Five Tips for Writing Eyeball-Grabbing Headlines

If you made it this far, the headline for this story has caught your attention. Hot headlines are a hit with readers because they stick out, grab attention and urge them to read the rest of the story.

We're all experiencing information overload and have made it a habit to skim pages. According to David Ogilvy, a successful advertising writer, "Five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy." Sounds like we need to treat those headlines like trying to get our foot in the door.

It doesn't matter if you're writing a sales letter, Web page content, email, or an article. Pulling together a handful of powerful words and putting them ahead of the content is more likely to grab eyeballs than just going right into the story, letter, or content.

Despite our success with newsletters, we continue to learn how to add more punch when writing headlines. Here are the tips we have learned and try to apply:

  • "What does the reader get from this?" The answer to your question can be the baseline for the headline. From there, modify it to ensure it has easily understood and expressive words. This addresses the "What's in it for me?" question. You can almost never go wrong with headlines that convey reader benefit.

  • Keep It Short and Simple (KISS). It continues to hold true even with headlines. If it is too long, the reader isn't going to be able to swallow it with one gulp and will move on before figuring it out.

    Try summarizing the content in 10 words or less and make it your benchmark. Play with it until you come up with something snappy without being unbelievable. Another way to go about it is to treat headlines like a billboard. Speeding cars make it easy to overlook the billboard's message, so it better be short and simple.

  • Be diverse. Often, I find that many headlines from a source sound repetitive since they repeatedly use the same type words and phrases. If you're out of ideas, use a thesaurus to help you find new words. Another option is to search for keywords in the content and use them.

  • Believable. When I see a headline that sounds "too good to be true," it immediately looks and feels like "spam" and it's trashed or skipped over.

  • Emotional. Headlines that make a reader excited, scared, or curious produce better results because they prompt action. Write in the first or second person with present tense verbs to make such headlines urge people to take instant action.
    • If you have the luxury of conducting a headline test and getting a report of results, then send out your content to half of your test audience with one headline and the other half with the other headline. Review the report to see how many actually read the story for each headline and compare.

    Another option is to have your colleagues review several headlines and pick which works better.

    Work smarter not harder when writing headlines and make a whizbang first impression. Expend as much energy in the headline as you do writing the rest of the content. If that doesn't happen, then few will read beyond the headline. Here are some typical words to help you get rolling:

    Advice... Facts... Last Minute... Save... Amazing... Finally... Secrets... Announcing... Free... Luxury... Security... At Last... Growth... New... Show Me... Bargains... Hate... Obsession... Breakthrough... Here... Only... Share... How Much... Protect... The Truth Of... Discover... How To... Rewards... Yes... Do You... How Would... Sale... You... # Tips... # Ways... Don't Buy... Don't Spend...

    There is no rule that says headlines have to be dull, flat, or full of technical jargon to ensure professionalism. Go have a ball writing headlines.

    Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl's notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn't wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.

    More Resources

    Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

    More Copywriting Information:

    Related Articles

    Can You Become a Freelance Copywriter in Los Angeles?
    Is it out there? The chance to be a freelance copywriter in Los Angeles? For those looking to become a copy writer, finding employment in various cities can be difficult. In fact, most freelance writers around the world struggle to find employment or jobs that are within their own cities and home towns.
    13 Steps to a Slippery Slope Online Sales Letter
    Many of the solo professionals whom I coach are people who offer services. They're coaches, consultants, creatives.
    Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy
    Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as learning what to do. Copywriting is no exception.
    Top 8 Techniques - Secrets - Create Ad Copy For Your Business To Sky Rocket
    Perhaps the most important benefit in the material that follows is its ability to provide you with the necessary concepts and constructs which are critical for becomingsuccessful by utilizing many of the high-tech, high-touch capabilities offered by the use of online marketing. Building your home business "Internet-Style" is not only exciting and challenging, it can also be very beneficial in more ways than can be imagined.
    7 Essential Tips for Reviewing and Approving Copy
    Nothing can turn strong copy into a 97-pound weakling faster than a flawed review process. The result is severely handicapped marketing efforts and, alas, fewer sales.
    Its the Headline, Stupid! - Writing Powerful Headlines
    "It's the headline, stupid," is the sign that hangs over my computer screen. It reminds me that to write effective articles, press releases, sales letters--whatever I want people to read--I need a powerful, grabber headline or title.
    9 Tips for Great Design of Your Marketing Materials
    1) Don't just hire a good designer. Hire someone who has had plenty of experience designing business collateral.
    Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe?
    My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There, it's out and I'm relieved.
    Five Tips for Writing Eyeball-Grabbing Headlines
    If you made it this far, the headline for this story has caught your attention. Hot headlines are a hit with readers because they stick out, grab attention and urge them to read the rest of the story.
    Are Long Copy Salesletters Scams?
    A passionate debate is currently raging in the Copywriters Forum about long versus short copy. (If you haven't joined, do so.
    Health and Fitness: A Huge Industry in Need of Writers
    Think about how much you read about and spend on health and fitness.Do you ever exercise? Take supplements? Go on a diet? Visit the doctor sometimes? Most of us do all four.
    Want to Make More Money as a Freelance Writer? Here are 10 Reasons To Consider Copywriting
    Looking to chuck that full-time job for a life of full-time writing? Or maybe you've already dumped the day job but aren't quite as busy as you'd like to be. Why not take a closer look at copywriting?Copywriting, also known as business or promotional writing, can do more than put a few extra bucks in your wallet - it can also help you develop as a writer.
    Accelerate Your Freelance Copywriting Master Business Plan!
    Ever wish for your own copywriting business?Ever wish you could become one of those internet marketing gurus and live out your dream of being who you really want to be?Well, what's stopping you? Is it time? Money? Fear of the unknown? These are the roadblocks that prevent so many of us from achieving our full potential for greatness.If you're good at something, and I'm sure that you are.
    Want a Sticky Site That Sells? Forget Content!
    An interesting debate is currently raging among copywriters, web designers and content developers about the differences, if any, between writing copy for the web versus writing content.According to prolific copywriter Nick Usborne of ClickZ.
    Ad Copy - Your 12 Point Inspection!
    You're ready to launch that new product or promotion, & you're really counting on a piece of advertising copy to come through for you.You're looking for stellar results! And, you're determined to do everything in your power to get them.
    How to Negotiate Rates with a Freelance Copywriting Expert
    Lots of people who seek out my copywriting services are concerned about money. Rightfully so.
    Website Advertising: 10 Tactics To Make Your Ad Copy More Impactful
    If your ad is not generating a lot of sales, the reason may be because it is not effective.Here are secret website advertising tactics to make it more impactful and therefore generate more orders:1.
    More Insider Secrets to Great Copywriting - Judging Your Target Market
    This week we're going to reinforce the training that Recruits of my Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp are drilled on. In case you didn't read my last article we covered what you MUST do before you write a single word of copy.
    19 Secrets to Making Your Ad Copy More Effective
    The sales letter is the key; the sales letter is the key - echoes through the Internet marketing mountains.Ad copy, sales copy, sales letter, copywriting or whatever you want to call it - the goal is the same for every Internet marketing business.
    Is Freelance Hiring Right For You?
    Assume you were faced with the task of hiring a new group of talented individuals to handle a huge account you just landed. Are you up for the task? Or perhaps you have a small job that needs completing but no one on staff can handle the project.