Headline copywriting is often seen as a ‘set it and forget it’ job. You write the headline, press publish and you’re done. But that’s far from true. It’s a job that requires a certain amount of attention to detail, research and thinking outside the box to come up with effective, compelling headlines that grab readers’ attention and keep them coming back for more.
It can be challenging to craft a compelling headline for your story. After all, you only have about 540 words to work with, which means you only have about 5.4 minutes to grab readers’ attention.
If you want to write a good headline for your next marketing plan or press release, keep reading. We’re going to teach you the best way to do it.
The Anatomy Of A Good Headline
To write a successful headline, you need to follow a specific formula that begins with a hook. A hook is something that makes the reader want more. In the case of a marketing plan or press release, the hook might be “exclusive analysis that will change the way you think about” or “the biggest and most innovative” or “the most informative and inspiring.”
Once you’ve got your hook, you need to follow up with a question.
The question will guide the entire rest of your headline and is there to pull the reader into the story. For example, suppose you’re writing about the biggest and most innovative car maker in the world, you might ask “What type of car would you recommend they buy?” or “How does the design of their cars compare to other car makers?”
The next logical step is to list the benefits of your product or service. When we’re talking about a car maker, you might want to list the safety features or how well it handles on the highway. Whatever it may be, you want to create a compelling list of advantages for your product or service.
Pro-tip: Be Creative!
If you’re writing about a new product that has just been released, it might be difficult to come up with an attractive benefit. But that’s where creativity comes in. If you’re struggling, ask yourself, “What are the advantages of my product that I can see myself?” It’s amazing what creative thinking will come up with!
If you think about every marketing plan or press release you work on, you’ll see that the headline is one of the most important elements. It’s the first thing a reader sees, often times preceding the first paragraph or two of the article. So it’s essential that you get it right.
The better the headline, the better the rest of the article. A good headline can make or break a marketing plan or press release. We’re not talking about clickbait here; we’re talking about effective, compelling headlines that compel readers to learn more.
Steps To A Perfect Headline
To write a perfect headline, follow these steps:
- Begin with a powerful, believable hook
- Follow it up with a question
- Then, list the advantages of your product or service
- Be creative!
- And finally, end with a call to action.
Let’s look at each part of the headline step-by-step.
1. Begin With A Powerful, Believable Hook
The first step in the perfect headline writing process is to begin with a powerful hook. A powerful hook is one that will grab the reader’s attention and keep them coming back for more. It’s something that will compel them to click on your content or to buy your product or service.
To come up with a powerful hook, you need to think about what will make your product or service special. That, in turn, will determine the kind of headline you should write. If you don’t know what will make your product or service special, ask yourself:
What can I do that my competitors can’t?
Or,
Is there a need for my product that my competitors aren’t meeting?
Think about every marketing plan or press release you’ve ever written. If you can’t come up with a powerful hook for at least five of them, there’s a good chance that you’re not very creative or that you’re trying to be too clever by half. Keep thinking until you come up with at least five hooks.
2. Follow It Up With A Question
Once you’ve got your powerful, believable hook, the next step is to follow it up with a question.
Once again, you’re looking for something that will make your product or service special. The question you ask will guide your entire headline. For example, if you were writing about the safety features of a car, you might ask “Is this model safe for daily driving?”
This is when you pull back the veil of deception and reveal exactly what your product is or does. It’s important to keep in mind that your headline, while it may appear to be asking a question, should not actually ask a question. It should state or imply the answer to the question. For example, suppose you sell shoes and you’re discussing the safety features of a car with a heading “Does This Car Make Me Safer?” The correct answer would be “yes,” but you haven’t actually asked the question. As a headline writer, you’re trying to trick the reader into thinking that your product is useful or answers a question that was never asked.
3. Then, List The Advantages Of Your Product Or Service
After you’ve got your powerful, believable hook, the next step is to list the advantages of your product or service. When you list the advantages of your product or service, you’re revealing its benefits and highlighting what makes it special. The better the product or service, the better the benefits. You want to keep this part of your headline short and sweet because you have only so much space to work with.
To come up with a list of the advantages of your product or service, you need to think about what will make it special. If you can’t think of a single advantage, it’s time to redefine your product or service. Or, it might be time to consider improving your product or service. Whatever it may be, the better the product, the better the benefits.
4. Be Creative!
The final step in the perfect headline writing process is to be creative. If you’re struggling to come up with a good headline, it’s time to get creative.
If you follow the above steps, you should come up with a headline that is both powerful and creative. And that, my friend, is all you need to do.
In addition to writing headlines, we also write press releases and feature articles for our clients. We regularly have to write headlines for press releases, and we’ve found that this article’s advice consistently works. It may not be the most convenient or the simplest step, but it’s the one that consistently leads to the best results.
If you want to write a good headline, follow these steps. And don’t be afraid to get creative! You’re not going to come up with a magical formula that will make your headlines perfect. But you will, with time and patience, learn to craft solid headlines that compel readers to engage with your content.