, people will read the headline five times more than those who will read the actual content. Thus the need for any content writer is to get those readers sucked into your content with a Headline powerful enough to grab their attention, pique their interest and make them reach out for your main content.
We can divide these broadly into two categories. One is about the Technical aspect of the headline while the other is Psychological.
TECHNICAL ASPECTS
The technical aspect of writing a Headline is a set of techniques which helps your article to gain traction with readers. These Technical aspect deals with the technique, word counts, numbers, phrasal words, asking questions and adding exclamations.
1. Length of a Headline
The most important point to consider in a headline is its length. This headline needs to be long enough but not too long. The need is to have a headline of the right length. The standard length of a headline is to be around 60-alphabet long and consist of 8-10 words. Let’s take a couple of examples
‘The sweetest piece of watermelon is now here! ’
‘The sweetest piece of watermelon that has travelled across the country to reach your doorstep now.’
Which appears more interesting to read? No further explanation needed, right?
Here are some indicators:
- Email Titles: 20 characters
- Twitter Tweets: 70–100 characters
- Facebook Posts: 40 -45 characters
- Google Searches: 50-60 characters
- LinkedIn Posts: 80–120 characters
You will agree with me that the most important arrow in your arsenal to reach out to your readers or audience is your Headline. It needs to be able to stop the readers in their tracks (read – ‘scrolling the phone’) and arouse their curiosity to dive back into your piece of content.
2. Use Numbers for Quantification
Numbers help quantification and visualization and thus help generate interest. And though they have been done to death by online marketers, it still creates that impression to know more. And hence, the desired click. But when you add numbers to your headline, add it as digits and not words. It’s 10, and not ten. Again helps in visualization.
Let us examine the two examples below:
‘7 Best ways to make your mango juice taste right!’
‘Make your mango juice taste right using these great methods.’
Now as a reader which interests you more? The first or the second one?
I myself am drawn to the first headline more. And the reason is that by putting the number 7 digit in the content I have started visualization. An outline of the article has started forming in my mind. I now know that there are 7 takeaways and this helps me to make my mango juice right. So why not quickly pounce on those?
It goads me to peep inside and catch those seven pearls of wisdom. The headline has quantified the value I can get from the article.
In comparison, the second one isn’t bad, but it is kind of lame for me. This is because it doesn’t have a number, quantifying or qualifying aspect of the headline are missing here.
3. Easy Language is Key:
An easy flowing language helps immensely. Remember you are not writing for those ivy-league Harvard graduates (unless you actually are) but are writing for the common man. Thus an easy flowing language of medium complexity suits best. Your headline needs to have a few easy words to gain trust and comfort of the readers and maybe a couple of complex words to alleviate his interest. This makes the headline both easy to read and enough to generate curiosity and response from your readers.
I have written this article here in an easy language.
The reason is I cannot really write one in an uneasy language. Hehe!!
4. Always use the Active voice:
Speak directly to your readers (as I am speaking to you now) and don’t get them involved via any third party. A headline in a passive voice plays a passive role. Here’s a couple of examples.
‘This vacuum cleaner helps the room to be cleaned properly” Vs “Clean the room with our wonder vacuum cleaner.’
It’s only the headlines in the active voice which are the best hook for your content. They have a more gripping power on your readers.
It’s only the headlines in the active voice which are the best hook for your content. They have a more gripping power on your readers.
5. Analyze your Audience:
When you are writing the headline what you need to keep in focus is the type of audience you are writing for or speaking to. Consider the objectives of writing that article. Is it targeted to a set audience who is known to you? Do you want to change the writing style to fit this audience?
If you are writing a research paper in a science journal, it might be completely different to writing an ad copy or an article headline for a showbiz media publication. If you can identify your audience beforehand or are catering to very niche kind of readers, it is fine to design your content and write the headline according to this audience.
6. Limit Business specific jargons:
Stay away, else limit them! As much as you can!
But sometimes it cannot be avoided, especially for technical article writing. This can work if your article is targeted for a particular industry or segment of people and they are used to listening to such subjective or business specific verbiage. ‘Secrets of an astrophysical gravity defining stellar bionic algorithm’ can be music to many ears though not for most.
What do you say? You have got it, right!!
So, know your audience or reader well if you are going to use any industry’s superlative ground breaking jargon.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS
The psychological aspect of writing a strong headline is a more interesting analysis. This revolves around the psyche of your reader and helps you to read your article with interest.
How to Write the remarkable Headline you always wanted to. Please Read On ..
The psychological aspect of writing a strong headline is a more interesting analysis. This revolves around the psyche of your reader and helps you to read your article with interest.
1. Communicate effectively:
As we had touched on earlier, you need to have enough words to gain the reader’s attention. It’s that first handshake that you are making with your reader. Do it warmly, but do not try to clasp his hand so long that he wants to take it back. Hold it only so long that the reader is not turned off by its length.
Effectively communicate the headline for your article. The headline is the display statement of your article. The opening sentence is a keynote speech. It should generate the interest of readers and invite them to delve into your article.
2. Include Power Words:
Power words are those words which strongly initiate a sense of emotion or a psychological response in your readers. These are the most important bait for your readers.
You need to include some power words in your Headline Summary. These words generate interest and a feeling of not being able to resist from reading your article.
Thus headlines need more action words or verbs and less nouns or pronouns.
Examples of such power words can be “relax, activate, soothe, charge up, support, explain, summarize, forbid etc. These power words instill a sense of happiness, love, urgency, fear, agitation, curiosity, greed, sorrow, encouragement, lust, hope or anxiety.
Here is a larger list of Power words that you can include is your article Headline:
Let us
examine the two headlines below on the use of Power words as an example:
‘Relax your body, soothe your mind in our serene eco resort’
‘An Eco resort to spend your weekend holidays’.
You will immediately be drawn to the first headline as it evokes a psychological feeling. This is because of the use of Power words such as relax, soothe and serene.
The second
example from above has only one such word, but a less powerful one “spend” That
makes the difference. You will be drawn more to the first headline than the
second one.
3. Include Word Phrases:
Another very frequent usage that we see every day is the use of a two-word or three-word phrases in the headlines as in below examples:
‘How to…’, ‘Wait till…’, ‘What if…’, ‘What happens when…’, ‘Do you know…’ etc.
Pretty common, huh! These are used to evoke interest in you and create that urge to know more about the product, article, content or video. These headlines also make a value promise to the reader on becoming useful to him.
Now many of these have been done to death but still it doesn’t stop the readers from clicking the link.
Which appears more interesting to read? No further explanation needed, right?
4. Bad news sells but … :
It is Ok sometimes to try out with a pinch of negativity in the headline. As may be widely seen around, many public and media houses try to increase their eyeball catching value by selling bad news. Yes Bad news sells, but positive news creates associations.
‘How to…’, ‘Wait till…’, ‘What if…’, ‘What happens when…’, ‘Do you know…’ etc.
It is Ok sometimes to try out with a pinch of negativity in the headline. As may be widely seen around, many public and media houses try to increase their eyeball catching value by selling bad news. Yes Bad news sells, but positive news creates associations.
‘Never kill the messenger’ is a more action infusing headline than ‘Messenger who is born to live’.
But it also sells the negativity to which the human mind is unwaveringly drawn to.
5. Ask that Pertinent Question:
A great headline trick is one which asks the reader a question. This is being used increasingly across social media platforms and online forums. It helps to get more traction, catch more eyeballs and evoke more interest.
Sad but true. We are more intrigued and attracted with keywords which arouses negative emotions than the ones which are more positive, speaks of love or tenderness. But you will rarely feel any association with the previous article. Readers will read just to quench the curiosity but never to return. And then they will move on.
So if you need some instant publicity or readership this may work, but it is never wise to keep doing so because it invariable leads to a decrease in your association or engagement with your readers.
‘Write The Remarkable Headline You Always Wanted To’ – that’s where this headline came from and you are reading it now! It builds positive associations with my reader. And that is what made you reach here.
‘Is swimming a great exercise for back pain?’
Now everyone has an opinion. That includes you and me. And everyone wants to share them or be heard. What I have used here is to ask a question, bring out the professor or the messiah inside you to dole out your advice to the needy.
In most cases it wins. Try it out in your next social media post. It’s a sure winner!
6. Provide value in your content:
Lastly make the benefits clear to the readers and don’t lie. You may indirectly draw the reader to your article or visit your blog page or post. But that is not the final outcome. The final outcome is to make the reader happy. So in your article or post if the content does not provide the value promised through that killer headline, the readers are going to switch off emotionally and move out. And in many cases, they may never come back again
Tools which help you find that killer Headline
write the remarkable Headline you always wanted to
Coschedule
https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer
Analyzes the Common and uncommon words, their emotional content, power words, sentiment and clarity
Sharethrough
https://headlines.sharethrough.com/
Measures Engagement score and Impression score based on Its Behavioral Model Theory
Capitalizemytitle
https://capitalizemytitle.com/headline-analyzer/
Measures Readibility, SEO and Sentiment
Advanced Marketing Institute
https://www.aminstitute.com/headline
Measures the Intellectual, Spiritual and Empathetic appeal
Monster Insights
https://www.monsterinsights.com/headline-analyzer
Measures Common and uncommon words, and the positivity quotient
Best of luck!