Part of the guide: Blog Traffic
You know how hard writing headlines can be, right? Well, over the last 2 years I’ve managed to pretty much master writing headlines. It took some time, and if you follow my tips, you’ll soon be able to write killer headlines that attract crazy amounts of traffic!
Whether you like it or not, without a killer headline your content is useless! Whether you’re writing headlines for blog posts, emails, or sales pages, your headline is the first thing a potential reader will see. And if your headline fails to convert a browser into a reader, the rest of your content doesn’t even matter.
Something to remember: your headline should do more than grab attention. Everyone says your headline needs to grab attention, but it can do a lot more! Headlines can build curiosity, pre-sell prospective buyers, and communicate a message.
The most important job of a great headline is to entice a reader into reading your entire article, email, or sales page. Trust me, if you don’t think carefully about your headlines, it can mean 50%+ fewer visitors, leads, and sales.
So, how do you write a killer headline that will attract targeted traffic, leads, and sales? There are many ways you can write an effective headline. Your headline just needs to assure people that they’ll learn something beneficial from reading your content or buying your product. Here are a few of the top-secret strategies I’ve used to explode my blog’s traffic, email open rates, and convert the vast majority of my readers into subscribers:
- Be Direct! This is one of the most underused marketing strategies on the planet! You can literally tell people exactly what your content is about or what you’re selling. It’s a strategy that I use pretty much daily. If you tell people exactly why they should read your email, blog post, or buy your stuff, they just might! This strategy usually results in less traffic, but higher conversions.
- Top Secret! Using secrecy in your headlines builds up curiosity. People won’t be able to help themselves. I use it in my business all the time! When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them it’s top secret. It sells people on my business opportunity before they even know what it is. Powerful stuff!
- Randomness! Being random and indirect can work wonders. Write weird and wacky headlines to make people think, “What the heck is this?” It forces people to read your content because it raises questions in their minds. This strategy uses curiosity again. When you write strange headlines, it separates you from the competition.
- The Question! Asking questions in your headlines is another strategy that I often use. You need to ask questions that can never be answered! If you ask the right questions, you’ll be able to construct some golden headlines.
- The Command! The command is another strategy I use in my everyday marketing. Sometimes people need to be told what to do. If you tell them correctly, they’ll click, opt in, and buy whatever you want! This strategy works best with presentations and live marketing. It’s a powerful marketing strategy that can also be used in headlines.
So those are 5 of the best strategies I’ve used to attract millions of visitors, countless leads, and a tremendous amount of sales in my business! Use weird, funny, secret, and even direct headlines to attract attention. It’s simple psychology: if people are confused, curious, or directly interested, they’ll read and buy your stuff.
In Prosperity,
David Wood
P.S. Leave your comments below!
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Amelia Turner, November 4, 2013, 09:10
David, your tips on writing headlines are exactly what I needed! I’ve been struggling with getting people to click on my articles, but your strategies make so much sense. I especially love the idea of using curiosity and secrecy to grab attention. I’m definitely going to try this out on my next post. Thanks for sharing!
Oliver Hayes, November 4, 2013, 11:30
I appreciate the practical advice, David. I’ve always been hesitant to use direct headlines because I thought they were too blunt, but your explanation of how they lead to higher conversions has convinced me otherwise. I’m going to experiment with being more direct in my headlines and see how it impacts my results.
Sophia Barrett, November 4, 2013, 13:05
The randomness tip is brilliant! I’ve seen some quirky headlines out there that made me curious enough to click, but I never thought about using that strategy myself. This post has given me a lot to think about in terms of how I craft my headlines. Thank you for the insights!
Henry Lucas, November 4, 2013, 14:20
David, this post is a goldmine for anyone looking to improve their marketing efforts. The command strategy is something I’ve never tried before, but I can see how powerful it can be in getting people to take action. I’ll definitely be incorporating this into my next email campaign. Great content as always!
Grace Mitchell, November 4, 2013, 16:45
Thank you for breaking down these headline strategies so clearly, David. I’ve always struggled with writing compelling headlines, but your post has given me some great ideas to try. I’m especially excited to test out the question strategy and see how it resonates with my audience.
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Reminds me of naming bikes in the shop window versus the catalogue, same object, wildly different pull depending on whether you call it the Commuter or the One You’ll Actually Ride. Didn’t expect a post about email subject lines to make me rethink shop signage, but here we are.
Declan, if the One You’ll Actually Ride outsold the Commuter, did you find out whether it was the name, or that the bike just suited daily riding better?
Declan’s naming example is a nice test case, the question underneath both his shop and this post is the same one I ask clients before they write anything: who is this actually for, specifically, not generally. A headline written for everyone usually pulls nobody. Who’s the one rider you’d want walking in for that name?
Reading the Command section with particular interest, because telling people directly what to do reads very differently depending on where you’re doing business. In Turkey a headline written as a flat command, buy now, click here, join today, can come across as too aggressive for a first message to someone who has never bought anything from you before, almost like skipping the part of the relationship where trust gets built. The direct style he recommends earlier in the post travels much better here than the command style does, which suggests to me the five strategies aren’t actually five equally portable tools, some assume a reader who already trusts the sender, and some are trying to manufacture that trust in the same sentence they’re asking for the click. I think the post assumes one style of directness travels everywhere, and in my experience across different markets, it really does not.
Elif’s point is one version of a broader problem: the Command strategy assumes the reader is comfortable being told what to do by a stranger. Not universal, culture aside.
The five strategies here read as evergreen enough to still apply at any age, more than I can say for most of what I’ve read on this blog. Though I confess I’ve never once written a headline promising top secret anything, it feels a step too close to the confidence tricks that ruined two of my former colleagues’ retirements.