Headline writing is a tough racket. We’ve got enough demands on our attention as it is, so how do you break through that clutter, when all you have are 100 characters (usually a lot less) in a text link or feed reader, to entice people into your precious content?
Sometimes, you don’t. This is where relationships, consistency, and trust come in — if I know I usually get something out of what you write, I’ll be more likely to read your stuff in the future. But getting to that point — there’s the rub.
There are more articles and tips on writing headlines then you can throw a cat at (not that you would want to do that, of course), so I will just share some of my own learnings on this, and try to target them for small business writers:
* Know your audience. A clever headline making allusions to Pynchon and Cockney rhyming slang is useless — unless you’re targeting that particular audience. Also, try to keep headlines accessible and jargon-free for people who don’t have specialized insider knowledge (unless you don’t care about those people).
* A golden headline will not save a crap article. At best, you get a short-term click. By “tricking” readers, you’re potentially training them to not click your links again (see a tangentially related article, Why “rickrolling” is bad for the link economy.) Remember, a headline is just the gateway to an article, and an article is all about the content.
* Conversely, a bad headline can hurt a golden article. Time spent coming up with a good, relevant, concise, catchy headline is not time wasted… within reason.
* The more time you spend crafting the perfect headline, the less anyone else will care. If you’re spending a lot of time agonizing over the headline, you’re probably doing something wrong.
* You can tease, but you can’t lie. Ever see a badly hand-drawn sign in a store window that says: “SEX!!! Now that I have your attention…”? Makes me want to throw a brick. The same goes for headlines that lie to trick you into clicking. If you say you’re offering “Thinner Thighs in 30 Days,” you better darn well deliver — make sure the headline accurately reflects what’s in the article.
Also, be very careful about starting a tease in a headline that depends on clicking through to the article to get the payoff… because most people won’t.
* Balance the needs of humans versus the needs of robots. A clever, catchy, punny headline might grab a person’s eye, but be completely meaningless to a search engine. If I absolutely need to get a joke or wordplay into a headline, I try to follow it up with a literal description of what it’s about. Although doing this can lead to veeeeeery long headlines if you’re not careful.
* Shorter is usually better. That’s about it. Your article should do the heavy lifting, not the headline.
* Rhyme and alliteration are the province of hacks. They also work. Hey, I have no qualms about admitting that I’m a hack. Just don’t try to get too cute and force a rhyming headline where it doesn’t belong.
* When in doubt, play it straight. Besides being quick and simple, a clear, descriptive headline will filter out the people who just clicked because you made a funny, versus the people who will actually find your headline helpful.
* Ask questions, but don’t ask too many questions. Apply good judgment. If you ask a question, answer it. Try to avoid linkbait headlines that pose deliberately provocative questions that you immediately negate in the article.
* Enough with the lists already. (Admittedly, the working title I had for this entry was “XX Tips on Writing Catchy, Clicky Blog Headlines.”) I go back and forth on this — they’re cliche, but they tend to work, which is why you see so many on Digg and other social bookmarking sites. They also force you into concise, bullet format. Just try not to go overboard with lists.
* Look at your metrics. It can be hard to judge the impact of a headline just by looking at clickthroughs and pageviews, but you can get a sense of what articles get more attention than others. Also, think about the headlines that make you click — can you tease out what it was that got your attention, and use it yourself?
There — an even dozen, bulleted tips on headline writing. Do I practice what I preach? See any stinkers in my previous entries? Share your own tips (or as a reader, your pet peeves about headlines) in the comments below.
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