3 Sizzling Headline Tricks to Stop the Scroll
Your headline writing mission, should you choose to accept it (and you should), is to stop the scroll!
To rise above the online noise and ensure your brand gets heard, a captivating headline that grabs your audience’s attention and encourages them to engage with your content is imperative. How do you create the type of “hook” that “turns heads” and boosts engagement?
Here are three headline writing tricks to help enhance your content’s ability to stop the scroll, command attention and make a solid first impression.
1. Use Lists with a Twist
Did you know research shows lists generate twice as many shares versus other blogging formats? Level up your list with a suspenseful headline ending: Examples include: “5 Ways to Attract Blog Readers (#5 Will Shock You)” and “4 Tips to Beef Up Your Brand (#3 is an Absolute Must).” Phrases like these serve as “headline hints,” teasing the reader about what is within the body of the content. This makes the list even more intriguing. Now you want to know what #5 is. You may even skip to #3, for example.
2. Include Power Adjectives
Not only are power adjectives a quick way to elevate your headline, but they make your brand sound more professional and engaging. Consider yawn-resistant words like “mind-blowing,” “earth-shattering,” and “captivating.” Instead of thinking up the perfect descriptive word, create the headline first. Then, replace the words, swapping “normal adjectives” for “oven-roasted, firey” ones.
3. Get a Lil Personal
Our minds are wired for storytelling – literally: “As human beings, we are programmed for stories,” as one article puts it; before the advent of reading and writing, humans depended on stories to pass down crucial survival information. It comes as no surprise then why people naturally gravitate towards storytelling in content.
That said, a headline where you’re the subject sparks interest and puts people in storytelling mode from the get-go: “How I Got Over 5,000 Views on a Recent Post” and “How I Survived COVID with a Homemade Remedy” both have personal storytelling elements that present a pain point or problem (implied in the first example) and offer a solution that viewers can read more about in the content’s body. It’s informative and enticing knowledge, packaged nicely!
A Note About Getting Personal: You Don’t Need to Share Exposing Details to Get Personal
With an overload of personal narratives in blogs and on social media ranging from hilarious first dates to embarrassing career moments, it can feel like you have to expose uncomfortable aspects of your life to attract your target audience. Not the case. Choose topics and write headlines first off about things you prefer to write about. Dial back the level of detail to your liking. Lastly, and most importantly, make sure it relates to your industry and stays on topic – check and double check to ensure the headline is on topic and matches the content within your body!
The right headlines can incite viewers to click and read while confusing or boring titles potentially can send prospects packing. Aside from the headline tricks shared, ensure there is at least one number (research indicates numbers are gold in content headlines!). Also, keep titles under 60 characters, so the entire headline presents on Google. Remember, it can take time cultivating a creative headline reflective of your content’s value. However, with the high engagement good headlines draw, it is so worth it!
Have any more headline tips to add? Comment below.