Is your headline the first thing you consider when you sit down to write a post?
Probably not, but creating a catchy blog post title is one of the most important aspects of each blog post. It’s the gateway to your content; it convinces people to click or scroll right past your latest post’.
In fact, studies show that 8 out of 10 people will read your headline but only 2 out of 10 will read your entire post.
Here are a few pointers for drawing in potential readers to help you create a catchy headline for your upcoming posts.
WRITE YOUR HEADLINE FIRST
Cohesive, easy-to-read posts accomplish a goal.
By writing your headline at the outset, before ever writing the content of your blog post, you’re giving yourself a reference point and a goal to work toward. It makes it easier to outline the post and helps maintain your focus as you’re writing it.
MAKE A PROMISE
Think of headlines as promises; they’re meant to draw in prospective readers so that they can access information that is of some benefit to them, whether it’s entertaining, instructional, helpful, or insightful.
Catchy headlines allow you to deliver on a promise to your readers. If your content delivers on a promise in your headline, you’ll create loyal readers out of casual browsers.
KEEP YOUR AUDIENCE IN MIND
Always consider who you’re writing for and who you’re trying to appeal to when you’re coming up with a catchy headline. Which keywords and phrases will jump out at them? What are they looking for? What are they interested in?
This goes hand-in-hand with the content that you’re creating, but think of topics that will benefit your audience and draw them in.
USE UNEXPECTED WORDS
Catchy headlines jump out at readers because they often use unexpected words.
For example, “50 Insanely Easy Ways to Triple Your Income” is more appealing than “50 Ways to Make More Money.”
Looking up synonyms for common words can be the best way to come up with eye-catching words. Get in the habit of using Thesaurus.com or Synonymy.com to find more appealing words for your headlines.
CREATE SUBHEADLINES
Once you’ve settled on a catchy headline that makes a promise and appeals to your audience, focus on strong subheadlines to outline your post and break it up into smaller sections.
Readers often scan blog posts, so subheadlines allow them to easily follow along and access the information that they’re most interested in. This keeps readers engaged and on your site longer, which increases the probability that they’ll continue to follow along or purchase your products and/or services.
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