![]() ![]() 10 Ridiculously Simple Tips for Writing a Book.Here are some examples of my most popular articles and the headlines behind them: Or you could apply this formula and make it: “18 Unbelievable Ways You Can Bathe an Elephant Indoors”Īnother (more serious) example: Take a bold promise like “selling your house in a day.”Īpply the formula and you get: “How You Can Effortlessly Sell Your Home in Less than 24 Hours” Number or Trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + PromiseĮxample: Take the subject “bathing elephants.” You could write an article entitled, “How to Bath an Elephant” or “Why I Love Bathing Elephants.” Here's a simple headline-writing formula: Be seductive (in the most innocuous way possible, of course). What you want to do is dare your reader to read the article. Will you teach her how to learn a new skill? Will you persuade her to do something she's never done before? Will you unlock an ancient mystery? Typically, you'll use either a trigger word or a number. ![]() I typically use “why” and “how” the most, because I'm often trying to persuade or enable someone. Please, for the love of Pete, don't use things. If you're going to do a list post, be original. Use unique rationale to demonstrate what the reader will get out of the article Use emotional adjectives to describe your reader's problemģ. But if the article doesn't, don't force it. If your article clearly has some key takeaways, adding a number to the headline can help make the takeaways more digestible. Warning: don't overuse numbers or use them arbitrarily. That said, sometimes a really obscure number like 19 or 37 can catch people's attention. There aren't really any rules (as far as I know) regarding what numbers work best, but people typically only remember three to five points. It doesn't matter if it's a fitness magazine or a tabloid many of them will be using numerals to start off the headline. Look at the front-page article headlines. It works.ĭo an experiment: Go to the grocery store, and scan the magazines in the checkout lane. There's a reason why so many copywriters use numbers in their headlines. Use unique rationale to demonstrate what the reader will get out of the articleġ.Use emotional objectives to describe your reader's problem.If you need some help concocting catchier headlines, here are a few simple tricks: This is what it takes to write a good headline. I sometimes deliberate over titles for 30–60 minutes before settling on one that works. People just gloss over it without taking much time to consider it. Too often the headline is the most neglected part of writing an article. Concentrate on this, and you'll get more readers, more buzz, and more love. If not, don't publish until you've got a catchy headline. You should begin and end every article with the question: “ Would this make me want to read on?” The same principle applies to blog posts, book chapters, and so on: The title is where your focus should be. In a world full of noise, how do you get people to read what you write? It takes more than good content or great design. The most important part of writing an article is the headline. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar. On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. ![]()
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