5 Solid Ways to Create Killer Headlines that Actually Work

Headlines are more than just a little important – in fact, they may be the most important part of your blog post altogether.

How is this possible?

Well, according to CopyBlogger, an average of 8 out of 10 people will read your headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. That means that even if you write the best, most interesting article of all time, 8 out of 10 people won’t read it unless you grab their attention with an amazing headline.

The goal of any headline is to move readers along to the bulk of the article, but how do you convince people to keep reading?

There are a LOT of techniques out there, tried and true, but here are 5 of my personal favorite headlines that actually work. Try some of these out on your own blog and see how they work!

Gone-Viral-300x3001. Lists, Lists and More Lists

It’s no accident that many viral articles online are actually just lists. People love lists, plus, it’s easy to make the headline really catchy.

For example, when you choose a headline like “7 Proven Ways to Increase Your Bottom Line Online,” people are going to want to find out more. They will see you as an authority on the subject, since you have proven methods, and the idea of 7 different methods is even more appealing than something vague like, “Different Ways to Increase Your Bottom Line Online.”

2. Use Numbers, Especially Odd Ones

Numbers go hand-in-hand with lists. And for some reason, people are drawn to numbers in headlines, especially odd numbers.

A number will stand out against a sea of text, drawing the readers’ eye and sparking a certain curiosity to see what the rest of the article will entail.

3. The Ever-Popular “How To”

One thing about good titles is that they provide useful information, and what’s more useful than a good “how to” post? Not only are you sparking curiosity, but also sharing details about how to accomplish something that readers are already interested in.

People are always looking for information, but in order to get them past the headline and into the article, your “how to” headline also has to convey the benefits. For example, talking about how to do something better, easier or quicker will resonate well with our fast-moving society. Make sure that they understand the benefits of reading your article from the headline alone.

4. Provide some Shock Value

Have an interesting statistic or quirky fact that’s related to your blog post? Incorporate it into your headline! People are drawn to this sort of thing – they’ll want to know the rest of the story, so they’ll click through and read the blog post.

Don’t go overboard with this, it might make you seem a bit annoying and fake after a while. But when used sparingly, this type of headline can be extremely effective.

5. Offer a Solution or Share a Secret

If someone is online looking for an article, chances are good that they’re looking for a solution to their current problem, whatever that might be. If you can convince them from your headline that you have the solution, they’ll be more likely to read the rest of the article.

Plus, if you have an insider secret or tip of the trade, don’t hesitate to include that in your headline. People like to learn new and valuable information, and if you can provide this, don’t hesitate to do so! For example, if you are writing an article on gardening techniques, you might write something like, “The Secret Strategy for Keeping Your Garden Green.”

There are so many other ways to go about creating killer headlines that actually work, but these should at least get you started. Also, I would highly recommend checking out this amazing Headline Writing resource from CopyBlogger. It’s seriously chock-full of helpful tips and tricks – definitely worth a read.

What about you? Have you tried any of these techniques on your own blogs?