What if your headline was so powerful that it compelled 75% of your visitors to not only read through your article, but also take action?
This is not entirely impossible, for a powerful headline is the foundation of a great article.
We examined website content in a previous article and I wanted to continue in this vein by discussing how to write effective headlines.
There has been so much focus on Google lately that I wanted to help our readers think more about their content not just in terms of ranking, but also in relation to how it brings in more business, sales, and leads.
Here is an interesting statistic:
About 80% of people will scan the headline, but only 20% will continue to read the article. That’s why the headline is such an important part of your content.
Imagine if the 80% actually READ your article. What would that do for your business?
Let’s take a deeper look…
Here is one problem I encounter when reading headlines:
Too Long
I see this issue with client’s websites as well. Their Home page is jam-packed with excessive details about their products and services.
Everything the reader could want is directly on the Home page.
Why is this an unsatisfactory practice? Because you want your visitors to spend some time on your site and eventually contact you or purchase your products. If you are “giving away the farm” on the first page, you risk losing them halfway through your long essay and losing a lead or sale.
Don’t give away the farm with your website content and don’t do it with your headlines. The headline should be compelling enough so the reader takes ONLY the next step, which is to read your article. Don’t try to shove the points of the article into your headline.
Here is an example:
I could have named this article…
How to Get More Sales, Profits and Customers by Creating Headlines that Compel a Visitor to Take Action and Buy Your Products and Services
OK, so this may be overdoing it a bit on the length, but you would be surprised with what I see while searching the web. The headline is not spewing incorrect information, but it is too long and may bore readers. The end is redundant. You already told people in the last part of the headline it would compel visitors to take action. You don’t need to tell them WHAT actions. That’s what the article is for.
Benefits
Many headlines would convert at a higher rate if they contained a benefit. You will find the benefit in the first part of this article’s headline. Hopefully it compelled you to finish reading. If you are reading this sentence, that is a good sign.
Your benefit is your major selling point, the most important reward readers can gain by digesting and applying the information in the article. It describes what readers can expect when continuing through the article and hopefully you live up to the headline with your content.
Examples:
How the Rotarooter 5000 is Saving Gardeners Thousands of Dollars
Join the Thousands of People who are Dropping Pounds of Weight Fast
Finally, you can have Peace and Tranquility with this Stress-busting Technique
Questions
The question headlines are also effective and I use them occasionally in my articles. The question headlines get the reader thinking which makes them inquisitive enough to want to continue reading what comes next.
Not just any question will suffice, however. It must answer the reader’s deep, dark longings and affect them at a psychological level. To create an effective question headline, you would need to know your audience intimately. You should understand their pains, problems and for what they need solutions.
For example, if you offer law services, you may use a headline like…
Are you a victim of a senseless crime?
While this may be somewhat effective, it doesn’t address the emotional heart of the person and what they really desire. If you dig deep into the hearts and minds of your audience you may find that they want a low-cost solution and they are saddened by circumstances that have left them needing a lawyer. This person is most likely hoping the entire situation would end. He/she is not happy about needing to spend time, emotions, and money fighting the case.
A more effective headline would probably look like:
Do you Secretly Want to Never See or Talk to Your Lawyer Again?
This is an interesting headline because it raises eyebrows. People reading it will identify with it and also wonder why a lawyer would post something that could potentially damage his practice.
Remember, the purpose of the headline is ONLY to get readers to take the next step.
Readers will click to read the article not only because they identify with the statement, but also to find out exactly why a lawyer would be so controversial. In the article, the writer will explain that the law firm understands the emotional trauma clients go through and their process is to get it taken care of quickly and with as little stress as possible. BAM…you have a potential lead.
These headlines are just a few of the many you can use for your online content. In Part 2, I will expound on more examples and give you some quick tips to crafting powerful headlines that sell.
Tip: Using examples and swiping headlines is a good way to practice and gain some traction. But going forward, you should practice creating your own headlines and use trial and error to see which ones get the most clicks. Tweak this process until you find the sweet spot!
Need help?
Questions? If you are having some problems creating headlines, let us know in the comments and we can brainstorm it together.