Whether you’re advertising your products online or in print, your headlines will always be one of the most crucial elements of your marketing plan. After all, it’s the little sliver of text that sparks the imagination of your audience and encourages them to click – or hit – the fold.
So how can you write a good headline? What makes for a solid piece of copy that will compel readers to click, tweet, or ping?
In the following blog post, we’ll discuss how to write effective creative headline copy that will encourage curious readers to pick up your product or service and discover more about it. We’ll cover five essential rules for capturing readers’ attention and encouraging them to take action.
1. Make it Actionable
Actionable advice – or information – is often found in the form of a question, or in the answer to a question. When you ask a question, you’re inviting the reader to participate; to engage with you in the construction of an answer. This is called interactivity, and it’s one of the primary ways through which you can inspire curiosity and interest in your audience. You can also use questions to your advantage in your headlines by asking the reader to consider the implications of your subject matter or offering them a chance to win something.
For example, imagine a product headlining boasts that this particular pair of shoes will allow the wearer to bounce around like a rabbit. While this may be impressive in theory, the information presented in the headline is useless without context – which is where the question mark comes in. It prompts the reader to hunt down the information they need to complete the analogy. Alternatively, you could present the information in the form of an enticing question (Who wants to be the next contestant to buzz off in the fabulous shoes?). This approach not only encourages the reader to click through to your page but also positions you as an expert in your field – someone who’s already thought of the answer.
2. Use Easy-To-Understand Language
Avoid using more than a couple of words when you write your headlines. Your job is to hook your readers in the first place, and simple language will help you achieve that goal. But simplicity also means that you should avoid overusing contractions, filler words, and phrases such as ‘never’, ‘always’, or’surely’. These are either unnecessary or ineffective, especially when overused – sometimes they even lose their meaning!
If your headline contains a lot of unnecessary words, it will most likely contain several grammar mistakes as well. Avoid these too, and you’ll be communicating effectively with your audience.
3. Keep It Short
This one may seem obvious, yet many writers still go overboard with their headlines in an attempt to be memorable. Your aim is to grab the attention of your reader, and the best way to do that is by keeping your headlines concise. If you have a longer piece of copy on your page, break it up into shorter clauses or sentences. Your audience will thank you for it.
Take the above example. The language used is understandable for anybody, but it’s also quite short. The same could be said of the copy in the graphic below. While each element of the ad might be presented in a lengthy sentence, they work together to form a concise and logical narrative that makes the reader curious about the product or service.
4. Be Specific
If you want to attract interest, be specific. Readers are naturally curious, and they’ll enjoy poking around to discover more about an unfamiliar topic. For instance, if you are advertising an app that helps students study for their exams, you could craft the following headline to invite the reader in:
- ‘Exam stress relief with the click of a button! App helps students study for their exams with useful tips and tricks.’
- ‘Exam stress relief with the click of a button! App helps students study for their exams with useful tips and tricks. Available on iOS and Android.’
This specific example makes the headline easier to understand and more interesting. But it also has the advantage of being somewhat unique, encouraging the reader to discover the application and investigate its claims. Remember: your headline isn’t the place to go into excruciating detail about the product or service – save that for the body copy!
5. Personalize
This one might seem obvious too, and yet many businesses fail to take advantage of the fact that audiences click through personal content more frequently than they click through to product or service-based pages. Your headline is a chance to establish yourself as an expert in your field, and a personalized headline does just that. In the example above, the writer has injected their personal touch by including an anecdote about working through exam stress. While this might seem like an unnecessary addition, it makes the headline more relevant to the individual reader.
If you want to write engaging headlines for your business, establish yourself as an expert in your field and add a personal anecdote about a time when you’ve had to overcome an exam stressor. Doing so will enable you to write a compelling piece that will encourage curious readers to learn more about your company and take action – whether that’s signing up for your email list, purchasing a service, or referring a friend to your site!