What’s Wrong with Your Headline? 8 Catchy Headline Titles for Your Articles
Content creation isn’t for the faint of heart. From creating catchy titles for articles to researching and including interesting facts to back your claims up – it can be tedious. In fact, one of the most common problems most novice content creators often find themselves dealing with is low engagement rates. Here’s the thing… You can have the most outstanding content ever, yet, if you don’t have a catchy title for your article, one that grabs the reader’s attention and makes them beg for more, your amazing content won’t get noticed. Why? 80% of readers will take the time to read your headline. However, only 20% of those individuals are going to move on to the body of your content. Yes, content is vital to engagement. Unfortunately, that content isn’t the first thing your readers are going to see. Much like an email, your online content is prefaced with a headline of some sort. This headline is the very first impression your readers are going to get from you. If your headline doesn’t stop them in their tracks, then they aren’t going to read through the rest of the content. Why should they? The moral of the story: First impressions are crucial! To create a first impression that matters, you need to know how to craft a successful headline. [bctt tweet=”Content creation isn’t for the faint of heart. Without a catchy title to top off your outstanding content, it won’t get noticed nearly as quickly OR as much. Learn how to do it from an expert copywriter at EW, Cassie B. ” username=”ExpWriters”] Capturing the Reader’s Attention: The 4 Primary Functions of a Successful Catchy Title or Article Headline In his book, The Copywriter’s Handbook, Robert Bly outlines just how critical a properly formatted headline is to any piece of content. He states that your headline is the “first impression” readers get, and it can mean the difference between success or failure: “If the first impression is boring or irrelevant, the ad will not attract your prospect. If it offers news or helpful information or promises a reward for reading the ad, the first impression will win the reader’s attention.” – Robert Bly, The Copywriter’s Handbook, 4th Edition Before you can start creating catchy titles for articles, blogs, and other content, its essential that you understand the primary functions of a successful headline. Here at Express Writers, our content specialists are carefully trained in creating not only eye-catching headlines but headlines that perform. We understand that there are four primary functions of a successful headline. I’ve gone ahead and outlined them for you below. 1. Select Your Audience As a content writer, you already understand just how important it is to know your target audience. Julia McCoy, the founder of our agency, talks at length in her book, Practical Content Strategy & Marketing, about how creating content that nets any ROI requires the writer to not only identify, but understand who their audience is: “Sure, you could start writing and creating content any time, but without an understanding of whom you’re creating it for, your visitors may not connect with any of it.” – Julia McCoy, Practical Content Strategy & Marketing Bly also discusses this in The Copywriter’s Handbook. He goes on to say that a successful headline will cater to the needs of a specific audience member, and this is because it’s meant to drive action. If crafted correctly, your headline could be responsible for not only driving engagement to your piece of content, but also for converting a reader into a new prospective lead. Take the following ComEd ad: Source: ComEd In the time of COVID-19, ComEd understands that many of their audience members are currently experiencing financial difficulties. So, instead of simply headlining their ad with “New Bill Options,” they target the members of their audience who are genuinely struggling by including the term “Assistance” in their headline as well. 2. Capture the Reader’s Attention Once you’ve defined your audience, you’ll be able to start formulating a headline that captures their attention. To do this, you have to go beyond the “norm” and not be afraid to push the envelope a bit. Of course, I’ll never advocate for creating clickbait headlines, but that doesn’t mean you have to have dreary headlines that only state the facts. The best way to get your reader’s attention is by appealing to their self-interest or by introducing a hot piece of news. Here is a good example that got me to stop scrolling through my Facebook feed recently: Source: Facebook/Marketo As a professional content creator, something I research quite a bit is ways to increase my follower engagement, and since I publish a lot of my own personal content on my social media pages, the fact that this ad highlights “Social Media” and maximizing follower engagement – I was instantly drawn in. This is an excellent example of a brand fulfilling my self-interest because it’s telling me they can help me accomplish something I’m currently working to improve on. Here’s a fun fact worth knowing: 76% of consumers expect a company to understand what it is they need. So, make sure you are addressing those needs in your headlines to convey to readers you can deliver what they want and/or are looking for. 3. Deliver a Complete Message to Your Audience Let’s take another look at that Facebook ad from Marketo. They for sure were able to get me to stop scrolling by using keywords that caught my attention, however, for it to be a compelling headline, it has to deliver a full message, too. While the copy in the ad was effective enough to get me to stop in my tracks, it was their message that got me curious. “Develop a Social Media Calendar” It’s short, it’s sweet, and it tells me exactly what I need to do to improve my follower engagement. In fact, this message is so effective, it stops my eyes from wandering and fulfills the final … Read more
