A headline can make or break the success of your article. Getting the right one can boost clicks, shares, and overall engagement. It can also signal to search engines that your content is relevant, possibly boosting its SEO ranking.
Choosing the right headline starts with understanding your audience. Knowing your audience’s pain points and desires allows you to craft a headline that speaks directly to them.
A good headline identifies a specific benefit that your readers will receive when they read your post. This is known as a unique value proposition (UVP). If your audience feels that they will gain something from reading your article, it’s more likely that they will share it and engage with it.
One way to add a layer of intrigue and curiosity to your headline is to use a question in it. This will allow your readers to imagine the answers to the question in their heads before they even click on your post.
You can also try using a controversial statement or adding in an emotional trigger to grab your reader’s attention. For example, using a swear word can cause your readers to feel a desire to learn more about the topic.
Lastly, it’s important to keep your headline short and concise. A headline that contains more than 6 words will typically perform worse in terms of click-throughs than a shorter one. Additionally, avoid cliches, or what respected content-marketing expert Ann Handley calls “frankenphrases” in your headlines.