Five Strategies for Creating Compelling Headlines

Here’s the No. 1 reason why people won’t read your content

If you haven’t created a good headline, then your content is doomed! Good headlines are the main reason why people click through to read more. If you don’t have an interesting headline, potential readers will get no further.

This applies equally to blogs, social media posts, video content, white papers and much, much more. Good headline writing is an essential skill.

Here are five strategies for writing compelling headlines

1. Use Why or How

Tell a reader why they should do something, why something happens or how to do something. This is a simple way to make your headline much more compelling. For example:

Why your new employee may be bad for your company

This one also employs the fourth strategy

2. Use an interesting statistic

This is often a powerful way to make a point, particularly if the statistic appears scary or controversial. For example:

Most printing companies are on track to lose 15-20% of their customers in the next 12 months

That sounds scary! Don’t you want to find out more?

3. Use a phrase that no-one has heard of

Using unknown terms generate curiosity. If you are creating content about a subject that is of interest to someone, they are going to want to find out about this phrase or process that is new to them. For instance:

Why the CAR process is essential when quoting a prospect

What is the CAR process? Should estimators and salespeople know about it?

4. Generate controversy

Challenge traditional views. Make statements that sound crazy! This generates debate gets people talking. Just be sure you can back up your claim. For example:

The printing industry wastes too much time on color

Correct color is the holy grail of print. This blog certainly generated a lot of debate on social media!

5. Use an unusual comparison

Put two things together that are not normally associated and you generate curiosity. For instance:

6 lessons about selling print learned from a visit to the pub

You don’t normally associate printing presses and pubs but pubs are certainly close to the hearts of many in the print industry!

Ask others what they think of your headline

Would they click through? It’s a powerful indicator of whether your blog will generate readers or not.

By the way, if you want to create more readable content check out my blog on 5 ways to make your content more readable.

Did you know I offer content services?

I write white papers, blogs, case studies and social media posts. I also read and review content and teach people how to write content. Contact me to find out about my content services.

PS You can also learn how to sell print successfully online by downloading my free e-guide “Ten Social Media Rules For Print Sales People” right now at http://profitableprintrelationships.com/social-media-printing-marketing/  You’ll also receive my regular “Views from the print buyer” bulletin, full of ideas on how to use social media and sell print effectively.