7 Ways to Get More Clicks Using Headlines

Headline makes 70% of your success.

Headline is the visiting card of your article. It is so important to the success that some writers spend hours to make it sparkle. Why do they do this? It’s quite evident. If the headline does not command your attention, nothing else about the content can ever make it.

No matter how exciting your content is, your potential readers would never see it without a really strong headline.

So the next time you would like to make your headline attractive, remember the following thumb rules:

•           Use numbers. Headlines that contain numbers attract much more attention than plain headlines. According to researches, the headline «9 Ways to Make Your Content More Interesting» grabed a 38% click rate while the plain headline «Ways to Make Your Content More Interesting» only got a 12%.

Make sure you use odd numbers in your headline. According to the Content Marketing Institute researches, “Headlines with odd numbers have a 20% better click rate than headlines that contain even numbers.” 

•           Headlines containing between 8 and 18 words work best. Don’t forget that we are talking about English headlines! Headlines in other languages can have different ideal length standards. For example, best Italian headline length is about 12 words.

•           Don’t use hyperbolic statements often. One of the best ways to perform hyperbolic statements is to use them just once. As a rule, one hyperbolic statement can boost discussions, but more than one can be very dangerous.

•           Fuel fear. It sounds paradoxical, but using such element as negativity or fear in a headline can generally get results. Nothing stimulates more than fear.

•           Stand out from the crowd. This is one of the fundamental rules of headline creation. If you are in doubt between 2 headlines, choose the more specific one. Being specific makes your headline more believable. A headline telling “60% of the success depends on your self-confidence” might sound quite skeptical. However, a “55% of the success depends on your self-confidence” headline sounds more real.

•           Images matter. People do love visualization more than text. Adding a picture near your headline gives you 28% response more, according to Guardian’s survey. 

•           Colons and Dashes greatly Help. The same Guardian’s headline survey tells that headlines, where punctuation elements are used, particularly dashes and colons, get about 11% more clicks than plain headlines.

And don’t forget that one of the keys to the success is to not be afraid of innovation and experimentation. So you won’t know if it works until you try!

Info presented by Rankwinz