Social media is jam-packed with content. Every other company or individual is sharing their content. Readers are constantly bombarded with so many choices that they are prone to overlook even the most valuable content. In a world filled with so much content, how are you going to get their attention?
At least once, you have come across this question.
The answer to it is simple. Your content needs more than good content and great design. It needs a headline that dazzles the readers and entices them to read on.
On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar – David Ogilvy.
You simply need to get readers hooked and the headline is enough for the job. Your headline shows a promise that you are committed to delivering value and their time worthwhile. If the headline is poorly created, it is going to be overlooked no matter how good the content and design are.
In a study published by Copyblogger, 80 percent of people are going to read your headline only. 20 percent of people are going to finish the whole article.
What are the top 8 strategies to get people to read your content?
Simple, Short, & Crisp
Most of the headlines fail because they exceed 60 characters. Search engines often ignore the remaining characters and hence, this leads to low ranking on the SERP.
The above stat stresses how vital it is for you to keep your headlines simple, short, and crisp all at the same time. Wordplay rarely works as people will tend to miss out and naturally, they will move on. Your headline should creatively address their needs, clearly stating what’s in it for me.
Figures, Data, & Numbers
People are wooed by the numbers. Therefore, use them to your advantage by stating them in the headline. What numbers and figures do is grab the attention of the readers right off the bat. For example:
- 5 ways to protect yourself from Covid19
- 7 foods to boost your immunity
- Build your muscles with these 10 exercises
Why people want numbers in the headline? It is because our brains are hardwired to organize information. Numbers are easier than words. Thus, numbers are your brain candy. Use them to lure readers to your content.
The content you write in the body should expand on the headline and hence, it is often advised to spend more time on creating headlines rather than focusing on writing content at the beginning of your session.
Questions in strange or funny way
If a reader is searching the internet, that person must have a question that needs answering. Why not use that in the headline in a quirky, funny way?
Questions are the perfect tool for grabbing attention as they create curiosity. Your readers will wonder why you asked them a weird or funny question. When their curiosity takes over, they will click and read more about it on your website and page.
Some examples are:
- How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie-Roll center of a Tootsie-Pop? Ad campaign in 1969 by Toostsie-Roll.
- Fun anyone? By Sony PlayStation in 2003
- What would you do for a Klondike bar? By Good Humor-Breyers in 1982
A Sense of Urgency
Leverage FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and it works when written on your headline. This invokes a sense of urgency in your readers that if they miss out on this opportunity, may it be a special offer, discount, etc. You are urging your readers to take action right now.
Pair it up with the exact deadline and see the magic. Take care that what you are offering has a deadline or else it will be misleading and will leave a bad impression.
eCommerce stores and educational institutions can exclusively use this tip:
- Only 10 seats left! Book your seat now!
- Offer expires at midnight
- Limited coupons! Get yours now!
How-to
People want to learn new things but often are dissuaded because of how long it is going to take. How-to tricks are especially useful if you want to educate people. Make your headline start with How-to do X in Y steps.
Appeal to readers’ motivation and entice them to read the whole article.
Examples of How-to:
- How to become a millionaire before your 30s?
- How to earn money online?
- How to play guitar in X steps?