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
- 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.
- Results – Works in rationalizing a purchase.
- Health – Especially powerful when it applies to a product.
- Guarantee – Provides sense of safety at the time of purchase.
- Discover – Presents a sense of excitement and adventure.
- Love — Continues to be an all-time favorite.
- Proven – Helps remove the fear of trying something new.
- Safety – This could refer to health or long-lasting quality.
- Save – We all want to save something.
- 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?
Remember to grab my free Complete SeoCustomer Guide 2011 and 2012Q1 – over 180+ pages with tips and tricks about SEO, SEM, Social Media Traffic and Link Building.
Carpe Diem
Henrik
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