It’s no secret that you only have 5 seconds to grab your prospect’s attention online with your content. You can have the most amazing content in the world but if you don’t convert within this very short span of time, you may as well kiss potential leads goodbye.
How do you stand out in the vast ocean of blah-headlines?
Here are 5 copywriting insider tips that will help you create irresistible headlines that will bring prospect-scrolling to a loud and screeching halt:
1. USE A PROVEN HEADLINE FORMULA
There are specific types of copywriting headline formulas that have been proven time and time again to do the trick when it comes to hooking eyeballs. The most eye-catching headlines usually come under 3 main categories – education, information, and entertainment.
Educational headlines usually start with the word ‘how’ and promise to provide solutions that can make a prospect’s life easier and more productive. Some examples:
Informational headlines provide newsworthy items that may not be as useful as educational ones but still promise knowledge that could be of considerable benefit. Here are a few examples of informational headlines:
Entertaining headlines are designed to evoke emotions in the form of empathy and desire. Here are 2 sterling headline examples from the Art of Manliness.
2. BE SPECIFIC
The more specific your title, the more attractive it gets. The best headlines give just enough information to hook the prospect into wanting to read more. 10 Organizational Hacks for a Cleaner Home is a title that wins more clicks compared to the very generic How to Get Organized – Some Tips. Some more examples:
3. BE INTENTIONAL
Good titles in content writing often have a very specific intent. They leverage a prospect’s deepest needs and desires to create compelling headlines. A lot of great title ideas can be obtained by doing research on your customer’s specific pain points. Competitor websites, Amazon reviews, Facebook groups, online forums such as Reddit and Quora are all rich sources of free research that can help you understand what your potential clients want and the language they speak. For example, the title 3 Meditation Techniques That Can Help You Lose Weight Easily and Keep it Off taps into every weight-watcher’s inherent struggle to find an easy method to lose weight and keep it off permanently.
4. IT IS A NUMBERS GAME
Interestingly, having numbers in your title improves your headline sizzle-factor. It’s a strategy that has been very effectively put to use by some of the most seasoned content marketers in the world today. Numbers add credibility and curiosity and help break up the monotony. Here are some examples:
5. TESTING FOR PERFECTION
Last but not least, always split-test(A/B test) different headlines for your content to see which one works the best in terms of clicks and views. Continuous testing and refining will enable you to become exponentially better at copywriting and crafting blog headlines that convert extremely well.