How to Write A Blog Headline That’s Clickable
People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic – Seth Godin
A blog post heading that gets a lot of clicks is one that has hit a sensitive spot in the reader’s minds and it offers an answer to their burning questions. The ideal headline is ripe with emotion- evoking language that connects with the reader’s need for a solution or answers to their questions.
Remember though, that it is not about your needs or questions as the writer. You must take yourself out of the picture and try to imagine what your readers are looking for.
You need to use words, but words are nit enough. You need to use the right words. Crafting a compelling headline, like with the title of a book or story is all about how skilled you are with words. The headline is the selling point of your blog post. If it is not intriguing, actionable or emphatic, then no one is going to want to click on it to read further. it is a simple as that.
1. A headline Should Be Engaging
What does this mean? It means that the headline makes an eye-catching promise that your article needs to deliver on. Fir example, it will show the reader that he or she is going to learn how to do something or why he or she should think or act a certain way.
As an example , you could write:
How to become an early bird if you’re a die-hard night owl
Your headline should carry emotion and intrigue suggesting that your blog post is going to deliver on this promise and help the reader accomplish what your headline has offered. A headline should also suggest that there will be actionable steps that the reader can take if he or she is looking for how to do something.
Another example of a headline could read:
Why you need to stop doubting yourself for good
This headline suggests that the action needs to stop and that the blog post is going to give compelling reasons why the reader needs to stop this bad habit.
It engages the reader’s sense of urgency and desire to change in order for things to ge better in his life.
2. It Needs to Be Specific
A vague headline is not a clickable headline. If your headline is vague, most people will scroll past it looking for one that catches their eye. No one has the time or interest to click on something they don’t understand.
Here is an example of a headline that is unclickable
Happiness is a state of mind
Number one, this kind of headline gives absolutely no new information to the reader. It is a cliché. Second, there is no specific information given to the reader that lets them know they are going to learn something or learn how to do something. Finally, it is, quite honestly, boring.
A headline needs specific words that evoke emotion and suggest that the reader needs to take action in order to solve his problem. For example, consider this example:
5 Things you must do to improve your interview skills
In this example, there are specific words used. First, there is a definite number of steps, second , there is the suggestion that the reader must do these in order to improve (solve his current problem).
You want your readers to know what questions you will be answering and what guidance you will be giving them.
3. It Needs to Appeal to the Reader’s Emotions
The words you choose and how you craft them into a headline will make the difference between a clickable headline and an unclickable headline.
A headline that tugs at a reader’s emotions is one that is going to make the reader want to learn more.
The readers want to be emotionally engaged with your writing. They need to feel that somehow you understand where they are coming from and that you are reaching out a proverbial hand .
Using descriptive or energetic adjectives adds emotion to your headline. Let’s compare these two examples:
3 Things that are stopping you from achieving your goals
3 Surprising things that are stopping you from achieving your goals
By adding the word surprising the second headline adds an element of intrigue in that the reader imagines that there is something new that he doesn’t know about.
4. It Needs to Be Accurate
Your headline should not offer empty or overblown promises. At all costs, you want to avoid click-baiting your readers. If your blog post doesn’t deliver on what your headline promises, you and your blog will lose potential readers and a whole lot of credibility
No one wants to read an article with a spammy headline – one that is overly provocative or that makes unrealistic promises. Headlines that include such words as “magic”, “free”, “easy” and other similar words are a red flag for a spammy article.
Here’s an example of a spammy headline:
You Must do this before Going to Bed!
Of course, you will also want to avoid being ambiguous. If your headline doesn’t make it clear what the post is about, readers are not going to go any further.
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