Heading phrases should be interesting. How to Write Effective Headlines

Preparing to Create a Header

Alexander Amzin, a teacher at the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University, teaches you to come up with a headline or a draft version of it before the text is written, and not after. Before you begin, determine your needs target audience, title purpose and topic search queries. When all the text is ready, go back to the title and make your final decision.

The target audience. Address your target audience directly. The user will see that you speak directly to them and understand their needs.

100 life hacks for Moscow State University students

Earnings up to 40,000 rubles per month for housewives

Useful programs and services for copywriters

Target. The primary goal is obvious and applies to all types of content - to get the user to click on a link to read more or watch a video.

Secondary depends on the content of the content:

Suggest a solution to the problem - How to get rid of scratches on a car using X product

Show benefit - Save up to 50% on your purchase household appliances

Incentivize people to perform a conversion action (buy a product or sign a petition) - Buy an English course and win a car

Arouse curiosity - Smartphones with the best cameras named

Provoke emotions (fear, anger, irritation) - Every hour, 1000 people die from cancer. Get tested

SEO. Optimize headlines to attract users from search engines. Readers who have purposefully searched and found the information they need will study it carefully. The time spent on the page will increase, behavioral factors will improve, and the site will rise in search results.

The title should match the main request as closely as possible. Make sure that keywords in the name looked natural.

User queries on the topic “Best water filter”

The first three articles for the search “Best water filter”

How different headers work

When I look at headlines on Facebook, I click the “read more” button on less than 10% of the posts in my feed. I actually read about a quarter of it. This means that I actually dive into the content of less than 2.5% of posts, the rest pass me by.

Pierre de Bro

content marketer at the international agency Spiralytics

Major media outlets and private experts are testing different types headlines to interest people like Pierre. Let's look at the research results.

Length matters. Experts provide conflicting data regarding headline length. The BuzzSumo service analyzed 100 million headlines on Facebook and Twitter and found that the most viral materials are those whose headline consists of 12-18 words, or 80-95 characters.

A report from the international news agency The Guardian found that eight-word headlines receive 21% more clicks than other headlines.

If you don't fit into six words, make sure that the most important information contained in the first and last three

Numbers are interesting. Numerical headlines are the leaders in click-through rates. The Moz tested different types of headlines and found that headlines with numbers get at least 15-25% more clicks than other headlines. Moreover, numbers attract women more than men. If you're writing for a female audience, keep this in mind.

Steve Davis from Baker Marketing advises using odd numbers, because they are perceived as more reliable. This is confirmed by a Content Marketing Institute experiment: the click-through rate of headlines with odd numbers is 20% higher than with even numbers.

Even and odd numbers in the header

Negativity overcomes positivity. A person is designed in such a way that he is most interested in negative news. Based on the results of an analysis of 65,000 headlines, it turned out that options using the words “best”, “superior” perform 59% worse than titles with the words “worst”, “most dangerous”. Calm headlines without superlatives were taken as the starting point.

Examples of headlines with a negative connotation:

7 most dangerous mistakes while driving a car

Named products that kill

The worst areas in Moscow where you should not buy real estate

The simpler and clearer, the better. It should be immediately clear from the title what it's about. we're talking about in text or video. Between correctness and creativity, always choose correctness. The user will not waste time thinking about metaphors, he will simply move on to the next publication. The more accurate the title, the better it is perceived by the reader. Maxim Ilyakhov in his book “Write, Cut” recommends avoiding “flirting, creativity and rhymes.”

Yellowness in the headlines. Content marketer and SMM specialist Liya Kanarskaya in the article “Mind management: why hot headlines still work” gives a definition: “Intriguing headlines that do not correspond to the content of the article and deliberately mislead the reader are called yellow.”

Even large news portals such as Lenta.ru do not disdain “light” yellow headlines. Look, there are only two white headlines: “CSK left SKA without the Gagarin Cup final” and “Vladimir Yashke died in St. Petersburg.” All the rest somehow intrigue readers, making them want to find out more details.

Pronounced yellow headlines with fabrication and distortion of facts are most often found in the yellow press and in teaser advertisements. They are often accompanied by trigger words: “You will be shocked!”, “Sensation!”, “Let’s reveal a secret!” Such headlines play on the curiosity of readers and are designed for a mass audience.

The highest degree of yellowness in teaser advertising

How more degree“yellowness”, so more people will want to read the material, but the quality of the audience will be worse. Too much yellowishness worsens your reputation and reduces the trust of regular readers.

Maria Solodar,

expert in creating automatic sales funnels

Snippet - same subtitle

The effectiveness of a headline depends on many factors: the location of the content, the target audience, the topic, and the severity of the problem. The research results may not be confirmed in your particular case, so you should not take them as the ultimate truth. Try different options.

Formulas for creating a strong headline

The formulas help beginners apply fundamental marketing principles and professionals quickly move through headline milestones.

AIDA formula

• Attention - miracles happen
• Interest - what kind of tea
• Desire - lose 5 kg in 10 days
• Action - find out

Result: Miracles happen! Find out which tea will help you lose weight by 5 kg in 10 days

Formula 4U

• Limited time or quantity (Urgency) - only until April 1
• Usefulness - up to 50% discount
• Uniqness - a unique Japanese cream
• Specificity (Ultra-specificity) - anti-aging facial massage

Bob Bly's 4 Principles

• Attracting attention is harmful to health
• Appeal to the target audience - children's curds
• Exact offer - test results
• Getting drawn into reading text - why?

ODA formula

• Offer - mortgage at 5.5%
• Deadline - until the end of the year
• Call to action (Action) - get your application approved online

Result: By the end of the year, a mortgage in SuperBank at 5.5% - get your application approved online

Comparison header formula: X vs Y

• X - Lexus IS
• Comparison - or (better, faster, tastier)
• Y-Mercedes CLA

Result: Lexus IS or Mercedes CLA: honest test drive

For your letters, using which you can increase the open rate of your own letters in your mailings.

1. Question title.

Every question requires an answer. Reading a question title, a person subconsciously has a desire to find out the answer to it. And you can find it, naturally, only by opening the letter.

“Do you want to know how to easily lose 12 kg without dieting or exercise?”
"Need money?"

2. Unfinished title.

The understatement in the title exploits our curiosity. And this is a very powerful thing. When something interests us, and then ends interesting place. This is usually practiced in TV series, but it can also be successfully used in e-mail marketing.

Here are examples of unfinished titles.

"Most effective method dealing with objections is..."
“You will never double your sales if you don’t use...”

3. A scary headline.

Fear is a very powerful feeling. The instinct of self-preservation is stronger than even the instinct of procreation. Therefore, any “message” that carries something intimidating or frightening to a person forces him to immediately react.

"Your email has been deleted"
"Your account is blocked"
"Your data has been destroyed"

4. Delivering title.

This type of headline informs a person about getting rid of some problem that has been bothering him for a long time and has been a pet peeve in business or life.

For example. “Computer viruses have come to an end”, “The problem of finding clients no longer exists”, “Lack of weight has been defeated”, etc.

5. Compromising headline.

People love to dig through dirty laundry and then wash the bones. Any compromising evidence arouses interest, and therefore is so actively used in headlines by various newspapermen.

“The Internet entrepreneur’s shocking confession about his subscribers”
“Scandalous recording from a conference on blog promotion in RuNet”

6. Headline-fact.

The reader is simply told a specific fact. For example, a result that was achieved and which people would also like to repeat.

“217 thousand rubles on the first day of sales”
“Over 1000 visitors to the site per day, in three months”
“An ordinary schoolboy who made a deal worth half a million rubles”

7. Secret title.

You definitely want to know any secret. Therefore, any headlines that reveal any secrets to us have always attracted and will attract attention.

“The strategy of playing on the stock exchange that the bankers hid”
"Secret Method" quick learning foreign languages in the FSB"
“Revealed recipe for the signature pie of the Kremlin cuisine”

8. Friendly title.

Such headlines are usually used when writing to your friends or acquaintances, but in e-mail marketing this is necessary to get closer to the audience. Also, similar headlines can be used when using a personal brand.

"From Alexander"
"Alex Ivanovsky"

9. Permanent header.

This type of header is a permanent name of the same type that never changes. People get used to such constancy and in the future they will no longer confuse you with anyone. The response of such letters is stable, since the reader never knows what awaits him in today's issue, but willingly opens it, because... loves this newsletter.

“New business ideas. Issue 167"
"Magazine newsletter culinary recipes»

10. Intriguing title.

By using intriguing title piques the reader's interest. But unlike other types of headlines, intriguing ones never reveal the essence of the offer. That is, in order for a person to find out what is being said, it is necessary to open and read the letter.

“You have to see this!”
“In 8 years of practice, I have never seen anything like this!”

11. Targeting headline.

Targeting means selection, segmentation. This type of headline is aimed at a specific audience from total mass, for example, only for women or motorists, or those who keep animals at home, etc.

"For those who love beer more water»
“If they don’t buy books from you in the online store”

12. News headline.

Everything is very simple here. News headlines carry some kind of news.

"Latest changes in search engine algorithms"
"New rules for delivery tax return»

13. Title-gift.

People love free things, and therefore any mention of gifts, discounts, bonuses and anything that is offered for free always arouses interest. Especially if it costs money.

“Get a video course worth RUB 2,500. absolutely free"
"Let me give you a gift"

14. Title Guarantee.

A guarantee is a protection against risk, so using it in the headline makes any offer safe. That is, with a guarantee, a person gets the opportunity not to fear for the future result and, if something happens, to return everything back.

“This shampoo will get rid of your dandruff, or we’ll give you your money back.”
“A system that 100% guarantees the recruitment of the first 1000 subscribers in three days”

Naturally this is not full list techniques for writing headlines for letters, but even these are quite enough to increase the readability of your newsletter. I have given several examples based on which you can generate your own headings for topics. I am sure that if you try, they will be stronger and even brighter than mine.

The main purpose of any headline is to attract attention. Headlines launch the first stage of the AIDA marketing model. Legendary, spectacular examples of headlines that made projects famous. How does it work and is it possible to learn how to write headlines?

Headings determine the success of any text and are a key factor that determines whether the reader will pay attention to the text or not. It is the headlines that trigger the first stage of the AIDA marketing model, and therefore require special approach from the copywriter side. History is replete with a lot of brilliant examples that have had truly fabulous success.

Today we will look at what techniques are used to create the most effective, most effective and most catchy headlines, and we will also try to explain why they have such an effect on the reader.

Legendary header examples

Effective headlines: how they work

Before we start, a little lyrical digression. For real effective headlines influence the human psychosomatic system through so-called psychohooks.

In other words, such headlines evoke a psychological reaction in a person, which is expressed in increased brain activity and evocation of the emotions desired by the author. If the headline does not catch a person (does not contain psycho-hooks), then no changes in the reader’s state occur and, as a result, the impact is reduced to zero.

Title Techniques

So let's get to the point. Now we will look at several techniques for creating headlines, examining in detail what psychohooks are used in them, and what effect they have on a person.

1 question

The question in the title forces a person to answer it. Subconsciously. The highlight is that in order to answer a question, you need to comprehend it, let it pass through yourself. This means that whether he wants it or not, the reader pays attention to your text.

Questions can be rhetorical, they can be specific, they can be abstract. However, they always have one thing in common: directly or indirectly, they indicate that the answer lies in the text, but for this you need to read the text.

Heading examples:

• Why are you feeling dizzy?
• Why can't you afford a holiday in the Maldives?
• How much time a day do you spend killing yourself?
• Where is your conscience?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• How much does an hour of your work cost?

Different questions evoke different reactions and focus the reader's attention on different aspects.

2. Solving the problem (answering the question)

People, by nature, are terribly lazy creatures. Of course, I am generalizing and exaggerating, but, in essence, that’s how it is. If it is possible to get a ready-made solution actual problem Instead of looking for the answer yourself, most people will take advantage of this.

The answer to the question is a Klondike for any copywriter in terms of influencing the audience. The trick is simple: choose a problem, give its solution in the text, and in the title let the reader know that the solution is in the text.

Heading examples:

• How to stop worrying and start living
• Where to get a lot of money at once
• How to get rid of back pain
• How much does freedom cost?

The most popular titles are those that begin with the word “How.” The general stereotype suggests that behind the word “how” there is, by default, practical guide, which is very, very useful, which is why readers have special confidence in this word.

Notice how people enter search queries when they are looking for lessons on something: “How to make a mask”, “How to send a boss”, “How to seduce girls”, etc.

3. Personal experience

People always have more trust in those who have already done something, rather than in those who simply talk about how to do something. Demagoguery and results are completely different things. Compare the two headers:

• How to earn $1000 in a week
• How I earned $1000 in a week

Which one do you have more interest and trust in?

Heading examples:

• How I lost 20 kilos in 2 weeks
• How I dismantled the toilet in the State Duma
• How a pack of Marlboro helped me in a fight with 5 hooligans

In addition, the title may include not only personal experience the author, but also a third party. The more authoritative and well-known this person is, the more trust you can inspire in the reader.

Heading examples:

• How to make your first million
• What does Schumacher do when he gets a flat tire?
• How bankers make money on exchange rate dynamics

4. Mystery, secret, intrigue

People simply love secrets and mysteries, especially if these secrets will allow them to gain certain advantages. People also love other people's secrets, even just like that, without advantages. By playing on people's curiosity, you have a very high chance of attracting readers' attention to your text.

Heading examples:

• Money you walk on without noticing
• Nero's Secret Secret That Made Him Great
• The secret of getting double profits as an entrepreneur in Ukraine

5. Numbers

The numbers in the headings act as a conditional quantitative indicator of the saturation or ease of assimilation of the material. In other words, numbers are a measure that allows a person to a priori assess how much benefit he will get from reading a particular text, and how easy it will be for him to perceive the information offered.

The higher the number, the richer the material, and this attracts with its volume, and the lower the number, the simpler and more practical, and attracts with its lightness and transparency. By introducing such certainty, the copywriter can manipulate the audience, for example, by mixing useful information with a commercial layer.

Heading examples:

• 100 and 1 ways to become the life of the party
• A book that will make you a superhero in 20 minutes
• 5 Sure Ways to Find Inspiration
• 24 vices of beginning programmers

6. Accents

Accents give headlines qualitatively new properties, strengthening them several times. By themselves, accents may be ordinary, inconspicuous words, but when combined with a headline, they increase its effectiveness. Distinctive feature accent is that it always points to something.

Heading examples:

• THIS rake will make your neighbors envy you
• NOW…! you will begin to predict the future!
• Who ELSE wants to earn $1000 a month without any effort?
• Buy our alarm system, and the thieves of your car will ALWAYS be behind bars
• You are losing hundreds of dollars a year due to ignorance of THIS nuance

7. Instilling fear

Fear is a very strong motivating factor. If you fill your headlines with fear, they encourage your audience to read the main text. It's simple. A person instinctively tries to protect himself from everyone negative factors. If there is at least some chance that he will find salvation in the article and protect himself, then the person will read it.

Heading examples:

• You're Losing $3,000 Every Year Without This Skill
• Mixing these products destroys the stomach within a day
• Just one word can save your marriage from destruction

8. Warranties

Guarantees, in essence, are a derivative of fear, only served with a different sauce. When a person feels protected, he becomes more loyal to the text he reads.

Heading examples:

• 24 hours and your skin is glowing! Otherwise we will refund your money!
• You will forget about your problems forever!
• You will never lack for anything!

9. Non-standard approach

In most cases, people have a filter on many headlines because people basically know what to expect. Non-standard or controversial solutions attract attention and are able to break through this filter.

Heading examples:

• I will put you in a trance while you read this text!
• Take your money!
• Don't you dare read what is written here!
• Full house in the face of a severe fiasco

10. “Salt in the wound”

Finally, the most strong headlines- these are headlines that precisely and strongly hit a person’s most painful place: pride, pride, fears, problems, etc., which are relevant for this person. In this case, the success of the headline sharply exceeds the 90% mark.

Heading examples:

• Forget about losing hair!
• How long will you continue to work “for your uncle”?
• Tired of fighting weeds?

conclusions

People are interested, first of all, in their problems and their needs. If your headline is directly or indirectly related to these needs, then there is a very high probability that a person will start reading the main text.

Of course, in each specific case the title will have its own unique specifics, however general principles The audience impacts outlined in this article can help you increase the impact of your headlines several times over with just one or a few words.

Tips and examples from Azamat Ushanov

Many were shocked by the last title of my letter, which sounded like this...

• “Fuck you, [NAME]!”

Some people took this headline personally. Someone guessed that this was a typical example of a marketing provocation in the headline. The result was that the blog almost burst with traffic. And the mailbox is from very positive and very negative responses. In a word, it was a hurricane of emotions.

(The most dangerous thing in online business is when they think about you “neutral”). This entire hurricane was caused by one small line of text in the subject line. Well, today we will talk about letter headers...

First of all, I want to warn you. Never use in your practice those crazy headlines that you see in my newsletters.

For my experiments know no boundaries. And I myself am a little bit of that. Crazy in short;)

However, I can teach you 10 “safe” (but also somewhat extreme) email subject line techniques that you can start using today to dramatically increase the response to your emails.

Please keep in mind that in mailbox your subscriber, your letter is by no means the only one. You are competing with at least 10 other emails.

However, while your competitors are constantly sending their subscribers letters with banal headlines in the style of “Vasya, a new issue of our newsletter has been released!”, you can use the following alternative options.

They very quickly stir up the interest of any person. So, let's go...

Lightening Header

You simply communicate in two or three words that one of the very pressing problems that your potential clients are experiencing has finally come to an end.

For example, at one time I received a very big effect on a letter with the heading “The poke method has come to an end,” in which I recommended Evgeniy Popov’s course on technical issues...

Calling title

I once wrote in the title of a letter, “Your idea is bullshit,” and in the letter itself I wrote about how many people constantly disparage their own ideas and don’t believe in them.

The headline provoked many people to tell me to go to hell, but also... to open the letter... in the text of which they saw themselves. The proposed podcast helped them a lot.

Scary title

The most frightening headlines in my practice in my memory are two...

• "Your account is blocked"
• "Pair swear words about you…"

Each of them was inextricably linked with the theme of the letter itself. The effect was great. First shock - then relief and clicking on the link.

Compromising header

• People love to peek...

No matter what online market you serve, this headline will always spark interest. “Shocking photos from a drinking session of Internet entrepreneurs.” Oooh, I remember this letter was read by almost all active subscribers...

Title - result

• "Newbie makes 154 sales in first month"
• “An example of lightning-fast website promotion”

Any short headline that states the result that your audience of potential clients wants to achieve will be effective and will bring a large number of clicks

Headline - yellow press

• “Internet – special forces are taking over the Czech Republic!”
• “Shocking news from Kyiv!”

These headlines brought a lot of interest to our live seminars in Prague and Kyiv in 2007. Open any tabloid newspaper to easily get a dozen more examples of similar headlines. Yes, it's corny, but it works.

Cheat title

People always want to find the “easy way”. Take a shortcut to the result. Therefore, if you say something like this in the title...

• "Workaround to [YOUR TOPIC]"
• “Quick cheat sheet for [YOUR TOPIC]”
• "My secret way to [YOUR TOPIC]"

You will always attract the attention of your subscriber.

Unfinished title

Typical cutting off the statement at the most interesting point. Such headlines simply force a person to open the letter...

• “The best way to promote a website is...”
• “Azamat looks under the tree - and there...”
• “There is something valuable inside the letter called...”

Let your imagination run wild. You can come up with a lot of interesting ways.

Question title

Nothing supernatural. It's stupid, but it works. Makes the reader nod affirmatively when opening the letter and say “yes, I have this problem, let’s see what solution you can offer.”

Here are a couple of examples that I have used successfully.

• “Do you want to finally automate [PROBLEM]?”
• “Need help with copywriting?”

Friendly Heading

Believe it or not, this is one of the most effective headlines in my practice...

• "From Azamat"

Why? Don't know. But there is a guess. Think about how many times you have written a letter to your friend on the Internet with the title “ Newest formula gaining slim figure in 14 steps in minimal time blah blah blah..."

Most likely you write in the topic simply.

• "From Volodya"
• "From Seryoga"
• "From Lyudmila"

Sometimes you need to do the same with subscribers. By making such a headline from time to time, you will become closer to your subscriber. As if you were writing to your friend or acquaintance. And the subscriber will feel the same.

Well, here are 10 great email subject line hacks you can start using today to increase the readability of your emails.

But remember that in the long run, you need to act and conduct your personal mailings in such a way that people decide whether to read your letter or not to read it based on the left column in the mailing list (the “From:” column), and not on right column with heading.

You can achieve this in three steps...

1. Stop worrying about what others think of you;
2. Become a master at creating great content for your readers;
3. Lead your mailing list balanced, charismatic and not like everyone else.

And if the first step can only be taken independently, by making a decision within yourself. Then for the second and third steps, I can offer you 2 excellent step by step videos– manuals.

25 killer headlines

• 10 Facts about... which you didn't know!
• 10 reasons to hate...
• 10 Best Blogs About...
• 10 Secrets...
• How does it work... ?
• How to be the best in...
• 10 Worst Mistakes You Can Make in...
• 10 Shocking Facts About...
• 10 Questions about...
• Everything you know about... is wrong!
• 10 Best videos about...
• 10 Best quotes about...
• 10 Experts on... on Twitter
• 10 Tweets about...
• 10 Rules... you should know
• How I increased my ... by 200%
• 10 Effective techniques in..., which you are not yet using
• Most quick way...
• 10 Myths about...
• 5...for which you wouldn’t mind giving everything!

All that remains is to insert the right words.

We released new book"Content marketing in in social networks: How to get into your subscribers’ heads and make them fall in love with your brand.”

Research suggests that only 20% of the time, after reading the title of an article, a person begins to become familiar with its contents.

If you know what copywriting is, then you’ve probably heard about the most selling headlines (perfect headlines). The title of the text plays the most important role. It depends on him whether the audience will be hooked by the topic and whether he will want to get to know it more deeply. A selling headline for an ad, landing page, article or news convinces every person to read any text, and its meager brother sends the majority of your potential clients to another site so that they take their money there.

What are selling headlines and how to write them

In headlines, every word matters. If one of them is wrong, then it can negatively or, conversely, positively affect the whole advertising campaign. Headings are the first thing that catches everyone's eye. They either attract or repel. Titles for materials are necessary for websites, in letters, advertisements, on banners, in articles, press releases, in general, wherever content comes after the “psychological hook”. They set the mood for the rest of the content and enable sales.
Have you written a wonderful text, but there are no sales? Pay attention to its name. So let's figure out how to write nice title, which will attract visitors to you and turn them into buyers.

Rules for writing headlines

1. The headline should compel reading.
   Interest in the text is based on the feelings that arise in a person after reading the text above. To increase interest, you can use special techniques, which we will discuss later.
2. Be unique.
   If the phrase is repeated by your competitors, then you are no different from them and your product is no better. Then why should customers buy a product or service (hereinafter referred to as T&S) from you?
   An example of a standard call at the top: “Order TiU before 10/01/2018 - and you will receive a cap as a gift!” Here’s another example: “Happy New Year, parents! Again 25%." Will you notice someone who blends in with the crowd, or will you be attracted by an out-of-the-box thought?
3. Convey a specific idea.
   In order to arouse interest, it is necessary to give people information by which they will understand whether the material provided will interest them or not. For example: “We miss you.” What are we talking about here? Perhaps someone died? Or are some things missing? There's really no specifics here.
4. Communicate urgency.
   This rule is not always applied, but is very effective for sales copy. It is necessary to limit the client’s time so that he does not forget to make a purchase (order a service). Here it is better to limit yourself to strict dates rather than set vague time frames (1 month, 3 months, etc.). Write specifically: “Until 01.10.2018.”
5. Provide benefit to the audience.
   A person always wants to know what useful things he will learn after reading your text. Example: “We write an advertising article in 5 minutes!” The reader understands that the material will teach him to quickly write a useful article.

Not in every case it is possible to follow all 5 rules. Please note: the first rule is the most important. If in addition to it you managed to use two more, then your headline is a selling one.

It’s worth noting that headlines aren’t just used in regular sales. For example, writing the right headline for Instagram or another social network is no less important. After all, in this case, you are not selling T&U, but views, while earning likes and reposts. And when a visitor reads any information article on the site, you receive a high rating. This means that almost any headline should be selling.

We've covered the basic rules for writing headlines. But each headline can also be enhanced using special techniques in order to arouse initial interest among the target audience.

How to arouse interest, or methods of strengthening

• Pronouns "you".

Headlines with the words “you”, “you”, “your”, “yours” are more popular. This way you personalize the person by addressing him directly.

• Present.

Readers love content that makes them feel important: giving gifts, giving something for free.

• Lists and encouraging words.

Use numbers followed by the words “each”, “should”, “how”, etc. For example: “5 rules that every parent should know” or “10 rules: how to sell effectively.”

• Tailor your headline to your target audience.

Each person needs an individual approach. What pleases the bull cannot please Jupiter. For example, you can use slang words to send a message to young people, but this technique is completely inapplicable to older people. Or if you are addressing fans of a particular sport, then poetry lovers will not understand the message. For different types the target audience (hereinafter - TA) needs different headlines.

• Catchy quotes.

The use of well-known phrases with their slight modification inspires trust among the target audience. For example: “A car is not a luxury, but your constant companion.” The first part of the phrase is taken from a famous work.

• Metaphors.

The meaning of this technique is to endow the TiU with the properties of an object. For example, perfume can be endowed with the properties of lightness and freshness of the wind, a car can be compared to a cheetah, etc.

• Lexical repetitions.

You can deliberately repeat the same thing twice important word to draw attention to it. “New day - new you!”

• Alliteration.

Using words with many identical consonants. “Direct, stubborn, simple” or “It’s easy to love summer.”

• Antithesis.

This is a contrast. For example: “The chest is sunken, but the back is like a wheel!”

• First person.

• Allusion.

Draws attention to known facts. "You will become beautiful like Cindy Crawford."

• Hot topics.

Conduct a dialogue with your target audience and cover what interests them. "How not to go crazy - a teenager in the family."

• Regular verbs.

Incentive verbs and verbal nouns form the correct attitude towards TiU in the reader. “Count and earn” or “Money loves counting.”

• Brevity.

Short phrases attract more attention. How less words, those more weight everyone. “The Prince and the Pauper” is short and succinct. Less commonly used for selling texts.

• SEO - 2 birds with one stone.

If headlines are posted on the Internet (landing pages, websites, web pages), do not forget to use keywords. This way you will promote your web resource in searches.

• Honesty.

You may not say something in the title, but after reading the material, the visitor should not feel disappointed. For example: “Pugacheva had an accident!” The visitor clicks on the name and gets to the news that the singer’s personal driver scratched the car of a Moscow resident when he was returning it. At the same time, there was no one in the car. The headline deliberately attracts the reader to read material that is useless to him in a dishonest way.

• Questions.

Another technique for communicating with the reader, offering to solve his problem. “Is excess weight bothering you?”

• Negation.

Starting from denial, you can interest some people. “Never sell T&U quickly.” This technique should be used very carefully.

• 5 senses

1. Including the reader's vision: "How to spy on competitors' tips."
2. Smell: “How to remove odor in the refrigerator.”
3. Rumor: “5 words no woman can resist.”
4. Taste: “The bitter truth about sweet lies.”
5. Touch: “Run your hand over his cheek.”

Formulas for creating beautiful headlines

Mathematicians love to derive all sorts of formulas. This process did not bypass the headlines either. Let's look at the basic techniques with which you can write a beautiful title.

• TsOKRO = Number + Definition + Key + Explanation + Promise.

“10 reasons why a woman can change and change her life.” By the way, reinforcement was used by repeating one word.

• Betteridge's Law.

Ask questions carefully because every question has a negative answer. “Do you dream of living outside the city?” “No, I don’t dream,” someone might answer.

• <Делайте>How<пример>.

In this case, you start from a positive example: “Write like Daria Dontsova.” More advanced option:<Делай>How<кто-то>without<негативных последствий>. “Write like Daria Dontsova, but don’t repeat yourself in books.”

• Compound adjectives + unique nouns.

“The smallest nuances”, “infectious examples”, “brilliant ideas”, etc.

• <Цепляющая основа>or<Подзаголовок>.

• Do you want (want)<что-то получить, сделать, добиться чего-либо>?

Encourages the reader to click on the title. Ideal for social networks: “Do you want to get 10,000 subscribers for free?”

• Reverse model:<Желаемое> + <Вопрос К ЦА>

“We got 1,000 subscribers. Why do you have fewer of them?” or “To Thailand for only 10 thousand rubles.” Will you go?

• Secrets.

This formula intrigues you from the first word: “The secret: how to take first place in Yandex.” Another, Strengthened formula, which is more mysterious: “Few people know how to attract visitors to the site.”

• The easiest way<решения проблемы>.

The headline should hit vanity, pride, problems, fears. Example: “The fastest way to get to the first page of search results.”

• A call to pride.

Make a ____ you can be proud of.
“Create a simple website you can be proud of.”

• Everything you need to know about ____.

Expanding the reader’s knowledge: “Everything a tourist needs to know about Sochi.”

• <Цифра>things you need to know for<решение проблемы>.

5 things you need to know to lose weight.

• "How" headings.

Usage of this word(“how”) is often simply necessary. Similar names also have their own effective formulas:

1. How.. . do something to.
2. How _ if _.
3. How _when_.
4. Both<цифра>steps.

• Offer + bonus.

“10 options on how to get people to subscribe to your channel for free. Option number 3."

The most effective headlines - what are they?

• Contains approximately 8 words. Short titles can also be effective, but not always. And long ones are completely ineffective.
• Have a dash or colon.
• Supplemented with a relevant image. The human eye receives an additional “hook”.
• Includes numbers. It is the indicators that inspire trust among the target audience.
• They ask a question.
• Address the reader directly (you, your).
• End with one exclamation mark.
• They lead to some kind of guidance.
• Phrases in sentences are emotionally charged. Sentences that press on the senses evoke emotions that encourage you to familiarize yourself with the material.
• They make bold statements.
• Formalism is excluded. Content should be above form. If you can’t work according to the formulas derived, just be unique.
• Present information in a positive way (without negation). “Don’t you want to be rich?” will work worse than “Do you want to be rich?”
• The words used are: amazing, smart, history, huge. And they don’t use the words: inform, celebrate, grow, win.
• Encouragement to take action. "Get 5 tips for free."

The most common mistakes in headlines

• Intrigue revealed. All important information is given in the title before the text. Then why read it? Example: “In order to sell, set a minimum price and promote the product.”
• Screams. Don't use a bunch of exclamation points and words in capital letters. "ALL!!! TO THE ELECTION!!! NEW CAR!!!"
• Every word is capitalized. "How to Defeat Laziness."
• Inappropriateness. A real example is given below. Causes laughter and, of course, provokes. But somehow it’s not suitable for a serious online publication.

• Length. Be brief. “Alla Pugacheva spoke in the Kremlin on August 28, and she addressed the audience with congratulations.”
• Too many punctuation marks. “Vladimir Putin held a meeting at which he expressed his position that it is generally necessary to raise the retirement age.”
• Appealing to the wrong target audience. “The Liaron device is garbage! Try Aimaton! A slang word was used for target audience of people of retirement age.
• Hackneyed phrases. Be unique. For example: “If you want to lose weight, ask me” is a bad option.
• The name means nothing.

• Doesn't encourage action, doesn't intrigue.

• Ambiguity. “The Moscow administration has replenished the zoo.”
• Stylistic, grammatical and other errors. “Schumacher woke up and turned out to be a duck.”
• Makeweights. The use of unnecessary unnecessary words spoils any title.
• Contradiction with the content of the material. If the name of the material is one, but the text talks about something else, then this is a bad name.

Conclusion

• Write several options and then choose the best ones.
• Test your audience.
• Choose the most clickable title.
• Bring the material to life.
• The title of the text is its most important part.
• Readers must believe you, become interested and finish reading, otherwise all the work done will be useless.

“Headlines determine the success of any text and are the key factor that determines whether the reader will pay attention to the text or not. It is the headlines that drive the first stage of the AIDA marketing model, and therefore require a special approach from the copywriter.”

History is replete with a lot of brilliant examples that have had truly fabulous success. Today we will look at what techniques are used to create the most effective, most effective and most catchy headlines, and we will also try to explain why they have such an effect on the reader.

Legendary header examples.

If you want to get acquainted with real examples of headlines that have reliably written themselves into the history of world marketing, then the trilogy will be useful to you.

Effective headlines: principle of operation.

Before we begin, a short lyrical digression. Truly effective headlines affect the human psychosomatic system through so-called psychohooks. In other words, such headlines evoke a psychological reaction in a person, which is expressed in increased brain activity and evocation of the emotions desired by the author. If the headline does not catch a person (does not contain psycho-hooks), then no changes in the reader’s state occur and, as a result, the impact is reduced to zero.

Techniques for creating headings.

List of techniques for creating headings:

1. Question.
2. Solving the problem (answering the question).
3. Personal experience.
4. Mystery, secret, intrigue.
5. Numbers.
6. Accents.
7. Instilling fear.
8. Guarantees.
9. Non-standard approach.
10. "Salt in the wound."

So let's get to the point. Now we will look at several techniques for creating headlines, examining in detail what psychohooks are used in them, and what effect they have on a person.

1 question.

The question in the title forces a person to answer it. Subconsciously. The highlight is that in order to answer a question, you need to comprehend it, let it pass through yourself. This means that regardless of whether he wants it or not, the reader pays attention to your text.

Questions can be rhetorical, they can be specific, they can be abstract. However, they always have one thing in common: directly or indirectly, they indicate that the answer lies in the text, but for this you need to read the text.

Heading examples:

• Why are you feeling dizzy?
• Why can't you afford a holiday in the Maldives?
• How much time a day do you spend killing yourself?
• Where is your conscience?
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• How much does an hour of your work cost?

Different questions evoke different reactions and focus the reader's attention on different aspects.

2. Solving the problem (answering the question).

People, by nature, are terribly lazy creatures. Of course, I am generalizing and exaggerating, but, in essence, that’s how it is. If there is an opportunity to get a ready-made solution to a pressing problem instead of looking for the answer yourself, then most people will take advantage of it. The answer to the question is a Klondike for any copywriter in terms of influencing the audience. The trick is simple: choose a problem, give its solution in the text, and in the title let the reader know that the solution is in the text.

Heading examples:

• How to stop worrying and start living.
• Where can I get a lot of money at once?
• How to get rid of back pain.
• How much does freedom cost?

The most popular titles are those that begin with the word “How.” The general stereotype suggests that behind the word “how” there is, by default, a practical guide that is very, very useful, which is why readers have special confidence in this word.

Notice how people enter search queries when they are looking for lessons on something: “How to make a mask”, “How to send a boss”, “How to seduce girls”, etc.

3. Personal experience.

People always have more trust in those who have already done something, rather than in those who simply talk about how to do something. Demagoguery and results are completely different things. Compare the two headers:

1. How to earn $1000 in a week.
2. How I earned $1000 in a week.

Which one do you have more interest and trust in?

Heading examples:

• How I lost 20 kilos in 2 weeks.
• How I dismantled the toilet in the State Duma.
• How a pack of Marlboro helped me in a fight with 5 hooligans.

In addition, the title may include not only the personal experience of the author, but also of a third party. The more authoritative and well-known this person is, the more trust you can inspire in the reader.

Heading examples:

• How Bill Gates made his first million.
• What does Schumacher do when he gets a flat tire?
• How bankers make money on exchange rate dynamics.

4. Mystery, secret, intrigue.

People simply love secrets and mysteries, especially if these secrets will allow them to gain certain advantages. People also love other people's secrets, even just like that, without advantages. By playing on human curiosity, you have a very high chance of attracting readers' attention to your text.

Heading examples:

• Money that you walk on without noticing.
• Nero's secret secret that made him great.
• The secret of getting double profits as an entrepreneur in Ukraine.

5. Numbers.

The numbers in the headings act as a conditional quantitative indicator of the saturation or ease of assimilation of the material. In other words, numbers are a measure that allows a person to a priori assess how much benefit he will get from reading a particular text, and how easy it will be for him to perceive the information offered. The higher the number, the richer the material, and this attracts with its volume, and the lower the number, the simpler and more practical, and attracts with its lightness and transparency. By introducing such certainty, the copywriter can manipulate the audience, for example, by mixing useful information with a commercial layer.

Heading examples:

• 100 and 1 ways to become the life of the party.
• A book that will make you a superhero in 20 minutes.
• 5 surefire ways to find inspiration.
• 24 vices of beginning programmers.

6. Accents.

Accents give headlines qualitatively new properties, strengthening them several times. By themselves, accents may be ordinary, inconspicuous words, but when combined with a headline, they increase its effectiveness. A distinctive feature of an accent is that it always points to something.

Heading examples:

• THIS rake will make your neighbors jealous.
• NOW…! You will begin to predict the future!
• Who ELSE wants to earn $1000 a month without any effort?
• Buy our alarm system, and the thieves of your car will ALWAYS be behind bars.
• You are losing hundreds of dollars a year due to ignorance of THIS nuance.

7. Instilling fear

Fear is a very strong motivating factor. If you fill your headlines with fear, they encourage the audience to read the main text. It's simple. A person instinctively tries to protect himself from all negative factors. If there is at least some chance that he will find salvation in the article and protect himself, then the person will read it.

Heading examples:

• You're losing $3,000 every year without this skill.
• Mixing these products disables the stomach within a day.
• Just one word can save your marriage from destruction.

8. Warranties.

Guarantees, in essence, are a derivative of fear, only served with a different sauce. When a person feels protected, he becomes more loyal to the text he reads.

Heading examples:

• 24 hours and your skin is glowing! Otherwise we will refund your money!
• You will forget about your problems forever!
• You will never lack for anything!

9. Non-standard approach

In most cases, people have a filter on many headlines because people basically know what to expect. Non-standard or controversial solutions attract attention and are able to break through this filter.

Heading examples:

• I will put you in a trance while you read this text!
• Take your money!
• Don't you dare read what is written here!
• A full house in the midst of a severe fiasco.

10. “Salt in the wound”

Finally, the most powerful headlines are those that precisely and strongly hit a person’s most painful place: pride, pride, fears, problems, etc., which are relevant for this person. In this case, the success of the headline sharply exceeds the 90% mark.

Heading examples:

• Forget about losing hair!
• How long will you continue to work “for your uncle”?
• Tired of fighting weeds?

conclusions

“People are interested, first of all, in their problems and their needs.”

If your headline is directly or indirectly related to these needs, then there is a very high probability that a person will start reading the main text. Of course, in each specific case the headline will have its own unique specifics, but the general principles of influencing the audience given in this article can help you increase the impact of your headlines several times over with just one or a couple of words.

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