9 Five-Star Tips for Writing Headlines that Really Work [Infographic]

I’ve always been taught to never judge a book by its cover.

But I’ve also always asked, if I can’t choose my next bedtime novel solely by the picture on the front, what else makes me want to read it?

After some proverbial soul searching, the answer became clear. The make-or-break moment is -- the title. I could care less what the back page has to say, but if the title intrigues me enough I end up taking the novel home.

Just like a novel’s title, your content’s headline is what will bring in, or push-away, your audience.

It has to intrigue them. It has to make them want to read what you’ve got to say.

But as online marketing continues to grow, the volume of content competing for your reader’s attention is growing at a rapid rate as well.

8 out of 10 people will read your headline copy, but only 2 out of the 10 will actually read the rest. This is why your headline has to be engaging and inspire clicks.

So what inspires readers to click?

In an effort to help, Barry Feldman from Feldman Creative, developed a cheat sheet to answer just this popular question.

He breaks down proven approaches that perform well for bloggers into the easy-to-remember acronym: H-E-A-D-L-I-N-E-S.

Here are just a few of his tips:

1. Helpful: However you choose to write your headline, make the reward for reading blatantly obvious and actionable.
2. Inspire: Write to your reader’s desires (if you inspire them, you’ll have the ultimate hook).
3. Empathy: To earn a reader’s trust, prove to them that you understand their problems and care.

Don’t settle for the first idea that comes to mind. Take the time to write down as many drafted headlines as you can. And if you’re stuck for ideas, try a blog title generator tool like BlogAbout for a little inspiration.

By actively practicing these tips, according to Feldman, “you’ll write more effective headlines and get better at earning the time attention of your readers.”

Check out the full infographic below: