Four Tips to Getting Your Headlines to Do More!
There are, like, millions of articles, stories, posts, polls, videos, ads, etc. that are thrown out on the internet daily. Should I bump that number up to BILLION? Maybe. The point is, content is a never ending flood of material that washes over the internet daily.
It’s more like an avalanche actually.
It piles and stacks up and everything gets buried beneath more and more stuff that gets out there.
To combat this, we have to put out content CONSTANTLY! A great post might go viral and get shared a ton, but it’s not dependable. It’s not an instant cure for your content worry.
But, regardless of how good the material is, that’s not what gets people there in the first place. Great content gets people to return to your pages and material. What gets people in front of your valuable resource in the first place?
A snappy freaking headline!
So, what’s the deal? How do you create a headline that people can find, that they want to click on, and gets the point across?
Tip #1: Utilize Keywords
Your online presence is dependent upon keywords. A lot of people, when approaching content to post, rarely think about the headline including one of their extremely valuable keywords. These words are golden.
One of them in your headline is going to make your SEO bump. So that’s cool right? Your copy can work on multiple levels for you, helping grow your customers in the immediate push and the long run. Neato!
But, people search using keywords!
So if you have something that you’re advertising or promoting on Facebook, not only is it going to stick out more readily with that big, fat keyword, but those who aren’t seeing your post will see it if they search! You might rank on page three, but the more you grow your SEO the more important that headline is going to be.
All of this bleeds into each other! So, think of keywords in your headlines being a light in the dark. There are going to be people coming from multiple directions looking for that sweet, sweet keyword.
It’s valuable and relevant to your audience, wherever they may be!
Tip #2: Keep them Short
This might be simple sounding, but it’s a lot harder than you’re probably initially thinking. Keep it short.
Did one of your teachers ever teach you the K-I-S-S method in High School like mine did?
It stands for: Keep It Simple Stupid.
When it comes to my headlines, I think: Keep It Short Stupid!
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t like being called “Stupid” so this works wonderfully because that headline: Keep It Simple Stupid, is too long!
When it comes to your headline, find out what’s unnecessary and hack it off. You want a lean, fighting machine to stand out in the internet swinging its fists! A short and punch headline is going to do that.
The key to this is finding out what you don’t need or what you can simplify. Look at your topic and content from every angle. Search the negatives that affect your readers when they don’t utilize what’s in this content. What’s the perks of this content going into effect? Why should they read it? What makes it special?
Oddly enough, headlines don’t have to be 100% relevant. They need to be short and attractive, like a Hobbit Beauty Pageant. Get their attention with something that is short, catchy, witty, or a mixture of anything that works. Just keep it short!
Keep It Short
Tip #3: Have a Subheading
Okay, this is something that is being utilized incorrectly everywhere.
Don’t write a headline and continue explaining it in the headline.
That’s not the point of a subheading! The headline’s the lightning, and the subheading is the thunder. It serves a different purpose.
Let your headline pop and let it gather eyes!
Then, let your subheading go into depth on the content’s true topic. Get all of your detail and explaining out in a well-crafted, single sentence. This liberates your headlines for feeling like it has the burden of explaining, in detail what you’re about to tell them. It gets to be the flashy, snappy horn blast that it needs to be.
So, for as much time as you spend honing and cutting your headline into something simple and sweet, pack your subheading with the detail and value that your readers want!
Tip #4: Make It Bold
Okay, this is the obvious one.
MAKE YOUR HEADLINE BOLD!
Send a literary missile through the screen into your reader’s mind and blow it! Trigger something that they’re going to react to. You want to make them laugh, you better write something that gets the reader to smile at their desk when they see it. If you want to dazzle them with your mystery, you better make their eyes narrow and get a primal action inside of them that makes them click the link for more. If you’re going for an immediate call to action, it better shout louder than everything else on the internet so they click right now!
Don’t be afraid of stepping on toes! Where is the line and stand as close to it as you can? If the line is stupid and crossing it won’t start a religious war or set off the apocalypse, cross it. Call things out that you think are ridiculous that your topic contradicts or challenges.
Don’t be afraid to be bold. If people hate it, then they won’t read your article. Try again.
With all the content out there, it’ll be buried in an hour if no one reads it or shares it.
Don’t play it safe.