Today there are millions and millions of blogs you will find online.
While Google’s algorithm does its basic job of filtering out poor quality content, you are still left with thousands of blogs.
Each of them might have great content, but are you going to read all of them?
That is not possible.
So what is the first thing that draws you to a blog post and makes you click on it?
The headline, right? The headline decides the fate of an article, irrespective of all other factors.
Your blog post content might be mediocre, but you will still end up getting high views and clicks if the headline is catchy enough to draw attention.
Writing a catchy headline might be tricky, but not anymore. We have got you covered with the best ways on how to write catchy headlines for blogs and articles.
What Are Catchy Blog Titles Ideally?
Before we tell you how to write a good headline, it is important to know what exactly are the factors that make a headline good and readable.
Irrespective of how you have written the headline, it should be clear enough to let readers know what they can expect from the article.
Your blog headline should give out the basic content of the post without actually mentioning the points. You also have to take care of the length of the headline.
Readers do not want to see a lengthy headline. Plus, more the length, less catchy it is.
You also have to make sure that the headline is rich in SEO. Without SEO, even a great headline cannot save an article.
Research Your Audience Carefully Before You Start To Write:
The first step even before you start writing your articles is to determine your target audience.
As a blogger, you have to know what will work with your audience and what will not. If you do not know your audience well, even writing a proper headline will not really be sufficient.
You have to first identify what your reader is looking for and then weave content around it. You can use tools like Google AdWords to get an idea of the keywords that you should use in your headlines and also in the article.
Step by Step Guide On Writing Catchy Headlines:
Step 1: Use a number in the headline:
The most important step of content marketing is to write a catchy headline. When your headline is proper, it makes up for 50% of the success of the blog.
When you include numbers on your headline, or even better, start your headline with a number, it automatically generates more interest in the readers and they are attracted to the post instantly. This is because the brain catches numbers quite quickly in an array of texts. The brain is more receptive to numbers.
When using numbers, another trick is to use odd numbers instead of even numbers. That is because odd numbers are deemed to be more authentic than even numbers. Odd numbers trigger the brain more and make information more easily remembered. An article that says ‘9 things …” will be more enticing than “10 things…”.
Step 2: Give people a reason to read your content:
The giveaway in your headline should be a rationale. By this, we mean that you should give a reason as to why a certain thing should be done.
Research shows that almost 89% of the total online content gets less than 100 shares. That is because these posts do not contain a rationale.
So, what all can you use in the headline to make sure people share your post? Let’ have a look.
- Facts
- Tips
- Recipes
- Step by step guides
- Reasons
- Ideas
- Tricks
- Lessons
- Ways
- Principles
- Secrets
- Strategies
All these rationales work very well with readers as the giveaway is very clear in the headline itself. Not only do these kinds of headlines get more organic views and clicks, but they also get shared more.
Step 3: The headline should ask for attention:
If the headline cannot grab enough attention from readers, the purpose of your post goes in vain.
The headline should have focus and concentration on the task it claims to have included in the body of the article. You have to understand the average attention span of a reader is very less, as less as 8 seconds.
Your headline has to be catchy enough so as to catch the reader’s attention within that time span. There are several ways to market your content, but writing a catchy headline is still the best way.
When the first line of a post is interesting, the interest in the article automatically builds up.
Step 4: Remember the 4 U’s of writing a headline:
There are 4 U’s that you have to keep in mind while writing a title for your article, namely:
- The headline has to be unique
- It has to be ultra-specific
- It should have a certain urgency about it
- It definitely has to be useful enough
Step 5: Figure out a headline formula and stick to it:
All the successful bloggers you will come across may have different approaches to their work, but they all have one thing in common. They all stick to a formula while writing headlines for their posts.
Sometimes they have more than one formula.
Lots of bloggers write the article first and then write a suitable headline for the piece. There is a SHINE theory that every blogger must stick to while writing headlines.
SHINE stands for- specificity, helpfulness, immediacy, newsworthiness and entertainment value.
Make sure your headline ticks all these boxes to stand out.
The most famous formula for headline writing is-
- Identify the problem area
- Give a solution
- Promise to apply the solution and bring on benefits.
Other formulas that you can apply are:
- Use emotional words to write a headline. These words stay with the readers even for long after they have read the article.
- If they want to come back and read your article again, they can just type in the word that struck them the most and find your article. ‘Little known ways’ is a nice way to catch a reader’s attention.
2. The other way to get sure shot attention is by using the ‘get rid of (problem) forever’ way.
We all have certain problems. No wait, we all have lots of problems, given the current lifestyle. When readers come across an article that promises to solve or ‘get rid of’ that problem for once and for all, they will read the full piece from beginning to end.
This formula mostly applies to health and wellness niche, where we have problems like acne, scars, hair fall, weight gain problems.
3. The third formula is the ‘who else wants’ formula. When you ask a question in a headline, it automatically interests readers more.
When you use the phrase ‘who else wants’, it implies that you as a writer have tried and tested the particular way or technique which you are talking about.
When a writer asks questions, it engages the readers more and they can relate to what is written.
Easy Tricks To Write Catchy Headlines:
Now that you know the basic steps that you should follow while writing a headline, time to know some easy tricks that will give you your perfect headline.
These will make sure you land up with a killer headline every time you write an article.
- You know it by now, and yet we mention it again. Keep your headline simple and to the point. Your headline should reflect what the readers can expect from the article.
- The headline should give away some benefit to the readers. Readers should be able to make proper sense of what is going to be their takeaway from the article.
- Give away the big news in the headline itself if you are announcing something new. Make the announcement quite dramatic, as drama resonates with people. You can choose to include or not include any new piece of information in the body of the article.
- Have a ‘how to’ approach in the headline even if you are not using the phrase directly. Readers are always looking for solutions to the tiniest problems. This approach will attract more and more readers.
- If you are asking a question in the headline, keep it provocative enough to grab the readers’ attention.
For example, look at this- “Your lover wanted to have a talk with you? Read this to know everything you should be knowing”. Get it?
It is impossible to not click this headline, even if the reader doesn’t have a lover.
- Give a sense of command and superiority in the headline and tell your reader what to do.
For example, look at this- “Stop ordering Italian food from outside. Here are 7 easy Italian dishes that you can make at home!” it might be simple recipes, but users will still be interested in reading your article.
Wrapping Up:
Writing a headline might seem to be quite a task. We have come across amazing writers who write amazing articles, but get stuck at headlines. They seek help from others while writing the headlines.
Once you know all the tips and tricks, and the formulas to writing a perfect headline, it will no longer be difficult!