Has this happened to you? You write an amazing post. Your heart and soul was put into writing this amazing content. There is no doubt that every one of your readers will want to check it out. Then, you hit publish and start to share everywhere you can. The result? Crickets. No one clicks.
Honestly, it has less to do with what you write and more to do with your headline. Without an attention-grabbing blog headline, your post will probably get little traction at all.
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So, how do you do this? How in the world do you ensure that you write an attention-grabbing headline? Here are some things to keep in mind.
HOW TO WRITE A HEADLINE THAT WILL MAKE PEOPLE CLICK
USE CAPTIVATING ADJECTIVES
There are certain words that lend themselves to catching your reader’s attention and drawing them in. Some of these include:
- Essential
- Free
- Simple
- Must-Have
- Powerful
- Captivating
- New
- Essential
- Strange
- Ridiculous
Just look at this for an example: 100 Ways to Save Money vs. 100 Ridiculously Simple Ways to Save More Money. Which would you click? Chances are, it is the second one as it is more descriptive and pulls you in.
USE NUMBERS
For whatever reason, numbers work. If you say, “Tricks to Losing Weight”, the reader is not sure if it is one or two ideas. But, if your headline reads “Five Secret Tricks to Losing Weight”, that is much more enticing, isn’t it?
As far as the number of items, there is not a good number. However, I find that it should be one or anything from 3 and up. Using two, seems to lend itself to a lower click-through rate. However, if you say, “The Number One Reason You Are Not Losing Weight” – that will definitely pull people in.
USE TRIGGER WORDS
I love to put these into my posts, but honestly – they work! These are words such as how, why, and when. If you can add these to your lists, they can pack a powerful punch.
For example, “Five Reasons Why You Suck at Blogging”, provides both the numbered list as well as a why. It is answering a question for the reader. (And, for the record, if you keep following me, you will get better at blogging).
USE RATIONALE ON LISTS
If you post will include multiple items (which you will also use with a number), try to use engaging rationale. These words can include:
- Tricks
- Tips
- Ideas
- Ways
- Secret
- Facts
- Reasons
The title “14 Secret Tricks to Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night”, will definitely pull you reader in. They want to know the secret. And, if we are being honest, they can’t help but click because everyone wants to learn secrets!
EDUCATE OR PROMISE
More readers will click to read if you are going to teach them or promise them something. They want to know that their time clicking to read will be valuable and that they will take something new away from what you are saying.
Then, make sure you always deliver on your promise. There is nothing worse than a headline that says one thing, but then the article does not deliver.
USE A CALL-TO-ACTION
These tell the reader what to do. These are more trigger words that will make them want to click. Ideas include:
- Quickly
- Try
- Master
- Eliminate
- Get Rid Of
- Use
- Optimize
- Enhance
- Build
- Create
These adverbs can definitely create a bit of urgency for your readers, so try to use them when you can.
The title, “How to Create an Attention-Grabbing Blog Headline” is the title of my post. You knew exactly what you were going to learn before you even clicked over. You wanted to click as you wanted to learn. I was able to lure you in with the title of the post.
USE NEGATIVE WORDS
You might think that it is best to never use a negative word or phrase, but they can be very effective. Look at some of these words:
- Stop
- Quit
- Never
- Worse
- Avoid
- None
If you look at the title I used above, “Five Reasons Why You Suck at Blogging”, you’ll notice that “suck” was used. I did that because it a negative and no one wants to be doing something wrong. Negative words work because people don’t want to do the wrong thing, they want to do the right thing (most of the time).
USE A HEADLINE TESTER OR GENERATOR
If you are not skilled in creating a great headline, don’t give up hope. There are generators and even testers to help you create the attention-grabbing headline you want. I’ve used the SumoMe Kickass Headline Generator and SEOPressor’s Blog Title Generator.
Your blog title is your one chance to grab your reader’s attention and make them not only want but feel the need to click to your site to read more.
I feel so grateful having landed on this blog when I was just staring in the air wondering how I can title my blogs. For sure this will give me a boost and motivate my writing spirits. Thank you for sharing.
You are welcome!
Hi Tracie,
Thanks again. I’ll admit not being impressed by click-bait titles, but I need to use some spicy descriptions. While I don’t want to dumb-down my blog, I also want some traffic.
Those titles annoy me too. There is an easy to way to get them to click without being misleading.
Hi there,
The post is just amazing for me as I’m a writer I was looking forward to understanding the best way to choose the attractive title or headline for my blogs or articles. When I found your post it’s too useful for me to read this amazing post. Thanks for sharing the wonderful post.
Glad I was able to help!