How to write headings for an article. How to create catchy headlines

Denis Savelyev

Before publishing an article, review, slideshow, or video, be sure to take a few minutes to make sure you choose the best headline. Good title is a matter of life and death in content marketing. As the internet becomes more and more of a seething cauldron of chaos, you have less and less time to capture the attention of your audience.

By choosing a good title for the material, you instantly get a response from the reader. A headline helps your readers quickly determine whether they need your article or presentation, why they should buy, download, or open a page of your content, and what benefits they receive by clicking on the relevant link.

By choosing a bad title, you make your article, presentation, or other content invisible to most of your audience. The title is the most important element of Internet pages, advertisements, video materials. It draws the audience's attention to the content. Content goes unnoticed if you use a dull and dull headline.

This article will introduce you to the main characteristics good headlines. It includes 10 questions, by answering which you will learn how to create high-quality and “catchy” headlines. You can also use the title rating table, which is a handy tool quick definition their qualities.

The examples discussed below are primarily related to books. The names of the authors of most of them have become brands, and the books remain bestsellers, thanks in part to successful titles. However, these examples remain valid for content of any type - and, above all, for web content.

1. Does your headline promise the audience a benefit?

Choose a title that clearly communicates to readers the benefits and benefits they will receive from your product or service. The best headline solves a problem or helps the audience achieve a desired goal.

Compare the following names:

• Graphic design tools and techniques.
• Master Your Design: A Guide to Basic Tools and Techniques.

The first heading tells the reader about the content of the article. The second title describes the benefits that the reader will receive after reading the article.

2. Does your headline contain specific details that highlight its relevance and value?

Specific details in the headline, such as exact numbers, draw extra attention to your content. Numbers structure information, as can be seen in the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. Imagine the title of this book without the numbers: Habits of Highly Effective People. Doesn't sound very convincing, right?

The numbers in the title also help you “eat the elephant one piece at a time.” It's about about the step-by-step achievement of any complex goal. For example, pay attention to the title of Terry Orbach's book "6 Steps to ideal marriage" Another example is Damir Khalilov’s article “100 main skills of an SMM specialist” (although, in our opinion, the round number sounds a little forced, as if the author adjusted the results to a “round” number; it would be much better to title the article “97 or 102 skills... ").

Moreover, numbers can make your content more relevant by giving the reader a specific deadline or timeline for achieving a goal. What do you think of the title of the book, Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days, used by the authors Jay Conrad Levinson and Al Lautenslager? But the title, Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha Vineyard Detox Diet, sounds even better. The title of this book shows the reader exactly how many pounds excess weight it will reset and for what period. Buyers of books about dieting and other methods of weight correction probably want to know the exact results of using the described methods.

Another example on the topic of numbers is designer Yana Frank’s diary book “365 days of a very creative person.” But, as you already understand, there are a lot of examples of successful headlines using numbers. The main thing is the ability to beat these numbers.

3. Does your title take into account the target audience for which the content is intended?

Identify the target consumers of your content using the title where possible. This makes your content personalized. You can identify your target readers by naming them directly or by highlighting their key characteristics. The more obvious this is made, the better.

C.J. Hayden's book, Attract Customers: A 28-Day Marketing Course for Professionals, Trainers, and Consultants, defines the audience by occupation. Heidi Muroff and Sharon Maisel use the title "What to Expect When You're Expecting" to point out the book's target buyers by describing the circumstances in which they find themselves. A similar technique is used by the author of the book “Survival Guide for Single Moms,” Patrice Karst.

Jay Conrad Levinson remains a recognized master of targeting specific market segments. It was he who published the book “Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days.” Levinson then adapted his ideas for consumers in different niches. This is how the publications “Guerrilla Marketing for Writers”, “... for Financial Advisors”, etc. appeared. In addition, Levinson wrote a separate book describing the use of his approach in the online sphere - “Guerrilla Marketing on the Internet.”

Some authors manage to define the target audience by saying who the readers are not. For example, Robin Williams created the guide “Design for Non-Designers” (English: The Non-Designer's Design Book, literally “Book about design for non-designers”).

4. Does your title help position your content?

The series of books “... for dummies” is one of the successful examples of positioning content using a title. For example, the book “Red Wine for Dummies” is unlikely to interest experts and fine connoisseurs of this drink. However, if you want to get basic knowledge about red wine, the said title will quickly grab your attention.

The title can position your content by directly indicating the method used to solve the problem. “Cancer prevention through natural means” is an example of this approach.

5. Are you trying to arouse curiosity among potential readers with your headline?

As we are told by all kinds of books on literary analysis and nature literary creativity, interest in the text (it is clear that the word “interest” here is very conditional - it is a set of feelings that are evoked in the reader by the text) is born when the text exceeds our internal expectations from it. And this happens thanks to certain techniques that “break” the general paradigm of the text, the usual picture of the world.

There are three such methods:

• Metaphors. They make names more understandable and memorable. They create images that remain in the reader's memory. Metaphor is a transfer of meaning, the use of a word in figurative meaning. Examples of metaphorical titles: “How I ate a dog” by Evgeny Grishkovets (I didn’t eat it!), “I’m burning Paris” by Bruno Yasensky (I didn’t burn it!), etc. Coming up with a metaphorical title is very easy. But it is important not only to come up with it, it is much more important to play it out in the text. The headline is the bait, the hook. If you disappoint the reader's expectations by not "acting out" the headline in the text, you will lose confidence in your next headlines.
• Alliteration is another way to make the name memorable. It involves the repetition of homogeneous or identical consonants in the words of the title. Alliteration is a technique more characteristic of poetic speech. But composing headings, believe me, is closer to versification than it might seem at first glance. As an example, we can name examples of books “ M Aster and M argarita" Bulgakov, " N very n Ezhna" by Fitzgerald, etc.
• Contradictions or unexpected expressions also arouse the curiosity of readers. They remain winning against the backdrop of trivial headlines. Pay attention to the title of the fairy tale, “How Ivan the Fool Outwitted the Devil.” The emerging contradiction between “fool” and “outwitted” makes the reader wonder how Ivan outwitted the devil. The title of Tim Ferriss's book, The Four Hour working week" is an example of using an unexpected phrase. Many buyers do not believe that it is possible to work only four hours a week, so they are interested in the book. Another example: “Goal: A Process of Continuous Improvement” (a goal is not a finishing point, but a process over time) by Elia Goldratt and Jeff Cox. Well, the most eloquent example of a contradiction is “The Man Who Was Thursday” by Gilbert Chesterton.

6. Does your headline engage in dialogue with your audience?

Pack the title of your book or article with a promise made simple and in clear words. The best headlines retain the almost naive obviousness that characterizes everyday dialogue. ordinary people. Please note the following examples:

• “How to Finish What You Start” by David Allen.
• « The easy way Quit Smoking by Allen Carr.
• “I don’t know how to lose weight” by Pierre Dukan (the dialogue then easily continues: - do you know how? - no, unfortunately, I don’t know how either...).
• "Before your teenager drives you crazy" by Nigel Latta, etc.

Choose regular verbs, creating headers. Also use verbal nouns. They form the attitude you need towards the product on the part of the reader.

• Incentive verbs are one of the most successful forms for a title. They direct readers to a specific action. "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill is one example of the use of motivating verbs in the title.
• The verbal nouns used in the title describe ongoing actions. The book “Walking through torment” by A.N. Tolstoy demonstrates the possibility of using verbal nouns in the title.

7. How short is your title?

Let's say the obvious: short headlines attract more attention from your audience. Remember than less words you use in the name, the more memorable each of them is potential reader.

Author Malcolm Gladwell is considered the master of the short headline. Pay attention, for example, to the title of his book “Geniuses and Outsiders” (English: The Outliers) - succinct and short.

8. Do you use subheadings?

A subheading is a reinforcement of your headline. Combine short headings with longer subheadings that provide some detail. Here's an example of a bestseller with a two-word title and a 14-word subtitle: "Skinny Bitch: The Powerful Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Junk and Look Hot." English version The subtitle consists of 17 words and contains profanity.

Garr Reynolds uses a multi-word title to draw attention to his book. And the subtitle gives readers additional information. Reynolds' piece is called "The Zen Presentation: Design, Development, Delivery, and Examples."

Well, another example that we could not ignore. The book by Michael Stelzner, which is translated into Russian as “Content Marketing: New Methods of Attracting Customers in the Internet Age,” and in the original the title is even shorter and the subtitle is even longer - Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition.

9. SEO: Does your title include popular search terms?

Naturally, we could not ignore this issue. Web content needs to think about driving traffic. The most basic traffic generators are search engines. But here you need to find a middle ground and not be led by “bare SEO”. The main thing is relevance to the content, and then “tailoring” it to search engines. Let's illustrate with the example of this article. We wrote the article itself, we already had a title in our heads - simple and succinct. The only thing we did was check which query was more frequent: “How to write a title” or “How to create a title.” Although I personally prefer the verb “create” in this context (it is closer to the nature of the action of coming up with headlines than the verb “write”), nevertheless, the final version of the title was coordinated.

In general, all of us, working with content and hand in hand with specialists in optimization and promotion of websites on the Internet, must keep in mind the frequency and competition for those requests that somehow coincide with our headlines. It is clear that not every request can be “pulled” to the top of search results only thanks to content. But if the page does not have textual relevance to the intended query, then the query will never make it to the top.

But the authors printed books You should also remember about Yandex and Google. Your works will be found faster on the “shelves” of online stores Ozon.ru, Books.ru, Amazon.com if their titles and subtitles contain popular queries.

10. Mixed Approach: Do you use more than one of the techniques listed above when creating your headlines?

Authors use two or more of the techniques described above to come up with compelling and popular headlines. For example, alliteration and metaphors can be combined well with subheadings that detail information.

Thank you for reading this far. As a thank you, we want to tell you this. In fact, the nature of good copy—and the headline as part of it—is very contradictory. You can create a great headline that completely rejects all of our recommendations above. The geniuses of the pen will do it. And even talented copywriters with a “full” hand. But we are talking about the mechanics of creating texts, and not about the nature of talent. High-quality copywriting is the sum of the technologies that the author uses, learning from his own and others’ mistakes. And in this article we talked specifically about technologies, trying to analyze successful, in our opinion, headlines and generalizing their properties, leading these generalizations to some conclusions.

Speaking about the technological effectiveness of creating headlines, we can also recommend using the following technique.

Use the rating chart to determine the quality of titles for articles, books, blog posts, and social networks and other content marketing products. Consider the best quality option, dialing greatest number points.

Four header functions. A successful headline has 4 important functions:

• Attracting attention.
• Audience screening.
• Transmits the entire message.
• Creating reader interest in the text. Most people skim read, so your headline only has a moment to grab the reader's attention.

Don't use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. We have learned to recognize the “shape” of words on an unconscious level. Words printed in capital letters appear as RECTANGULAR PRINTED BLOCKS, so the person viewing the page will miss the entire message.

Simple and clear. Do not use abbreviations, jargon or difficult words. A well-written title with body text should be easily understood by a 7th grade student.

Don't underestimate the client's intelligence. The decision to spend your hard-earned money is never easy. People need exact facts and guarantees that they receive best offer. Today's consumers can't stand even a hint of airs, dances, tricks and songs from salespeople.

Target your audience. Try to immediately outline the audience in the title. If you try to reach everyone, you will end up with uncertainty and no one will be impressed. When selling a cure for kidney stones, mention kidney stones in the title.

Accuracy. Don't write blind headlines that don't make anything clear about your offer. The title should be self-sufficient so that the reader does not have to read its meaning into the text. He still won't read the text.

Engage your senses. Engage maximum quantity senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) to captivate the reader’s imagination. Remember, “Sell the taste, not the steak.” It is important to imagine not a piece of meat, but the aroma of seasonings, the juice sizzling on hot coals, the smell of the most tender tenderloin and the stains of barbecue sauce on the chef's new apron.

Captions that spark curiosity. Add entertaining captions under each photo. People are always looking at images, and good photo with an intriguing caption will definitely attract the reader's attention.

Get ready! Collect all available information about your product and target audience to find a “bait” to use in your headline. The best headlines come to mind during the process of researching information when writing an ad. Good text and a successful headline are not possible without effort and preparation.

Use a thesaurus. When writing your title, look up each of your words in a thesaurus to find the most accurate synonyms.

Sand until shiny. Rework the title, rearrange the word order and come up with several versions, never stopping to think about a better option. Choose the best one. A good headline takes more time than the body copy. Look from a new angle, in a different direction, or scroll various options, trying to see your title through the eyes of the reader so that it is not boring and can intrigue.

Try to touch the reader’s selfishness on an emotional level. A high-quality headline should contain an element that has a motivating effect. These may be the following emotions:

• fear
• need
• wish
• curiosity
• real news or interesting statistics
• nagging question

Learn from the masters. Creating a working title from scratch is not easy. Successful copywriters use proven formulas that get results by rewriting classic models that have stood the test of time. The following is a list of successful headlines that can be used as a foundation for almost any situation:

• “Lord, give me strength to move on” (fear/curiosity/selling insurance)
• “God give my children the strength to survive this”
• “How to get people to talk about your food” (vanity/curiosity)
• “How to Save Up to 15% on Car Insurance Before November 20th” (accuracy/timing/incentive)
• “How to increase your pension by 14.55% by the end of the year” (accurate statistics)
• “How to Reduce Home Insurance Costs by 28%”
• “How to quickly relieve strain on tired eyes” (an exact solution to a common problem)
• “How doctors quickly get on their feet” (expert revelation/curiosity/authority)
• "How to retire in 15 years when you're 40" (hard numbers and facts)
• “How to quickly pump up your abdominal muscles and make others envy you” (hurt vanity)
• “Do you know the 7 most common mistakes in the advertisements? (curiosity)
• “7 mistakes on the first date” (curiosity)
• “Is your husband proud of your culinary talents?” (vanity)
• “How to win arguments and convince people” (double benefit)
• “Quick test for pregnant women” (attracting a specific audience through curiosity)
• “At first they laughed, but then I started playing...” (curiosity, interest)
• “This face cream made me jealous even best friend"(vanity/curiosity)

Hello dear readers of the blog site. I decided to devote this article to the pressing problem of novice copywriters, namely the question - how to increase sales of finished articles? I'll talk about ways to write headlines that will make your texts stand out. new level.

The magic of a good headline or why it works?

A person is designed in such a way that he needs to constantly update his knowledge with some information. The Internet also plays a significant role in this. And if you believe the calculations of analysts, then every person in the world spends on average from 2 to 4 hours a day searching and reading on the Internet. And when he looks for information, the first thing he pays attention to is the headlines.

I won’t go into the clever speeches of marketing language; a novice copywriter doesn’t need this yet, but I’ll explain it in intelligible Russian words. For example, you are looking for information about how to make money from articles, And Let's say you have two sources in front of you. One of the headlines says – learn to make money by selling articles. And the other one is 10 effective advice to increase sales of finished articles. Which one will you read first? I think the answer suggests itself.

A good copywriter knows how to get the reader to pay attention to his article. And if you want to increase your sales level and earn more, you must also be able to write headlines correctly.

Examples of creating an effective headline

Let's get to the heart of the matter. Below I will give examples of several ways to create a catchy headline. You will subsequently be able to select what you need for your article and thereby increase your earnings.

So, step one - title question

This type of headline forces a person to respond to it, as it were, subconsciously. And the twist is that for this you need to pass the information through yourself. Whether you like it or not, you will read this article. Remember, this happened to you?

Questions in the title may vary. They can be affirmative, concrete or purely symbolic. But they have the same meaning. Everyone points out that the answer to their question is in this text. By correctly composing such a headline, you will force not only to read the article, but also to draw the customer’s attention to it.

• Why doesn't the car speed up?
• Why can't you afford a new Mercedes?
• How long does it take to break in an engine?
• How much does a good car service cost?

Questions of different types cause a certain reaction in the subconscious that prompts action. Take this into account and use this heading option.

Articles for people or how to increase the readability of text?

Title - intrigue

Man is greedy by nature. We are interested in all secrets, especially those that allow us to gain an advantage over someone. And even without this, people are always trying to learn something new. Using such headlines there is a high chance of attracting readers and increasing the level of earnings from finished articles.

• Secrets personal growth.
• The secrets that made Lord Bekins rich.
• A few secrets to increasing profits in a small business.

Something like this. Use such headings as much as possible in texts about various options for earning money.

Title - number

Any numbers in the headings play the role of an auxiliary utility coefficient. To put it simply, this is a measure that allows the reader to a priori evaluate the experience that he will gain by reading the article. And here quantity takes over quality. How higher figure, the more likely it is that your article will be read, and therefore purchased in the store.

By introducing digital certainty, an experienced copywriter can manipulate his audience, diluting the informational component with a light commercial background. If you noticed, my post is titled this way.

• 1000 ways to attract a girl's attention.
• 20 options for starting the engine in sub-zero temperatures.
• 100 tips for increasing profits in business.

Use this approach wisely and then your work will be in great demand, and earnings from articles will reach a new level.

Heading - solution to the problem

By nature, man is a lazy creature. Of course, I'm generalizing a little, but in general this is true. For most people, the Internet is a solution to many problems. There is no arguing with this, it’s just that everyone is spoiled in their own way. And even you, reading this article, took advantage of this opportunity by typing a specific query into the search bar to find the answer to it, right?

There's nothing wrong here. You can’t know everything and you always need to learn something, but to find necessary information, such headers allow.

• How to reduce gasoline consumption?
• How to make a lot of money?
• How to quickly relieve lower back pain?

The first word “how” plays a big role here. From a psychological point of view, behind it lies a guide to making a decision that can help cope with a certain situation.

Is the principle clear? Use it. This is very effective headlines. Of the articles I've sold, more than half have been titled this way. And today, when working with customers, I try to make the most of them.

Headline with rhetoric of personal experience

When looking for information, many people prefer those articles that provide examples from personal experience. That is, the person has already done this and knows all the intricacies. This means that after reading the article, I will also do everything correctly.

• How did I learn to write interesting articles?
• How did I become a professional copywriter?
• How did I make my first money on the Internet?

If you noticed, again the word how. And here there is a double effect. Experienced copywriters guru of his business, They use this approach wisely, significantly increasing the sale of their articles. But such headlines for articles have a second side. Confidence in the text will increase if there are references to the experience of great people.

• Secrets of a successful football player from Cristiano Ronaldo
• How did Abramovich earn his first money?
• How do famous copywriters make money from their texts?

This header option is also good. Use names famous personalities to increase sales of your articles.

Title - emphasis

Some seemingly inconspicuous words, combined with others, can magically affect the sale of articles. Here distinctive feature is that one word will indicate a solution to a problem or encourage the acquisition of something.

• Winter tires from ..... will make your car show restraint on slippery roads.
• Copywriting lessons from ..... will raise your level to a professional.
• By purchasing...... you will get rid of all the Colorado potato beetles on the site.

As you can imagine, these headlines are more suitable for But they can improve profitability in other cases.

Title - fear

Such article headlines instill some fear in the potential reader, forcing him to follow the link and study the information. A person instinctively seeks protection from something, and if there is a chance to protect himself by reading a certain text, then such a headline will definitely hook him.

• Without the skill of writing texts, you lose up to 1000 rubles a day.
• Using motor oil brand…. will lead to irreparable consequences.
• A correctly composed headline can raise the copywriter’s rating in the eyes of the customer.

This is a very strong headline option. Take note and use it to increase your earnings on finished articles.

7 myths about working as a copywriter

Title - guarantee

Another 100% working option. Articles titled in this way go down well on the copywriting exchange. Because the buyer usually knows what content he needs on the site. And your article will answer his questions.

• After reading this book, you will increase the sales of your articles by 100%.
• In this article you will learn how to overcome dandruff.
• By completing this course, you will solve the problem of lack of money once and for all.

Custom Headers

Many of us have a psychological filter built into our heads. Sometimes a person is prompted to action by seemingly non-standard solutions. Experienced copywriters use such headlines, thereby boosting sales and increasing their earnings from articles.

• If you don't need money, then don't read this text.
• Out of the blue - how my husband left me.

You need to know how to use such headings for articles. Therefore, while you have not yet gotten your hands on copywriting, do not rush to take them on board.

Heading is a pain

The most strong headlines texts are those that touch a person to the quick, prompting him to read the article that contains the solution to his problem. Or vice versa, hitting his pride. They work 100%, increasing sales and earnings on articles.

• End your hair loss problem once and for all!
• Stop working for your uncle and strive for financial independence!
• Tired of Colorado potato beetles and mole crickets - there is a solution!

Copywriter's website - why does the author need his own resource?

What do we have?

Human psychology is such that he is interested in solving a problem in any way. If you express this in the title, then you will force the reader to open the text and read it to the end.

What does the customer need? Of course, conversion on the site. Copy or write down examples of article headings somewhere and use them in your work. Then your texts will sell more often, and you will increase your earnings from articles.

Video on the topic