Read about the psychological aspects of writing good headlines
Whether you are a copywriter or an online journalist, the power of writing captivating headlines go a long way in deciding the success of your piece. In fact, about 50-75% success of your article can be attributed to headlines.
Headlines are not introductions, nor are they meant to give an indication of what you are going to discuss in the article. However, the headline should give an insight into topic, by keeping them guessing. Good headlines and psychology go hand in hand. Have you ever thought why is it that some headlines see immense success, while others, even though they are crafted with complicated words fail miserably? Here are some tips for writing punchy headlines.
Question-based headlines and statement-based headlines
What kind of headlines do you usually write? Did you know that people are more attracted to question-based headlines when compared to statement-based headlines? When people are driven towards questions, they tend to read the article because they want to read the answer too. For example, a question like “What Makes Your Lover Tick” will entice more people to read the article than writing a headline like “Things That Will Interest Your Lover”. Tackle the psychological aspects of a headline and you have a winner. If you are looking for a stronger response and the maximum number of hits, craft a headline that people cannot resist reading. People get glassy-eyed from reading boring headlines, they want something that will invoke an action; wake them up. Experts mandate that people are attracted to question-based headlines because they are attracted by the question mark sign and they want to know more about it.
Headlines are not just communication tools
People read articles either for information or for entertainment, so the headlines should appeal to strong human emotions. The headlines should create a tension and then suggest a solution, or present a problem and then invoke a result. It should relate to what people would like to hear, apart from merely communicating thoughts.
Headlines that empathize
There is no doubt that, that headlines that empathize with the reader will certainly generate a lot of interest. This is perfect for blogging articles where a lot of internet marketing is involved. Suppose you are writing about a product like a foam mattress for instance, you can write about how buying one has benefited you. You can start your headline by telling people about how buying a foam mattress had improved your health and if you target the right people, they will definitely read it.
Writing for a niche audience
When you are writing a headline, you have to concentrate on a niche segment. Don’t broadly right a topic, so anyone in the vicinity would drop in and read the article. People don’t stay for a party unless they find something in it for them. It could be the music, the drinks or the food, but it has to be something that appeals to them. Suppose you write an article about internet marketing and the importance of headlines in relation to internet marketing, a headline like “Make your internet marketing a success by trying these headlines” would not invite the right kind of segment. In fact, you would have plenty of people dropping in to read about internet marketing, but not about headlines. That would foil your purpose.
Finally, your headlines should invoke the inquisitive nature inherent in your target segment. Trigger the curiosity factor with your deadline.