Do you spend time on your headline?

Do you write your headline first and then write your copy, or the other way around?

With the ever increasing amount of information that is being put in front of your average web surfer, creating a kick ass headline has never been more important.

If done properly a headline should:

• Inform the reader what the article is about
• Create interest with the reader
• MAKE the reader want to CLICK

Isn’t that really what it’s all about… you want them to click, right?

All of these new readers and widgets like Bloglines, Google Feedfetcher and the new Blogrush widget, are being made to highlight articles. BUT - With everything being shortened to save the readers time, if you don’t have a headline that will grab their attention and make them want to click - YOU’RE DONE!

3 Things that a Headline Should be:

• Short and to the Point - You want to get the point across, but you don’t want to write a full sentence. Keep in mind that short headlines will have a greater chance of being read in social bookmarking sites, or in the new Blogrush widget.
• Attention Getting - Try something different from the norm. Use a play on words, expand your vocabulary, ask a question, create a list, tap into the readers emotions or values. These are just a few suggestions.
• A Promise - Of what the article is about. Don’t write a headline that has very little or nothing to do with the article itself, just to get the click. Fooling your readers won’t get you many return visits.

In a post I did, way back in May, I highlighted a free tool for analyzing headlines. Since then I have been using the Free Headline Analysis for many of my headlines.  It’s a great tool to give you an idea where you’re at with a headline.  A bit of a warning though, don’t rely totally on the results of this tool when creating a headline and, be careful, it can be very addicting to get the right word combination to make your percentage increase.

Creating great headlines that get clicked is a subject that I want to learn more about.  Over the next several weeks, I will be researching, studying and then sharing what I find with you.

I’m guessing for 90% of the blogging population it is a struggle.  Come on a journey with me as I explore how to improve upon making headlines that the reader wants to click.

Expect the Best,

copywriting, creating interest, getting clicks, headlines, how to make a headline

Stumble it!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 at 5:43 am and is filed under Copywriting. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.