How To Write the Perfect Headline for Online Articles

July 13, 2014

What makes a good headline?

8 out of 10 people will read headline copy.
But only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.
A writer should spend at least a quarter of the entire time (if not half) its take to write a piece of persuasive content on the headline.

Short and Sweet

The maximum character count is 65 before it gets cut off in search results
The perfect length for a headline is 6 words
(people scan headlines and take in only the 1st and last 3 words)
(less to read so higher chance of retaining attention)
Example: IS PLANNING MEALS GOOD OR BAD? is more effective as it speaks directly to the reader like a personal conversation.

Use interesting adjectives and keywords, examples:

The use of negative keywords

Negatives tap into our insecurities
The use of “NO”, “WITHOUT”, “STOP” lead to many more shares.
Example: Before your next exercise session STOP and read these tips! It could save you from injury.

The use of numbers

People want to increase efficiency, seeing a numbered list (easy steps) fulfils this need.
The bigger the number in a post the further it spreads.
Use digits rather than words
Example: 100 things to do in Ibiza
You can also expand of this to increase the readers curiosity, however if you do this too much it loses its effectiveness
Example: 20 ways to stop your boyfriend from cheating. Number 9 is must!

In summary here is the formula for creating a perfect headline.

Number or trigger word + Adjective +Keyword + promise

Examples before and after

Before formula
How to get laid on a 1st date

After Formula

16 Unbelievable ways to get laid on a first date without spending a penny.

Before formula

How to sell your used clothes online

After Formula
How to effortlessly sell your used clothes online within 24hours.

Happy Blogging