Did you know that the average attention span is eight seconds? These days it’s hard for award-winning television shows and movies to keep our attention. So, how can we expect a blog headline to hold it?
There’s no denying that writers have their work cut out for them when it comes to grabbing attention through the use of headlines. After all, how do you hold someone’s attention when there are millions of other things out there that they could read?.
The good news is that it’s not impossible. The secret lies in catchy headlines. If you want to learn how to write headlines that will grab on to your readership, then you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll give you a crash course on everything you need to know about catchy headlines. Let’s get started!
Why Do You Need a Catchy Headline?
Before we dive into some ways to make your headline stand out in search engines, it’s important to understand why we need it to stand out. The reality is that the digital world is filled with noise. This noise comes in the form of a sea of endless content.
And, sadly, it doesn’t matter how good the content is if people don’t take the time to engage with it. But, fret not. Headlines are the secret to doing this engagement. Think of the Monsters Inc. movie. In the Disney film, millions of doors lead monsters into the rooms of little children.
This is a helpful analogy for the power of headlines. In this sense, the doors are like headlines. And, if a door doesn’t grab someone’s attention, then it’s likely to get ignored in the sea of other doors.
But, if the door is colorful, interesting, or different, then it stands out from the crowd. This is what we want our headlines to do: to differentiate themselves from all the other ones out there.
Include Numbers and Figures In Your Headline
When you think about popular headline blog titles, what comes to mind? One popular characteristic is likely to be the usage of numbers and figures. Here are some popular examples:
- Eleven Reasons You Need to Check Out This Diet
- Five Cooking Products That Will Change the Way You Cook
- Three Movies That Changed the Sci-Fi Genre
So, why this trend of including numbers with headlines? Simple: they’re addictive. For whatever reason our brains love seeing small, often odd-numbered figures in a headline. It’s kind of like sugar for an organized mind.
It helps individuals digest the information presented more methodically. Just make sure that you pick small, odd numbers.
People perceive odd numbers as more trustworthy than even ones. And, anything that’s too long can intimidate some readers away.
Keep It Simple But Specific
Now is not the time to show off all of the fancy words you used in those college papers. You want to appeal to as large a readership as possible. And, the best way to do that without isolating people is to keep your language as simple and streamlined as possible.
Remember the mark of an expert is being able to explain a difficult, complex topic in a simple, understandable way. However, remember that simpleness doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be specific.
Your readers likely have very specific questions and topics that they want to be answered. So, your headline should immediately address whatever it is that your topic keyword is aiming at.
Try to Convey Urgency
Almost everyone struggles with some form of FOMO (or fear of missing out). So, why not take advantage of this through your headlines? Your copy should convey a sense of urgency with your topics.
This will create a scenario where your reader doesn’t want to miss out on the deal or content that’s behind the headline. Some simple phrases, like “do it now” or “before it’s too late” can go a long way toward conveying this urgency.
Headlines Should Show Usefulness
Your article needs to be informative and your headline should show this. Include phrases like:
- Tips
- Guide
- Secrets
- Strategies
- Ideas
- Reasons
These keywords help provide solutions to problems that your readers likely have. Your audience will know when their time is being wasted. So, prevent this by showing usefulness in your headlines.
Not Confident In Your Headline Writing Abilities? Go With a Blog Title Generator
If you’ve tried all the advice on this list and you still aren’t seeing results, then don’t panic. The good news is that there are a variety of resources available on the internet to help you. For example, check out this tool that acts as a blog topic generator.
All you need to do is plug in the keywords and the outcomes that you want to go with the headline. Then, the generator will create a great headline for you. Or, you can consider hiring a professional company.
Remember that people study for years to get good at writing headlines.
So, instead of putting in all the hours yourself, you can just pay someone else to do it for you. Just make sure that you find a content creation business that’s good at what they do. Otherwise, you’ll end up paying for subpar content.
Final Thoughts:
We hope this article helped you learn the secret to crafting catchy headlines. It’s important to not get discouraged if your headlines aren’t immediately popular. Like anything else, headline writing is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced.
However, as long as you follow the advice in this guide, then you’re on the right track toward making headlines that are sure to stick with your readers.
Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep exploring to find more topics that you’re sure to love.
