Magnetic titles are vital in a world where a single glance, lasting barely a few seconds, decides whether an article or news story will be missed. While it is difficult to find a universal recipe for such a headline, there are rules that make it easy to create one.
The greatest value is, of course, the content of the article, but first the reader must reach it. In fact, only 2 out of 10 people read online content to the very end, while 8 out of 10 people limit themselves to headlines only. If it doesn’t pique their interest – they will abandon further reading. What should be an engaging title?
At the beginning you should look for answers to the following questions
There is no place for water in the headline. What matters, especially on the Internet, is that the recipient can quickly understand what he or she is really dealing with. The language must be simple and close to the speech we use in everyday life. There is no place for erudite shows, which can be understood only by a few. Leave elaborately constructed metaphors to others, such as poets
Titles written as a list of “X best ways to…” are effective because they instinctively draw our attention to the clear and orderly structure of the text. Someone who cares about finding a specific solution is more likely to look for it among the enumerated proposals placed in paragraphs, rather than in a compact wall of text without division. Enumeration also suggests that we have a range of solutions to the problem the reader is facing
When possible, it’s a good idea to include as many SEO principles as possible. This gives the article a chance to rank higher in search results, and this will directly translate into more traffic conversions
In this case, it’s not about “sorry” or “thank you” at all. Instead, for example the word “like” is a perfect beginning of a catchy headline for any advice texts. A simple but effective and still used solution
You can arouse curiosity in various ways, also by asking controversial questions. However, you should always try to show the reader the benefits they will get after reading the whole text.
The length and graphic form should be matched to the medium. Usually, content intended for publication on social media cannot be too long. It is also common to use wordplay or references to language themes, especially taken from pop culture
This is worth keeping in mind in the context of eliminating the bad practice that is “clickbait”. Readers are likely to click on a flashy headline once, but missing the mark can unleash a lot of irritation. Thus, the next time, he or she will be biased towards content from a particular source and simply avoid it with their eyes
A well-constructed headline is one that announces the valuable content contained in the article. This mechanism makes even some people who read only the headline want to read further parts of the text in the hope of learning something interesting
This can be done through words that engage the senses of the recipient and by using appropriate adjectives: unusual, stylish, subtle or free – these are just basic examples of words that can help engage the recipient
Main image of the article: photo by Nick Morrison, source: unsplash.com
