6 Headline-Writing Tips That Will Make Your Content Stand Out

Headlines. Not only do they indicate what an article is about, but they need to be interesting and attention-grabbing. They need to pull in an audience, but that can be far easier said than done. This is because headlines need to be short, concise and to-the-point, whilst still being short and intriguing. But how can you create your own headlines in order to make sure your content stands out from the crowd? Let us give you a few headline-writing tips to make sure your articles are a cut above the rest in the eyes of your target audience.

1. Know your target audience

We’ve just touched on the idea of a target audience, but no matter who you’re writing for or the topic of your article, there will always be a target audience in mind. Who is most likely to read your publication? Are you writing for a newspaper or a magazine? Who is it that will pick up those publication types and actually read them? 

Look further into your demographics to ascertain the most popular age groups and genders, among other details. Before you begin to sit down and write your headlines for your articles, you need to know your target audience inside and out. It might mean that you use different words or switch up the topic, among other things in order to draw in readers.

2. Be specific

Headlines need to be short, concise and punchy. Being as specific as possible is highly-important in order to encourage curiosity. If you’re not sure about how to make your headlines specific, then one great way of doing it is to add some concrete facts and or statistics.

This is especially the case if you know that those facts are going to grab the attention of your target audience. In addition, being specific will also give your readers some reassurance and clarity about the article that they’re going to sit down and read.

3. Use power words

There are some headline writing rules that many content creators follow, and one of those things includes the use of power words. You might now be wondering what power words are. Essentially, they’re words or phrases that are designed to evoke different emotions. The emotions evoked can vary, from anger and shock to intrigue and happiness, but it depends on the power words you choose to use in your headline. 

You could also try using words that are uncommon, but that are self-explanatory. You want to avoid using jargon, but use unusual words where people will still understand their meaning. Basically, if you want a powerful headline, you have to use powerful words, and that’s a general rule that most journalists will follow to gain more readers.

4. Deliver on your promise

What you want to do, in addition to increasing the number of readers you have, is to generate trust between yourself and your, now many, readers. A sure way of reducing your trustworthiness is to not deliver on what your headline is promising, otherwise known as clickbaiting. 

Clickbaiting is something that your readers aren’t going to thank you for. If anything, you might have a high click rate on one article, but the clicks on subsequent articles you write won’t be as high. 

If anything, your volume of traffic might be impressive, but your bounce rate will be just as high also, if not more so. If your headline is promising one thing and not delivering on what’s detailed in it, then your headline won’t do the job you want it to do. Deliver on your headline and make sure the readers get what they came for.

5. Analyse your headline

Analysing your headline before you hit “publish” is a great way of making sure that it gains the attention of the reader. If you’re not doing this, then it could be the answer to why your reader numbers have dropped or why your bounce rate is high. You could use digital or online headline analysers, but where’s the fun and skill in that? Read it back and think about whether it’s relevant, attention-grabbing, interesting, concise and suits your target audience. Think carefully about how impactful the headline is going to be and whether it will pull in the readers you want.

6. Consider using questions

You might be wondering why using a question as your headline is effective when it comes to gaining views. Well, let me explain. Using questions gets the readers thinking, in addition to grabbing their attention. Naturally, the human brain seeks answers to questions, so they’re going to delve deeper into the article in order to ascertain the information they’re looking for. 

If you’re going to use a question as a headline, make sure it doesn’t have a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. This is because the answer could be found quickly, so readers won’t actually bother looking through the article in its entirety, which is exactly what you want them to do. Choose a question that has a more detailed, in-depth answer, using the following words to try and gain the reader’s attention:

• Who
• What
• When 
• Where
• Why 
• How
• Which

Kumo is a digital marketing agency with over two decades of experience behind us. We have a team of specialists at the helm of our operations, offering PPC, SEO, content writing and website design services, to name just a few things. If you would like further information about how we can propel your business into the spotlight, setting you apart from your competitors, then get in touch with a member of our friendly, knowledgeable team today – we’re always pleased to hear from you.