As a blogger, one of the biggest challenges you face every day is coming up with interesting headlines for readers. On the surface it could be seen as something easy to do but it really isn’t. When you ask something in a search engine, you get a variety of results from which you can choose.
All these options confuse users when they only want to get what they need at first glance. Most internet users rarely go past the first results page when looking for something. Also, if your meta-heading doesn’t interest them, you’ve lost them!
So how do you come up with something that will make the reader believe he has everything he’s looking for? We will try to answer that question.
Write headlines that motivate your readers to share with others
Here’s how to write click-worthy, shareable blog post titles:
The Psychology Behind Clickbait Headlines
So what is the psychology behind it clickbait? According to an expert from Facebook, that is when the headline encourages people to click without revealing too much information about what the article contains.
Other experts say, how do we strike a balance when distraction occurs through the use of headlines that create imbalance and a sense of incompleteness so that they have to click on headlines to catch up to completeness.
Whenever we see a headline that interests us and doesn’t reveal much about what it contains, we tend to gravitate toward it out of curiosity.
Concentrate On Benefits
You can always create a sense of imbalance when creating benefit-driven headlines.
For example: “10 Ways to Look More Attractive” can be clicked and can make many people want to read it. Likewise: “How to Write a Good Thesis: 10 Effective Approaches”
It achieves one thing – to leave information that causes readers to want to find out more. It also highlights what the reader is expecting in the article.
From a recent study featuring the best A/B test series, it shows that benefit-driven headlines have increased conversion rates by 28%. These numbers are more than enough for you to go ahead and try using benefit driven headlines.
Generate Multiple Titles
Whenever you write a post, you have to come up with multiple titles. Do an A/B test using your email list and find out how many people will click on which headline. You can use a strategy where you choose a title and send it to the 10% of the list and another title to the other 10%. After a few hours, or even a day, see which one performs best and send it to the remaining 80%.
You don’t need to worry about editing your headlines, but focus on producing the best quality first, then edit for refinement purposes. Often, people write headlines and then delete them and create new ones.
This is wrong compared to just writing it. When you write them all down, you’ll find patterns that will reveal all the keywords and all the best things you can use to create the best headlines.
When brainstorming ideas, also remember that users will click on the headlines that interest them. They need to see the value in clicking on your post to actually click on it.
Test Using Numbers and Percentages in Your Titles
Numbers can do wonders for your headlines
A study by Contently shows that over 30% of the best 10% of headlines include numbers. This is because numbers do one thing and that is give the reader an idea of what to expect. The higher the number, the more reading to be done but also more benefit.
Numbers also create an imbalance as the reader begins to wonder what is the secret to making 5, 6, 7 and so on appear more attractive. So, they click on headlines because part of their brain is dissatisfied.
Optimize For Keywords
Sometimes, for you to create click-worthy headlines, you have to stay away from clickbait headlines because they just don’t do very well in terms of Search Engine Optimization. Sometimes it’s a good idea to use what little knowledge you have of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to drive traffic to your site.
Come up with catchy headlines but also have keywords that will rank you higher in search engines because most of your traffic will probably come from search. Optimizing your headlines will go a long way in ensuring that you get the traffic you so much need.
Also, there are a number of tools you can use to optimize your headlines such as Google Trends which helps you to compare search terms and choose the best keywords that will perform high. Keyword Planner is another tool you can use to find long-tail keywords that can give you a boost over time.
Have a Benefit Driven Deck
Instead of focusing on just the headline, you should pay attention to the whole package. The deck is something important that most people forget and it costs a lot.
For those who don’t know what a deck is, it’s the line that accompanies the headline in the newsletter. This is known to advance the title and generate curiosity on the part of the reader. He tries to explain the story briefly so that it attracts the reader.
Decks are so important that some editors will change them within an hour if they don’t work properly. The title along with the deck come together to tell a story, however brief. So if you’re posting a title and you’re not seeing the click rate going up, you definitely want it change deck and try something else.
Keep it Short
Short titles are great for SEO, your readers and social media. This is a good thing because no one really wants to read long titles. Plus, long headers are truncated by search engines.
There may be no limit to how long your title should be, but most titles are between 60-65 characters. You can have something longer but we recommend that you have a separate title just for search engines (meta-title). Also, make sure you include long tail keywords relevant to the topic post.
Another reason why you should focus on short headlines is that they can be easily shared on social media. Twitter has a 140 character limit which can be easily worked around if you have a very long title.
Also, don’t forget that people tend to scan content in a hurry when they find it, they don’t do deep dives because they may be in such a rush that they only see the most important words. If your title is long, they probably won’t see it.
Asking question
Ask questions to engage your readers
One method you can use in creating clickable titles is using questions in your title. When you ask a question, you resonate with readers and they want to know if you have the answer to the question you just asked.
A question also helps create a conversational tone to your post and the reader feels like it’s just you and him – you’re making a connection!
Conclusion
We hope that these few tips will help you create click-worthy, shareable headlines. It’s a shame to spend time and effort creating posts that don’t read or don’t interest the targeted people. Apply these tips and you’ll be ready to make headlines like that!
What are some of the ways you can generate click-worthy headlines? Share with us!
