I know about avid readers, probably because I am one. We have trained our brains to scan the headlines looking for something that might suit our desires. When something reaches up and grabs us by the eyeballs, we take a closer look…
We look at the title with a greater attention to detail, and if a description is available, we will look at the description to see if it agrees with the title enough to merit our continued interest. The decision to look at a title with more attention is usually made within a split-second. The decision to open the article is usually made in ten seconds or less. No matter what goals you have for your content, you need to be able to write headlines that get clicked. Somebody once said “If your headline isn’t good, your article is irrelevant and if your article is irrelevant, then you’re not getting any traffic”.
Writing a call to action headline; something like, “You Won’t Believe the Marketing Campaign This Marketer Came Up With.” Will get you g clicks and draw in qualified traffic. When it comes to writing headlines, you should always strive to get it noticed and make it as relevant as possible to your reader. You need to think about your audience. Who is it that you are writing for? Who are they and what are they looking for? Answering these two questions will set you on the right route to plan and write an article that will capture their attention… and from this you can then style the headline.
Understand the psychology of call to action headlines; what exactly is this phenomenon that entices us to click? Call to action is when a publisher posts an article with a headline that encourages people to click to see more, without telling them much information about what they will see. Our brains start craving the information that is left out of the headline. There is this lingering sense of incompleteness that we feel after reading a successful article title. So, we click. We pursue equilibration. Readers want to know what to expect when they click a headline. They want to know what they’re going to get from reading the article. We preferr headlines that help us decide if we want to read the full article before we click through.
Have Keywords in Your Headline
There are certain keywords that when seen in a title will be the trigger someone to look closer at the article title. Contrary to what you may have heard elsewhere, it is not always necessary for your target keywords to be in the front part of the title. Your keywords only need to be “in the title” somewhere, in order to attract the readers’ eyeballs to your title. The title should be constructed to build curiosity in the article and to lead the reader to make a decision to open and read the article. Since the purpose of the title is to get the article opened, and the inclusion of keywords in the title is to attract eyeballs to the title.
Build on the Progress Made with the Title with The Article Description
your article title will be accompanied by an article description, but not always. Your article description should be constructed to create even more interest in the article by giving some additional details about what can be expected to be found within the article itself.
Often times, the first paragraph of the article are used as the article description; if both are the same that is fine. But if both the article description and the first paragraph of the article are different, then both should be constructed with the same goal in mind. Both should be constructed to build more interest in the article, to ensure that the reader makes a decision to keep reading.
Let’s see these sure-fire triggers that will guarantee your headlines get attention
Curiosity; People love the thought of anything new and exciting. These words are perfect for announcing new products. Just note however that it is illegal to claim a product is ‘new’ unless is has been created with the last 6 months. For this use words like new! Introducing! And At Last!
Call Out; Dentists! Home Owners! Bad Headaches! These words used at the beginning of a headline specifically call out to your target audience. They are definitely attention grabbing.
Use Captivating Question; This type of headline uses an open ended question. One which your reader is unable to answer with either “yes” or “no”. They will immediately want to know what mistake it is, or what product will bring that result. Fantastic for sparking the curiosity factor. Headlines like What If I Could Double Your Profits in 10 Days? Do You Make These Five Copy writing Mistakes? Fall into this category.
Use the ‘How To’ Headline; People commonly search the internet to find information. Using ‘how to’ in a headline answers the exact question they are asking themselves. It is extremely powerful when you match the right headline to the right target market. What of headlines like; How to Get Rid Of Eczema Naturally, How to Find Out If Your Husband Is Cheating, How to Find Positive Cash Flow Investments in Any Market.
Try to study and then model successful copywriters continually. Just be sure to always use your own personality and unique style and that way you will write headlines that sell is an ongoing process.