As a blogger, one of the biggest challenges that you face on a daily basis is coming up with worthy headlines that readers can be attracted to. On the surface, it can be seen as something easy to do but it’s actually not. When you query something on a search engine, you get an array of results that you can choose from.
All these choices confuse the user when they just want to get what they need at first glance. Most internet users rarely go past the first results page when searching for something. Also, if your heading (meta-heading) doesn’t pick their interest, then you’ve lost them!
So how do you come up with that something which will make the reader believe that it has everything that he was looking for? We will attempt to answer that question.
Write headlines that your readers will be motivated to share with others
Here is how to write a click-worthy and shareable blog post headline:
The Psychology behind Clickbait Headlines
So what is the psychology behind clickbait? According to an expert from Facebook, it is when a headline encourages people to click without revealing too much information about what is contained in the article.
Another expert said it is how we pressure equilibrium when there has been a disturbance through the use of headlines which create an imbalance and a sense of incompleteness so they have to click on the headline in the pursuit of completeness.
Whenever we see a headline that has our interests and does not reveal that much about what is contained inside, we tend to gravitate towards it due to curiosity.
Concentrate On the Benefits
You can always create a sense of disequilibrium when you come up with a headline that’s benefits driven.
For example: “10 Ways to Appear More Attractive” is clickable and can make many people want to read it. So is: “How to Write a Good Thesis: 10 Effective Approaches”
It manages to accomplish one thing – to leave out information that causes the reader to want to find out more. It also highlights what the reader should expect inside the article.
From a recent study featured on the best of A/B testing series, it showed that benefit driven headlines have increased conversion rates by 28%. These numbers are more than enough for you to go ahead and try out using benefit driven headlines.
Come Up With Multiple Headlines
Whenever you write a post, you should come up with multiple headlines. Conduct the A/B test using your email list and find out how many people will click on which headline. You can use the strategy where you pick a headline and send it to 10% of the list and another headline for another 10%. After some hours, or even a day, look at which performs best and send it to the remaining 80%.
You should not worry about editing your headlines but focus on coming up with the best quality first, then edit it for refinement purposes. Often, people write headlines then erase them and come up with new ones.
This is wrong as compared to just writing them. When you write them all down, you come up with a pattern that will reveal all the keywords and all the best things that you can use in coming up the best headlines.
When brainstorming ideas, also remember that users will click on headlines that interest them. They need to see value in clicking your post in order to actually click it.
Test the Use of Numbers and Percentages in Your Headlines
Numbers can do wonders for your headlines
A study by Contently showed that more than 30% of the best 10% headlines include a number. This is because a number does one thing which is to give the readers an idea of what to expect. The higher the number, the more the reading to do but also more benefits.
Numbers also create a disequilibrium as the reader begins to wonder what are these 5, 6, 7 and so on secrets to appear more attractive. So, they click on the headline because a part of their brain is unsatisfied.
Optimize For Keywords
Sometimes, for you to come up with click-worthy headlines, you have to stay away from clickbait headlines as they do not do so well when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. At times it’s good to employ the little knowledge you may have on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that drives traffic to your site.
Come up with headlines that are catchy but also have the keywords that will get you a higher ranking on the search engine as most of your traffic may be derived from the searches. Optimizing your headlines will go a long way in making sure that you get the much-needed traffic that you deserve.
Also, there are a number of tools that you can use to optimize your headlines such as Google Trends which helps you in comparing search terms and choose the best keywords that will perform highly. Keyword Planner is another tool that you can use in finding long-tail keywords that can give you a boost over time.
Have a Benefits Driven Dek
Instead of focusing on the headlines only, you should also pay attention to the whole package. The dek is something important that most people forget and it cost them a lot.
For those who do not know what a dek is, it is the line that accompanies the headline in the newsletter. It’s known to further the headline and creates a sense of curiosity on the side of the reader. It tries to explain the story briefly so as to entice the reader.
The dek is so important that some editors will change it within an hour if it does not perform very well. The headline together with the dek come together to tell a story, however brief it may be. Thus, if you post a headline and you’re not seeing the click rate going up, then you would want to change the dek and try something else.
Make It Short
Short headlines are good with SEO, your readers, and social media. This is a good thing because no one really wants to read a long headline. Plus, long headlines get truncated by the search engine.
There might not be a set limit for how long your headline should be but the most headlines range between 60-65 characters. You can have something longer but we would suggest that you then have a separate headline just for the search engine (meta-title). Also, make sure that you include long-tail keywords that are relevant to the topic of the post.
Another reason why you should focus on short headlines is that they can be shared easily on social media. Twitter has a limit of 140 characters which can be used up easily if you have a really long headline.
Also, do not forget that people tend to scan content hurriedly when they come across it, they do not do any deep dive as they might be a hurry so they only see the most important words. If your headline is long, then they might not look at it.
Ask Questions
Ask questions to get your readers involved
One of the methods that you can use in creating a clickable headline is the use of questions on your headlines. When you ask a question, you are resonating with the reader and they want to find out if you have the answer to the question that you just posed.
A question also helps in creating a conversational tone on your posts and the reader feels like it’s just you and him – you create a connection!
Conclusion
We hope that these few tips will assist you in creating click-worthy and shareable headlines. It would be a shame to invest time and effort in creating a post that doesn’t get read or doesn’t stir any interest in those it targeted. Apply these tips and you’ll be well on your way to creating such headlines!
What are some of the ways that you come up with click worthy headlines? Share with us!
Lori Wade
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