April 05, 2017
If you are a content writer, Marketing Manager, SEO guru or Inbound strategist and you don’t know that the headline is by far the most important element of every piece of content you produce, then it’s time to go back to square one. We’ve all heard stats about the minuscule amount of time you have to get a prospect’s attention (it seems to be getting less and less), and the first and possibly only tool at your disposal is the headline or title.
The one thing you can be assured of, is that most people will read the headline. With your headline, you can draw them in or you can turn them away. The headline must merge with the thoughts and issues already going on in the mind of your prospect and if it doesn’t, that clicking finger is itchy.
In order to attract the necessary attention with your headlines, you need to know what’s on the minds of your prospects; their deepest desires, beliefs, fears, etc. However, there are certain types or styles of headlines that tend to keep visitors around and prompt them to keep reading. Here are five that typically work well.
Asking an intriguing question in your headline will often cause your prospects to keep reading to find out more. Especially if the question is open-ended and can’t be answered with a simple yes or no. Titles like “What are the Secrets to Blog Writing Success?” or “Do You Make These Common Content Writing Mistakes?” will entice your targeted prospects to learn the answer.
If you want to draw in the exact audience you are targeting, use your headline to make it happen. “Attention SEO Managers!” or “Inbound Marketers Take Notice!” will act as a filter, so only the people you want to read the message will stick around to read it.
Depending on your target audience, including stats in your headline can be an effective way to jolt people out of their current state of mind and attract attention. “Increase Your Leads by 238% with This Simple Trick” or “3
Ways to Write Your Blog Posts 3 Times Faster” provide specific numbers, which seem more authentic and are more likely to keep people on the page longer.
Promising benefits in your headlines is a sure-fire way to get prospects to keep reading. After all, the primary reason that people search for and read anything is to solve problems or find solutions. If you are showing them in your headline how your product or service benefits them, the battle is half won.
When writing benefit-driven titles and headlines, don’t get the features confused with benefits. Features are statements about your product or service; benefits are what those features can do for the reader. People want to know what’s in it for them, and benefits tell them. ABS brakes are a feature of a car, being able to stop on a dime and keep your family safe is the benefit.
When in doubt, you can always use a “How-to” headline and will likely get a decent response. How-to’s can be used along with showing benefits to make them even more powerful. “How to Write Blog Posts that Will Boost Conversions” taps into peoples’ innate desire to learn new information and offers an all-important benefit.
If you’ve been having issues with people sticking around to read your posts, ads and pages, try these headline tips to take it to the next level. If you’d rather let someone else worry about it so you can focus on managing your clients effectively, give The Content Company a call today at 888.221.5041, because we can h
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January 27, 2022