Do you know what that one thing killing your blog is?
Bad headlines. No matter how well you have written your post, all it takes is one poorly written headline to kill it.
When writing content, a few qualities can expand the responsiveness of your text. Without a doubt, the most important one for compelling people to look at any of your content or blogs is your headlines.
Effective blog post headlines persuade readers to click through and read. In this post, I will share a few highly effective tips for writing your next blog headline that will act as a catalyst for your readers every time.
A headline is supposed to perform one vital task: it should get your readers’ attention. It is not there to present a summary of your content or to make a sale. It is to encourage the reader to read your content.
So how do you write headlines that persuade your readers to click through your posts and read them?
Actually, it is quite simple to tweak a boring headline and turn it into an attractive one. All you need is practice and some good tricks like the ones I am going to share now. These will transform your dull headlines into irresistible ones.
1. Use Numbers
Adding numbers in your headlines always attracts interest. Look at this post headline: “Top 6 Tips…” If you are interested in reading that post, something must have interested you about it. There are several reasons why numbers appeal to people.
First, seeing a number in a headline makes it look precise. People prefer specific topics because being able to predict what a post is about gives them a sense of control. Being in control is an important emotion for humans because it decreases stress levels.
Thus from the very beginning, readers understand the main concept behind such a post. They understood precisely what they are going to read as they start out.
Another reason, according to eye-tracking research, when numbers are expressed as numerals, they draw more attention then text does. So use “4” instead of “four.”
Also, using numerals in your headline conveys credibility. For example, “How to Make Your First $100 Per Month with Blogging” will be more engaging than, “How to Make Money from Blogging.”
Another perk of using numbers in your headlines is that when you create your article as a list post, you make your post sound more organized. Here are a few effective ways to use numbers in your list posts headlines:
- Use odd numbers because they sound more specific and real. Use 7 or 11 but don’t go for number 10! It’s been used millions of times and has lost credibility.
- Higher numbers have increased in value and tend to get more shares. This means adding more points in your post is more effective (but make sure your content is actually good).
- Write your list post first without keeping any specific number in mind; you can number it when you are done.
2. Use Emotional Triggers
Headlines with emotional triggers work to convince readers to click. So what are the emotions you can use in your headlines in order to make them look persuasive? Consider these and their corresponding words:
- Trust –”professional,” “results,” “influential,” “proven”
- Greed – “final offer,” “cheap,” “treasure”
- Lust – “exciting,” “thrilling,” “tempting” “amazing”
- Indolence – “steal,” “easy,” “simple,” “seamless”
- Anger – “lies,” “abuse,” “corrupt”
- Curiosity – “secret,” “uncommo,” “bizarre”
- Fear – “risky,” “deadly,” “sins,” “damaging”
- Pride – “inevitable,” “beautiful,” “effective,” “intelligent”
(Check out a big list of emotional headline triggers in Mary Fernandez’s post.)
Thesaurus.com is a useful resource for exploring more ideas about emotional terms and for finding synonyms for them. Creative thinking can yield fresh words that will improve your click-through rate.
3. Use Trendy Words
There are a few trendy words that your target readers use, and you need to know those exact keywords in order to write persuasive headlines. They will also help you to gain a good ranking in Google!
You can use Google Keyword Planner to search for the keywords in your niche. It’s useful to conduct an easy Google search on your niche and then scroll down to the bottom of the page to check the list of “related searches.” This will give you some ideas on trending topics to use in your blog post titles.
Related: Top 6 Blogging Trends in 2018
When using trending words in your post titles, always ensure that you use the exact word that your audience wants to see. People love to feel in control, and if they see something they are already aware of, they will likely click on your post.
4. Surprise Your Audience
Blog post titles can work particularly well when they have an ingredient that amuses your readers. For example, consider this: “Women Meets Jesus after Death.” This title has an ingredient of surprise because readers will always be curious to know about life after death.
The idea is that when people encounter uncertainty, they’re compelled to gather information to fill their knowledge gap.
Putting it more simply, human beings are curious and are always willing to satisfy that curiosity.
To employ the principle of surprise effectively, use something in your headline that arouses astonishment and curiosity. Doing so will make your readers wonder, “How?”
Some examples of phrasing that can trigger surprise are:
- you need to
- blow your mind
- will make you
- when you see
- what happens when
- here are the
- this is what
- I’ve ever seen
Definitely make sure that the post you are writing offers great quality and value to your readers so you’re not just tricking people into clicking on your post.
5. Focus on Your Readers
Focusing on your readers immediately in the post’s title is a copywriting tool that experts use to get attention.
The simplest way to create headlines that directly focus on your readers is through using the word, “you.” For example, “Are You Looking for a New Phone?” is more compelling than, “Brand New Phone for Sale.”
Related: 5 Writing Skills to Engage Your Readers
6. Use the Power of the Negative
People are attracted to titles having superlatives like “greatest,” “best”, or “fantastic.” However, these words cannot surpass the power of negative words, such as “worst,” “adverse,” or “never.”
Research from Outbrain suggests that headlines with negative superlatives attract 30 percent more readers than positive headlines do.
Wondering why? Well, it’s mostly because people use positive superlatives so often that they have become somewhat cliché. On the other hand, people see negative superlatives as more genuine because they intrigue or shock.
Resources for You
I am keen on technology that makes my business run smoothly. While there are many great resources and tools available to people, a handful of them are so good, I need to mention them here.
One of these is CoSchedule. CoSchedule’s headline analyzer is a highly effective and popular resource among bloggers and writers. It gives a comprehensive analysis of your suggested headlines and gives them scores in these areas:
- Use of keywords
- Emotional value
- Length evaluation
- Balancing of words
Another highly effective tool for headlines is Jon Morrow’s “52 Headline Hacks.” The guide has 52 different headline samples segmented into various niches. You’ll definitely get a few practical ideas for your blog post from this resource.
CopyBlogger’s Headline Formulas is another useful addition to your headline resources. It will help you generate some attention-grabbing ideas.
Ready to Write Headlines That Persuade?
That’s it! You now have a good grasp of how to make those eye-popping headlines for your posts that persuade your readers to dive in.
Just remember one last point: writing persuasive headlines takes practice. You will experiment with tons of them before you’re able to create ones like those we’ve discussed here. So stay adventurous and don’t give up!
Sana Syeda
Latest posts by Sana Syeda (see all)
- How to Write Headlines That Persuade Your Readers - November 26, 2018
- Top Ten Fantastic Apps Every Writer Should Know - August 27, 2018
- Critical Marketing Skills You Need to Write Great Content - July 25, 2018
Hi,
Headlines are one of the most important things while blogging, I will for sure these tips while writing blogs the next time.
Thank you for sharing this valuable information.
Hi Sana, I read your article and found it very informative on how to create the best headline for an article and the way you present it is amazing and I would like to share this post to my friends also which are also working in this field. Please keep updating us through your article.
Thank you Paul for your liking and appreciation. I will be very happy if your friends can get some good tips n help from my article. Sure, I will share more soon. You can also check my blog too for more.
Thanks !
.
I try to add those keypoints where reader thinks it is somehow related to his or her story that engages more share and more response
This post contains relevant article for beginner bloggers. Must read it this is a perfect post to gain knowledge about attracting new visitors to the website.
Hi Ranjan,
Even experienced bloggers are constantly working on writing more persuasive headlines. That isn’t something you ever stop doing. I even know there are tools to test multiple headlines to see which get more clicks.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Bloggers Hiring Bloggers: Kinds of Work You Outsource or Get Hired to Do
I’m new blogger on marketplace. This article helpful for me. Thanks for share. I will be back again.
Hi Mahbub,
Only usernames from Twitter.com will work in the Twitter field.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..WordPress Gutenberg Mandatory Change Dec 6 2018: Why You MUST DO THIS NOW!
very nice article..so helpful for me like new bloggers.now I have a idea how to write a blogs title to attract more peoples.thanks
Great, advice thank you. I really am interested in checking out CoSchedule. It is so interesting how people respond to things. I will be using your tips and look forward to new content from you.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Stephanie. Headline choice really does make a big difference. Some sites even test multiple headlines (if they have sufficient traffic) to determine which one gets a higher open rate.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..6 Reasons You Should Use Medium For Your Company’s Content
Really interesting article and I agree with everything said, but I wonder if the negative words are indeed so powerful!?
It’s informative and good advise for all bloggers and article writers, thank you!
Megan would love you to read ..Federal Agency Subpoenas Tesla Production Claims
Awesome tips thank you for sharing an informative post and looking forward to learning more from this blog.
Hey
I always waiting for your new post. Your posts are really helpful for my education site. Thank you so much for another amazing post.
Thanks for this article. All these tips are very useful and looking forward to learn more about from this blog.
Seriously good headline does attract the readers to read more on the article. It’s really necessary to create a good headline to reflect the entire content at a glance. It not only reflects but does attract readers to get more detail. In short, headlines are the leader of the written content under them. Thank you mate for the improvising tips.
Amazing tips!Thank you for sharing informative post and looking forward to learn more from this blog.
Hello Syeda
I have visited this site 2nd time just because it has that good content it is coming up with every new article just like this one. I totally liked the topic and got to learn that how to glue your audience to your article with the headline. Thanks for writing.
Cheers!!!
Thank you Shweta for your generous comments. I highly appreciate your interest and time.
You can also check my page http://www.sparksconcepts.com
For more.
Regards
Nice post.
I also use the Advanced Marketing Institute headline analyser. It determines the emotional content of your headline and gives suggestions for improvement. I use this in combination with the others you mention and find it gives a different perspective.
Cheers!
Emotional triggers do not effect sales. However they emphasizes on article but they do not help in conversion. Others help to increase sales a bit but emotional triggers are just to put some weight-age to post. We should not use emotional triggers as readers detect that blog writer is trying to put extra effort so that one read the post. However other things are good to use and help in conversion and not only click through rate.
I have to disagree with you. People buy what they WANT not what they need – and emotions have a lot to do with that.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..9 Reasons Social Media Campaigns Fail [With Solutions]
Now a days people are turning smart enough and do not buy after emotions. Customers now understand company policy to increase sales. Say every parent like their kids. Car company make and advertise their car that our car has big hatchback which is good to take your kids sport cycle however other cars do not have such. Now customers are smart enough and do not come in emotions and buy that car they buy a car which is good in mileage and low maintenance cost. They know they have to take sports cycle of their kids once in 4 month.
Although some people do see through the manipulative methods in advertising, they are still prone to buy what they want over what they need. If they have to take the sports cycles once in 4 months, they still have to have a way to get there. So they might still need that big hatchback.
Personally, I always drove Honda hatchbacks because they got exceptional mileage and lasted about 200,000 miles.
Gail Gardner would love you to read ..3 Tips and Tricks to Help Turn Your Small Business into a Well-oiled Machine
Numbers are the great reader attractor Sana. Going double figures all but guarantees more and more folks click through. The trick is to stick with simple, clear headlines that promise what your readers want. Deliver through the post content. You’ll rock it out. Excellent post.
Thank you Ryan. I have tried to highlight those important aspects that can entice readers to click through the headlines and actually like the content.
Nice post.
I also use the Advanced Marketing Institute headline analyser. It determines the emotional content of your headline and gives suggestions for improvement. I use this in combination with the others you mention and find it gives a different perspective.
Cheers!
https://www.aminstitute.com/headline/index.htm
Mark would love you to read ..Inbox Zero: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Email
Hi Mark! Thanks for appreciating. Indeed attractive headlines count a lot in making a post visible and successful.