To ensure people get to the end of your article, and take in your important information and offers, it’s important to spend a large proportion of the time it takes to write some persuasive content on writing the headline alone.
Below are 6 simple, quick and easy ways to get people reading your marketing messages, articles and content. Combining these will 10X its effectiveness.
Keep your headlines short and sweet
Why? Well the maximum character count on a search result is 65 characters and people actually only scan headlines. They take in the first and last three to four words, SO the less people have to read the higher chance they have of retaining that information and actually wanting to read the content of your article.
Clarity & focus
It is essential that you make your headline message as clear as possible: What are they getting; how will they benefit; what’s in it for them. Keep it simple. Keep it clear. Focus on the outcome.
Learn to effortlessly speak to them directly…
Make your headlines grab their attention, speak directly to the reader almost as though it’s a personal conversation. This means make them effective, include and reference your reader in them, make them feel involved and interested in what you have to say. Use interesting adjectives, for example, FUN, EFFORTLESS, EFFECTIVE, INCREDIBLE, ESSENTIAL, IMAGINE, these will help attract them to your content.
Imagine a 25% improvement on your ROI
Using negative wording is a good way to catch their eye. Negatives tap into our insecurities so using words like NO, STOP, WITHOUT, can lead to more views and shares of your writing!)
Also, look to use trigger words such as HOW, WHY, NOW, START, TODAY to help create a sense of movement and responsiveness. Add them to the beginning or the end of your headline for the best effect.
What trigger words can you start using right now
Numb3rs are a good way to engage with your audience. We all want to be more efficient, a numbered list makes us feel like we have achieved that with a clear start and end. Remember, use digits instead of words (25 is more eye catching than twenty-five). From our experience keep your ‘numbers’ between 4 and 12 for first time readers and between below 25 for regular readers of your content. As your followers/readers become more ‘hooked’ with each piece of content you deliver, they will eventually happily digest everything you throw at them – in fact they will have developed an almost masochistic attitude to your content. ‘67 steps to the perfect life’ anyone?!
Personalise your creations, add that bit extra to make them want more from you. This increases curiosity. HOWEVER be careful you don’t over-use or it will lose its effectiveness for you.
Now have some fun using our 6-step formula, to create your effortless, effective headlines:
The 6-Step Success Formula
Number + Trigger Word + Adjective + Keyword or Promise + Short Copy + Clarity
Before formula: Wash your car better with our downloadable guide
After formula: 25 quick and effective ways to make your car cleaner than ever!
Harness the power of Behavioural Selling Strategies™
If you’d like to discuss further how you could blend a mix of behavioural psychology, digital marketing strategy and software technology to deliver similar results for your business we’d love to talk…
Call us on 0870 742 4458
