Who Cares About the Headline?

They say don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s a great piece of advice, but honestly… how often do we follow it? We’re busy people, surrounded by a lot of information we have to process. If something wants to get our attention, it better darn well do it fast! In other words, we totally judge a book by its cover.

If you don’t believe it, think about how you peruse a site like Amazon looking for something new to read. The first thing that grabs your attention is the little thumbnail image of the cover. If the cover doesn’t give you a reason to continue, you’re likely to dismiss the book long before you get to a summary of its riveting plot.

Writing effective headlines

The same is true of the copy you write. While it usually doesn’t have a cover, it DOES have a headline or subject line, and that is your first, best (and perhaps only chance) to hook your reader. It’s something worth paying attention to, not an afterthought you slap in after you’ve already finished everything else.

To write a great headline you’ll want to use simple but powerful language. Don’t hide your meaning and don’t be overly cute. If your copy contains a good bit of technical verbiage and complex concepts, save the fancy words for the body of the text. Use clear, concise and easily understood words. The object of the headline is to get them to read further where you’ll have the chance to explain all those concepts.

You’ll want your headline to be bold and intriguing. You’re trying to get their attention after all. Don’t be too outrageous with your headline though, because you also want to be accurate. Nobody likes a ‘bait and switch’ where the article doesn’t live up to the promise of the headline or talks about something else entirely. That’s a quick way to lose the respect of your readers.

One of the boldest things you can do to get attention is to include the word ‘this’ in the title, as in ‘this product will do (blank) for you’ or ‘always ask this question before you (fill in the blank).’ These headlines are known as ‘click-bait’ headlines. They’re used because they often work, but they also run the risk of giving your copy a cheap, sleazy vibe you may not want.

Asking a bold question

There are other ways to make your headline stand out, too. You can ask a strange or funny question that makes the reader pause and think. Simple curiosity will often get them to click on a headline they may have glossed over. Another way is to use a number in your headline, for example ‘3 Ways You Can Save on Your Electric Bill.’  Research has shown that readers are inherently attracted to numbers since they’re easy for the brain to process and promise a quick answer to a question they may have had.

Take advantage of Google

If you’re writing to a wider audience, the best way to make sure your message is seen is by including keywords that are most likely to be picked up by search engines like Google. There are tools like Google Analytics to do this very thing. These tools analyze keywords based on how often they come up in typed searches. Take advantage of these tools to make sure your headline shows up.

We do judge a book by its cover. It may not be fair, but it’s a byproduct of the chaotic world we live in. Make your ‘book’ stand out from its competitors by paying as much attention to the cover  (headline, subject line) as you do to the text. That way you’re sure to attract plenty of readers.