How to Write a Killer Headline

We all want to write a good headline – and there are some great tricks that I will share with you.

So when you write a blog, ad, article or maybe a Direct Mail – you will get the attention from the people who read it.

But without a killer headline – people will not read your page, it doesn’t really matter what you have done regarding SEO, your bounce rate will be high – and you will not sell anything.

Start with the headline
Yes of course you will say. But not everybody is doing this. If you start with the content – you will be put tin the position where you might have to reverse-engineer your promise.

Give a promises to the reader in the headline. This way you will force yourself to communicate the benefit that your text will deliver to the reader – in exchange for spending time (valuable time).

The headline is very critical – in just a few words, you will have to attract visitors, reduce bounce and boost your conversion.

I am an SEO guy – so I will tell you to remember to use your keyword in the headline too.

So – hmm – I will have to tell you how to write this killer text right? That’s my promise.

Headlines are not science but art
Well – I hope you agree that a headline is important – and I wish I could give you 10 rules and say – here you are. But you are not so lucky.

To write a great headline is an art, but it’s not a science. But I can give you some good general guidelines.

So grab your cup of coffee – here we go…

• Catchy – you have to grab the reader’s attention. Remember the AIDA model
• The main point – your headline should summarize the main point in your article
• Curiosity – could you make the reader curious about your text – you really made a great headline right? Did I make you curious with the headline – “How to write a killer headline”?
• Not too long (and not too short) – if it’s too long – the reader has already left your page again. If it’s too short it might be boring
• Get inspired – read other blogs and magazines
• How to – this is a great way to grab attention. Just like my headline in this article – well remember not to overuse it – so you will end up with 50 articles all with “How to …”
• Lists, with numbers – you can make a headline like this “10 tips …”
• Say it – say your headline out loud. Show it to your girlfriend or boyfriend. Come up with 3 or 4 headlines and ask for their opinion
• Question headline? Always great to use a question. I could have “Do you know how to write a headline?”
• Write it first – yes as I told you before – start with the headline not the content of the article

The top 10 most powerful English words
The psychology department at Yale University have made a study – which showed that some words are more powerful than others.

The top 10 most powerful English words according to Yale are theses

1. You – Listed as the #1 most powerful word in every study reviewed. Because of the personal nature of advertising copy-writing, you should use “you” in your headline, opening line and as often as possible. In fact, many copywriters will throw out a headline if “you” is not in it.
2. Results – Works in rationalizing a purchase.
3. Health – Especially powerful when it applies to a product.
4. Guarantee – Provides sense of safety at the time of purchase.
5. Discover – Presents a sense of excitement and adventure.
6. Love — Continues to be an all-time favorite.
7. Proven – Helps remove the fear of trying something new.
8. Safety – This could refer to health or long-lasting quality.
9. Save – We all want to save something.
10. New – It’s part of basic human makeup to seek novelty.

Other strong words for your text
Words can be very powerful. Use the word carefully – and you will get the attention you deserve. Beside the 10 most powerful English words, there are other words with a lot of power.

• Announcing
• Confidence
• creativity
• Discount
• Easy
• Energy
• Exclusive
• Free
• Hurry
• Improvement
• Inspiration
• How
• Secret
• Success

Now I am worried about my headline… Hmm. You think “How to Write a Killer Headline” is okay?

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Carpe Diem

Henrik