You need two things for a successful blog:
1) Great headlines and
2) Great leads (the first paragraph of your post)
We’ll tackle headlines today and discuss how to write attention grabbing leads next week.
If you look around the web, you’ll see that the top blogs obsess over headlines.
There’s a method to this madness. You see, attention is now worth more than gold. Attention is scarce. It’s easy to catch but devilishly hard to hold. If you write a great headline, then you will get 5 minutes to offer an idea, promote a product, or capture a loyal reader. Headlines written as an afterthought fail to attract attention, resigning their posts to obscurity.
You don’t have to like it, but this is how blogging works.
Whenever a blogger asks me to review their blog, I always look at their headlines first. 100% of the time, I kid you not, poor-performing blogs have poor headlines.
If you are looking for an “easy” way to take your blog to the next level, then get good at headline writing and read the rest of this post…
Why Great Headlines Work
Headlines are designed to communicate a benefit to your reader. The most powerful headlines target a reader’s need with a succinct benefit statement.
For example:
Catch Trophy Bass Without Spending a Dime on a Single Lure.
As a fisherman, I can’t help but read this post. The headline has an explicit benefit – I can catch fish and save money. It also adds in a little fame (trophy bass) and curiosity (can you fish for bass without a lure?).
Here’s another:
Erase Arthritis Pain with a Refreshing and Easy-to-Make Smoothie
The benefit is easy: to stop (erase) arthritis pain. However, this example goes one step further by promising an almost too-good-to-be-true” curiosity element (can arthritis pain be cured with a smoothie?)
Both headline examples combine key elements that power eye-catching headlines:
Clear Picture of the End Benefit
Key benefits almost always focus on 1) saving money, 2) making money, 3) improving health, 4) love, 5) fame, 6) beauty, or 7) saving time.
Curiosity
The best headlines create curiosity and intellectual tension. For a reader, your headline should almost “force” them to continue reading to satisfy their curiosity.
Visual Power Words
Headlines require words that yank at your imagination and create an almost physical reaction. For example, try this headline on for size:
7 Secrets to Heart-Pounding Sex that Will Leave You Flustered for Days
I bet an image immediately sprang to mind, right? Power words work overtime in the minds of your readers. Use them often.
Reliable Headline Formulas
Look around the web, and you will see certain types of headlines constantly pop up.
They include:
- “How-To” – Easy to write and almost always a great performer.
- “The Secret” – This headline aims straight for the curiosity jugular. Who doesn’t want to know a secret?
- “7 Ways to” (the List Post) – The list post headline is the Swiss army knife of the blog writing world. List posts are easy to digest and consistently perform well.
- The Question – Headlines with questions pull readers in when they try to mentally offer an answer. They work best with open-ended questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no.
I encourage you to review these headline types and see how you can use them.
However, don’t overuse them. A blog filled with list headlines becomes boring and predictable, the twin horseman of doom for blogs. Once you are comfortable with a certain type, move on and experiment with others. This will keep your blog topics fresh and inviting.
Writing great headlines is a skill anyone can learn
And like all skills, you’ll get better with practice. I normally write 5-10 headline ideas for every blog post. I do this for the practice and the excitement of finding a headline that jumps off the page!
If you want to get good quick, spend the next 30 days writing multiple headlines for each post. In fact, start your post with writing 2-3 headlines. This ritual will improve the quality of the post by focusing you on your topic’s key benefit. You’ll find that readers will immediately reward your diligence with more comments, retweets, and likes.
Make Sense?
What are your questions about writing headlines? Where are you stuck? Leave a comment with your questions and we’ll work through this one together.
P.S. If you would like me to take a look at your blog and give you a 10-Point plan on how to improve it – including the headlines then check out my Spectacular Blog Review service
About Stanford
This stuff dances off the page, and I luv’ it. Thanks
Great tips to follow Stanford.
When I write my posts, I try and start with the headline first. Once I have that down, I write my outline for the post and supporting comments/examples/analogies/etc. Then I’ll write the post. Once I’m done, I’ll edit and re-write the headline until it’s right.
The way I see it, a solid headline is your biggest opportunity to real someone in to read the rest of your content. You either nail it or you don’t. In which case you’ll earn or lose a reader’s attention.
I publish health and wellness articles. I agree that headlines are key to attracting visitors, but when you’re writing a health news article, it’s very important to that the title NOT mislead people. For example, the beef recall in California is very serious news. It would be dangerous and unwise to write a sensationalized headline. Unless one is writing tabloid-like stories, how does one provide a straight forward (informative) yet catchy headline?
You don’t have to sensationalize to be effective. But don’t make the mistake of rationalizing boring headlines. Boring headlines that don’t spark curiosity, interest, or express a benefit will kill your blog.
Since you are writing for the health industry you need to work EXTRA hard to write headlines that capture attention. Use the tips I covered in the post they will still work.
Unfortunately, lots of times these snazzy headlines end up leading to lame blog posts. It’s akin to entering a restroom stall with the hopes of relieving yourself only to find an abandoned turd floating in the toilet.
Yeah, a great headline might get you the clicks you desperately crave but fool me once…
Wow that’s a visual!
You are right. You need to deliver the goods after the headline.
Hi Stan,
Great tips, as usual, and I use them every time I write a post. Excellent help for those of us who are not writers.
One question: Why did you use StumbleUpon for this post. I would love to hear your reasoning for this Twitter link away from your “real” website. Benefits?
Excellent question Sally. I use the stumbleupon link shortener to get “thumbs up” on StumbleUpon. As you saw, the Su.pr link shortener puts the stumbleupon toolbar at the top of the screen which puts the thumb-up button front and center.
The more positive reviews and “thumbs” ups that I get on the post the more likely it will show up when people use StumbleUpon to discover blogs. I normally do this the day after a blog launches when the traffic from a specific post starts to decline.
Amen. Not easy, but essential!
I always think that the headline post has been covered to death. But then I look around the blogosphere and realize that we all need a refresher (including me!)
Yes, yes, yes!!! Great tips, Stan. I agree that headlines are where most blogs fall down. The content may be good, but if the headline isn’t there, people will never make it to your blog. A good headline demands attention – whether in your RSS reader, Twitter stream or email inbox. Without it, say hello to the crickets!
I’m eager to see your next post about leads (or as a former journalist, “ledes”). That’s something that’s seldom written about in the blogosphere, but oh-so-important. Your headline might get someone to the post, but the lede (can’t help it) reels them in.
Love this!