The goal of every blogger is for their blog posts to be read by hundreds or thousands of readers. But in most cases, that only happens in a dream world. The reality is that many articles are posted only to gather dust.The reason is not because the posts are poorly written or even because they are not interesting. In most cases, the reasons these posts do nothing more than sit around being unread is because the writer neglected to give the article an effective headline.
Without an effective headline, an article will do little to attract readers, much less get them to read the post. As everyone has heard repeatedly, content is king, but if you can’t get readers to read beyond the headline, they will never know that you have provided quality content for them.In effect, this can create a negative image in their minds, and therefore, it can potentially impact your business in a negative way. On the other hand, the more readers you have who continue to return to and read your work, the more likely your profile is to soar.
Headline Formats That Work
Obviously, creating effective headlines is very important. Below you will find some top headline formats that work to attract readers. These formats go beyond the usual how-to formulas and tend to use true attention-grabbing styles.
Going Negative
Instead of making titles sound carefree and inviting, try something a little darker and on the negative side. For instance, headlines like “Why Avoiding SEO Is a Risk You Can’t Afford to Take” and “Why a Successful Blog May Not Make You Rich” are sure to grab the attention of many readers.
Titles like these touch on people’s insecurities. However, this tactic should be used sparingly.
Reveal Secrets
Everyone likes to feel like they are in on a secret that other people don’t know. Headlines that tap into this can be very effective. Examples of this type of headline include the following: “Top 3 Secrets to Easy Blogging Revealed,” “The Secret Formula to Building Blog Traffic in 7 Days,”.
Pros and Cons
This is an easy headline format. It can be used to compare products or services. For instance, since almost everyone would agree that there is very little to complain about in regards to WordPress, “The Pros and Cons of WordPress” is a title that would likely provoke interest from most bloggers.
In addition to pros and cons, the concept of advantages and disadvantages can also be used in headlines in a very similar fashion. For example, the title, “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Facebook Fan Pages” would probably be extremely effective among a group of readers interested in Facebook fan pages.
Humor
Humor is another tactic that must be used very carefully. However, when used correctly, can be very effective. Anytime a headline can make reader laugh or even smile, the reader is likely to continue reading through the article. At the very least, they will take the time to skim over the article.
An example of a humorous headline is “Reading This Won’t Make You Rich – But It Will Give You Some Information About Blogging That Can Help You on Your Way.”
Guides
Some headlines are very direct and tell readers exactly what they offer. These posts provide information and offer solutions. They attract and appeal to very specific audiences. Educational guides are perfect examples of this type of headline format. “Top Guide for Beginning Bloggers,” and “The Only Guide You’ll Need to Add Targeted Blog Traffic” are examples of these types of headlines.
In the end, an effective headline is one that works on the readers’ emotions. Rather than only focusing on grammar, the headline is also concerned with how the words affect the reader – the goal is to create a headline that can get the reader to do what is desired. And that is, of course, to get the reader to continue reading.
