1. Recognise the importance of headlines
Headlines and images are the first things readers will look at. If you’re writing articles, make sure that you put some thought into your headline to make it as engaging as possible. It won’t matter how good your content is, if you don’t pull the readers in with your headline. Don’t just be satisfied with your first attempt. Write several versions and then pick the most suitable one.
2. Don’t make wild claims
If you’re going to build a reputation as a responsible internet writer, one of the things you don’t want to do is make any wild claims when writing your headlines. The type of headline that says:
“Why this (name) plugin will increase your conversion rates by 30% within 10 days.“
This immediately sounds extremely unlikely and I would advise that you don’t get tempted to make these sorts of claims, because it will be difficult for people to take you seriously as a writer.
3. Use an appropriate headline for the content
The headline should inform a reader what they can expect in the content. Readers can feel disappointed or cheated if the headline has grabbed their attention but it’s not an accurate reflection of the headline.
4. Engage your readers
There are lots of different ways in which you can engage your readers by the headlines you use and it’s very common for people to use standard format headlines. Here are some examples
- What everybody ought to know about (blank) eg What everybody ought to know about life insurance
- Little known ways to (blank) eg 5 Little known ways to earn additional money online
- Here’s a quick way (blank) eg Here’s a quick way to kick start your motivation
- (Do something) like (world class example) eg Change your hair colour frequently like Katy Perry
- Here’s a method (blank) eg. Here’s a method that’s helped children read more easily
5. Be succinct
One of the questions people often ask is how long should a headline be? There is no exact science, but I would advise between 5 and 10 words. Write your headline and then see if there’s any words that are unnecessary. It’s often easier to edit than try and write an ‘exact’ number.
6. Use your keyword
You should be putting your keyword in your headline. However, avoid over-stuffing your headline with more than one keyword. It’s not necessary.
7. Be specific
Headlines that are specific are much more compelling than those that sound wishy washy. For example in this article I have said 7 Essential article headline tips ….” which is better than saying ‘some’ or ‘a few’.
Summary
I hope you found these headline tips useful. Remember it’s important that you engage your reader, but don’t make any wild promises. The headline should match the content and you should be specific and include your keywords.
If you want to learn more about article writing or anything else to do with internet marketing you can do so at Wealthy Affiliate. Their starter membership is free and you can access a lot of free resources. There is no limit to how long you have this membership. I have created some resources available to starter members as well as more in depth for anyone interested in becoming a premium member. Read more about this opportunity here.