By Derek Miller
Writing effective headlines and titles can increase the number of click-throughs and traffic to your content. In fact, the headline is one of the most critical pieces of the content. It’s estimated that 80% of people read a headline, but only 20% of those will read anything else. This makes it vital that you write an engaging headline that is both SEO and audience-friendly.
Fortunately, there are some very simple steps that you can take to create better headlines. First, take time to consider who your target audience is. Understand the actions they take and the emotions that play into their decisionmaking. With these answers in mind, you can better craft a headline that will trigger an action.
With your audience in mind, start to craft different headlines using the five W’s (who, what, where, when, why) and one H (how). These are the anchors of a well-crafted headline and are the best place to start when thinking of your own. It doesn’t hurt to make a list of different headlines for the same piece of content. You can always go back at the end and pick the headline that best aligns with the content.
Another easy tip to help your headline creation is to see what has worked in the past. Look at your old articles or your competitors to see which pieces of content are generating the most traffic, social shares, and comments. Look at the headlines of those successful posts and see what trends you can find.
For a better look at how to write engaging headlines and titles, review the infographic below.
About the Author
Derek Miller is a content marketing consultant for CopyPress. CopyPress is a leading digital content production company, specializing in articles, infographics, interactives, and videos. For content marketing advice and more information about our capabilities, visit CopyPress.com.
