There is no doubt about the fact the most people decide to read an article or not based on the headline. Your content may be great with juicy tit-bits for readers but it will all go to waste without an equally eye-catching headline. People looking for content online scan content really quickly. You should be able to make them pause and impress them with the headlines of tour articles. Content marketers often struggle to create attractive headlines without going overboard. Here we will show you how to create those catchy headlines you crave.
1. Use interesting adjectives liberally
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Yes, as content writers are often told to keep their sentences short and to do away with flowery language. This is why online content often seems devoid of soul as authors do away with most adjectives. Break this rule when you are coming up with the headline. Think of adjectives like wonderful, sensational, brilliant, amazing, etc. Don't they immediately stir up emotions? Obviously you should not use too many adjectives as your headline will become too long and unwieldy.
2. Make it sound urgent
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A sense of urgency always gets readers. When they read the headline of your article, they should feel like they will miss out on something important if they don't read the rest of the article. For example, a phrase like absolutely must have or must read before.. creates a sense of urgency. The headline tells readers that they must read the article before they can do anything else.
3. Drop names of famous people
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Even the most cynical person loves some famous person or the other. Using the name of a well loved person or even an infamous person instantly brings up appropriate emotions in the readers. It also piques their interest and brings an element of fun in the article. For example, a headline like 10 marketing tips that we can all learn from Lady Gaga is much more interesting than 10 marketing tips for content marketers. This also means that your article should actually draw inspiration from the mentioned artist.
4. Ask deep questions
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One of the best ways to grab someone's attention is by asking them a soul searching question. This works very well even when it comes to writing headlines for articles. Make sure the question posed in the headline is simple and is actually something most people want. For example, instead of saying 10 successful marketing tips, you can pose a question that goes something like Do you want to be a successful marketer?. This makes the headline much more interesting and eye-catching.
5. Don't be afraid to stir up a little controversy
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The shock factor is known to work very well in grabbing attention. As a result, the art of writing shocking headlines for not-so-shocking news events is considered an art in the world of media. However, you must not get too carried away and spin scandalous headlines to an otherwise formal and serious article. Try to be a little audacious and peoples interests will be piqued.
For example, a bold headline can be something like Don't be stupid. Don't ignore these tips. Creating such bold headlines takes some skill and you must be very careful about it because you want to pique your readers interest and not create a riot and become infamous.
6. Highlight the benefits
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Your headline for your article is basically your sales-pitch for the rest of the article. So as with any sales pitch, it needs to focus on the benefits of reading the article. Help people understand what they will learn from reading your article in the headlines itself.
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