What is the FIRST thing you read before reading any blog/article?

Study shows 8 out of 10 people only read headlines and rest 2 will read an article if the headline is interesting. Hence, writing a great Headline is the most saleable part of any article. The best headline encourages your target audience to click, to read and share the content. With so much content available now, headlines help the audience to choose/pick what they want to read. So if you have something interesting to share, make sure that not only your content but the headline is well written. So knowing how to write a great headline is important. In fact, Daragh Walsh in one of his webinars says a person should spend 5 times more time writing the headline than the actual content! 

Here are 7 Simple tips on how to write a great headline for your content!

1. Start with Numbers

For example: 

Top 5 skills to learn by PR professionals!

7 secrets, 7 tips, 7 reasons etc. Starting with numbers will create curiosity for your audience to click a check those numbers and also for the writer it gets easier to structure the content.

2. Use “How to…”

Example: How to connect with your stakeholders! Or how to bake a cake!

This is a very common search on google and a simple way to grab the attention of people facing the same problem. The answer to which is ‘How to….’

3. Flag common Mistakes

Example of this will be like: 

People make these 10 common mistakes while writing your blog – Hope you are not!

Such precise headlines are more likely to get clicked. 

4. Ask Questions

Think you know SEO? – Try yourself and find out!

This way you can engage with the audience and get them to click to your content

5. Use punctuation

Example: 

Marketing Plan: 5 tips to create an amazing plan!

Such headlines help the reader to know what the broad topic of the content is. It grabs the attention of the audience with his/her subject of interest.

6. Be Specific

Being very specific about your content helps to create interest in your audience. Here the incorrect headline will be – How to create a blog.

But a headline like – How to create a blog to win the SEO race?

Such a headline pulls more attention from your audience.

7. Use the 5Ws

Lastly – Make use of the 5Ws in your headline 

Who, what, when, where, why!

These engaging, interrogative words are used to gather information. By using them in your headline you articulate to the readers the kind of information you wish to provide.

So with the use of 1 or the combination of these tips, one can know how to write a great headline that sells! 

Happy Writing!

–Shreya Doshi

Shreya is currently Marketing and Communications Manager at School of COmmunication and REputation, Mumbai (SCoRe). She has completed her Masters in Marketing and Advertising from Mumbai Educational Trust (MET) University. She believes that learning should never stop in life. Hence, learning something new every day is her moto. She loves to travel (has visited 7 countries and counting), enjoys the thrill while performing adventure sports, music and dance takes her to different world.

She can be reached on Twitter and LinkedIn