Write Good Headlines
Writing a good headline is the most important thing you can learn as a writer or blogger. The headline is what catches the eye of the reader, and if you don’t grab em there, they will never read that wonderful essay of yours.
According to Copyblogger: “On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.” What this means is most headlines suck. They fail to entice the reader and communicate the worth of investing any more time reading the piece. So if you can learn to write a good headline, you will do better than 80% of the other writers out there, and over time, build a solid following.
Lots of advice exists on this subject from marketers and news professionals, but no matter what type of content you are writing, whether it is a blog post, and e-mail newsletter, or an on-line article, there a few common rules to follow:
First, give your headline a clear name. Nouns work better then verbs. Clear descriptions work better than cute puns. Ask yourself what words you would you use to search with in Google if you were trying to find information on this subject? That is usually the best way to title your piece. Also write your titles in First Initial Caps (as opposed to ALL CAPS). With very few exceptions, using all caps is just rude.
Second, make sure the headline accurately describes the content. Don’t write a headline that says “Happy Easter to all my Friends” then follow it with an article selling grass seed. People are marketing savvy these days – especially computer users. If you blast their e-mail in box with outrageous screaming spam claiming they already “WON a MILLION DOLLARS!!!!” your e-mail will be deleted in a New York Nano-Second.
Third, Get Real. If you have an opinion, Miss Apps would love to hear it. If you have a good idea, or a helpful tip, that’s great too, but don’t try to sugar coat your message with anything that is fake or dishonest. Readers can spot that shizzle from a mile away. They can tell a real website from a marketing bot, a genuine e-mail from spam, and a personal post from plagiarism. Get Real, and people will want to hear what you have to say. Get Real, and readers will come back again and again.
Beyond that, Miss Applesassy humbly suggests we all follow the advice of the inspirational and uplifting Randy Pausch:
“Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcomed.”
“Focus on other people, not on yourself.”
“If I could only give three words of advice, they would be, “Tell the Truth.” If I got three more words, I’d add, “All the time.”
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Where did you get your blog layout from? I’d like to get one like it for my blog.
Why thanks Ben.
I’ll take that as a complement. My site is using the Thesis Theme designed by Chris Pearson of DIY Themes. This theme is Awesome. It can do anything. (It does take a bit of work to tweak everything just the way you want it, but the results are worth it.)
There is a yellow Thesis box on my sidebar. See it? Click it and it will take you to the DIY Themes website where you can read about the theme and see screenshots of customaizations other people have done using Thesis.
If you read my blog, you know I do my research, and quite frankly, there is no other Theme in existence that even comes close to doing what the Thesis Theme does. The next best thing out there is Revolution, which is a very cool custom theme, but still not on par with Thesis. Not only can you customize your site in like 3000 different ways, it is also SEO optimized to bring you traffic, and it has a GREAT support forum to help you figure out all the tweaks to trick out your site.
Try it. You will LOVE it.