This is a guest contribution from Leah Cooper.
You just decided to start writing an article or blog post? You have this cool idea and you’re sure you’ll grab the attention of your audience. Still, you cannot think of the perfe
ct headline. Your idea is great, but any attempt to compress it into an attention-grabbing statement turns out silly.
You end up wasting 30 minutes of your time and you still don’t have the headline you hope to get. You’re probably making one of the most common mistakes writers are prone to when crafting headlines. Here is how you should not spend your time when trying to come up with a headline:
Mistake: Trying to think of a single, perfect headline
You’re scratching your head trying to come up with the perfect line, and you ditch every option that comes to your mind just because it’s not what you’re looking for. That’s a nice way to waste 30 minutes of your time. If you don’t pay attention to the ideas you get, you’re just getting more confused.
What to do instead: Brainstorm!
Write at least 20 headlines without thinking too much. That may sound like a lot, but the strategy works because it unlocks your creative thinking mode. The moment you start writing down the options, you’ll set your ideas free and you’ll notice a great headline in that list.
Maybe you’ll fall in love with few of the alternatives, so you’ll combine them into a single perfect headline. Whatever the case is, give your ideas a chance and express them all.
Mistake: Paraphrasing popular headlines
Don’t get me wrong; you should always be aware of the trends in your niche. Analyzing popular blogs gives you insights about the needs and expectations of your audience. Still, you don’t want to serve the same headline they’ve seen many times before.
What to do instead: Be unique!
If you want to cover a popular theme, you have to present it with a unique headline. Why did this article grab your attention? The headline is not formulated with the good old How to Write a Headline. Instead, we opted for an unusual approach that still teaches you how to write a headline, but doesn’t bore you with the same tips that are available all over the web.
Mistake: Making statements
When you’re trying to sum up the essence of your article in the perfect headline, it’s easy to lose a lot of your time without getting a nice result. Imagine if this post came with a headline like Bloggers Spend 30 Minutes of Their Time on an Ineffective Headline. You would hardly be interested in it, would you? You can make such statements in the text, but please don’t turn them into headlines.
What to do instead: Use numbers or how-to constructions, or ask questions
There’s a reason why so many online writers use numbers in their headlines: the Internet audience loves listicles. That doesn’t mean you should always opt for the obvious 5, 10, or 15, though. An obscure number can catch people’s attention much better. For example, this headline would be unusual and attractive for our target audience: 37 Tips on How to Craft the Best Headline.
Questions words are also great triggers. Are you aware of the questions your target reader has in mind? Impose them in the title!
Finally, how-to constructions (like the one in our title here) are also great, since they make the readers confident they are about to learn a valuable lesson.
Mistake: General headline
If you’re trying to attract a broad target audience, you may fall into a trap and write a general headline, such as How to Live a Happier Life. That construction doesn’t allow the reader to understand whether or not you’re presenting something that’s interesting to them.
What to do instead: Be specific
Offer enough specific information to grab the attention of your readers. For example, the example about living a happier life would be much more attractive in a more specific formulation, such as 17 Lifestyle Changes for a Happier Life.
Tools for Crafting a Great Headline
The main question we promised to answer was: how not to spend 30 minutes working on a headline. The answer encompasses all 4 tips we provided above:
- Brainstorm
- Go for the most unique alternative
- Use triggers (questions, how-to, and numbers)
- Make the headline specific
- We have another important tip to offer: use the right tools!
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer – automated software that analyzes your headline from different aspects: common/uncommon words, power words, emotional words, headline type, length, Google search preview, email subject line, and more.
AussiEssay – an online service that connects you with professional writers. They can help you craft an awesome headline within minutes. Plus, you can rely on their editing services, which will improve the quality of the overall piece.
B-Rhymes – rhyming dictionary that you can use to find words that sound good together.
Portent’s Content Idea Generator – just enter some keywords and the tool will provide you with suggestions for cool headlines.
Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer – it gives the EMV (emotional marketing value) score for your headline.
Did these tips give you an idea for your next publication? Don’t waste more time; write that post and promote it with the perfect headline!
Leah Cooper is a professional writer and editor. She writes about different topics in such spheres as e-learning, content marketing, blogging, self-development and freelancing. Feel free to follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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