Headlines are really the most important part of your article writing. It is the first thing that can grab the attention of your reader or web visitor.
Your headlines, in effect, are your first real point of connection with your prospective customer, so you need to get them right.
Your headline is important to your reader as it is a great indicator of your true ‘behaviour’. It should NOT try and sell to your reader, but should draw them towards wanting to continue reading the rest of your article. Don’t try and say too much in your article – make one point and do it well!
Using a ‘question’ in your headline is the most effective way of doing this. This is also something that the search engines like – especially when the rest of your article contains the answer!
A question, if written well, should be able to attract, intrigue or even to gently provoke your readers to want to read more. Using more ‘interesting’ verbs will help you do this.
Here is a quick example of how we would aim to attract architects to an article about the benefits of using design software. In this case, we use two powerful verbs – inspire and achieve.
“New Software Inspires Architect to Achieve Top Award“
The headline is not only intriguing, but it also alludes to the success or ‘legacy’ within the story.
Writing Headlines – Keep It Simple
There are different elements within any headline that readers will ‘connect’ with. You can’t squeeze all of them in at once, otherwise you could actually lose the impact you are wanting to create.
Some people suggest headlines should contain no more than seven words, but we have had equal success with longer titles. We would, however, suggest you keep them as simple and ‘to the point’ as possible.
Here are some simple guidelines:-
- Ensure the message in your headline is clear and ‘to the point’
- Your headlines should highlight the ‘benefit’ to your reader of reading your article
- Get your headlines to ‘resonate’ with your reader by showing that you understand their pains or particular business issues
For help with creating powerful and attractive headlines for your chosen target audience, please call us on 08450 519 374. Alternatively, fill in your details below and one of our team will contact you.
Good Luck!
David Lomas, CEO
M3 Media Publishing