Picture this: After spending several days crafting your write-up, you’re finally ready to publish.
You’ve nailed everything down from the most minute of details like formatting to the bigger aspects like messaging and value proposition.
Simply said, you crafted a killer write-up that has content that you think is sure to get eyeballs.
With this in mind, you publish your write-up and send it to your email lists. You expect viewership to go through the roof.
You think everything went well…
… except it didn’t.
You take a look at the metrics and it turns out that the write-up you poured your heart and soul into performed very poorly… even though it checked all the right boxes.
As it turns out, these poor results weren’t due to the quality of your content.
The culprit?
Your headline.
The scenario mentioned above has happened to so many people so many times.
It doesn’t matter which field it is or what kind of media: People will always read the headline first.
This is true for ads, landing pages, website copies, email copies, blogs, news articles, and even videos or clips posted on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.
As Joanna Wiebe wrote in her book, “Headlines, Subheads & Value Propositions”:
“Your headline will impact whether people read the next line. It will impact whether people click on your call to action or not. It affects bounce, engagement, clicks, overall conversion—and even likelihood to return. In fact, on average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline… but only 2 of those people will actually continue on to read the copy below.”
Simply said, if your headline can’t stop viewers, readers, or visitors in their tracks, then all your effort into creating content will go to waste since they won’t have an incentive to stay and potentially act according to the call-to-action (CTA) you’ve laid out for them.
If you can craft headlines that can grab attention and drive action, you’ll be able to generate reader interest in the content you’ve written.
… but how exactly can you write great headlines?
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Highlight a benefit and communicate it clearly.
“What’s in it for me?” is a question that readers ask themselves each time they encounter any content that asks them to dig deeper on the Internet.
Great headlines should always answer this question because this will determine whether a person will read or act on a CTA.
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Write and rewrite multiple versions.
Your headline does a lot of heavy lifting, so you need to spend as much time as possible when crafting it. This doesn’t just mean thinking about what headline will work but also writing and rewriting multiple variations before choosing the best one.
More often than not, the best headlines are found when you’ve written multiple variations.
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Keep it short and sweet.
Be brief when writing your headline. Ideally, you should keep it to fewer than 12 words.
People like it when they’re presented with easy-to-digest content… and that’s why short and concise headlines work the best.
Crafting killer headlines can be challenging in a time where attention spans are shrinking and competition for engagement is fiercer than ever.
It’s a daunting task for sure, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
With enough patience, practice, and a dash of creativity, you can craft killer headlines that are sure to grab eyeballs!
So, when you start writing, keep the insights we shared with you in mind!
Happy writing!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Wednesdays: Write with the Pen of the Masters”
Who doesn’t find content writing to be a skill that requires a lot of practice and effort?
In fact, many people may even find copywriting very intimidating.
However, you can be a good writer as long as you have the right tools. You won’t always get things right the first time, but with enough time and practice, you’ll get the hang of it!
When you write copy for any brand or for your company, your aim is to make an impact and…
… to get people to remember.
Getting people to remember means getting consumers to buy your product or avail of your service.
… and when you get your content to deliver the results you want, THAT is great copy!
Every Wednesday, we publish content based on tips and insights from the masters of content writing, copywriting, and storytelling.
Become more familiar with ways to write great copy that helps you gain ROI from your efforts, drive profitability, and achieve your business goals.
Learn time-tested tactics that better capture the attention of your target audience, and maximize the benefits of great copywriting.
Hope you find this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s “Write with the Pen of the Masters!”
Cheers,
Dyane Diasanta
Senior Content Writer
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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