How to create catchy headlines. How to write effective headlines Headlines should be interesting phrases

Having studied this material, you will learn:

“As you name the ship, so it will sail” - this expression applies to everyone who writes texts. I suggest you fully master the craft of writing the best headlines.

How to come up with a good article title?

When we open a newspaper, magazine, article or news feed, the first thing we pay attention to is the headline. Only then we decide whether it will be useful to us this information or not.

Interesting headlines– this is 50% success. They attract readers, make the article popular and exciting. Despite the fact that the headline consists of only a few words, copywriters often have difficulties when writing it. They're spinning in my head different variants, a lot of thoughts come up, so sometimes it’s not easy to write a headline that will blow the reader away. It often takes too much time to choose a name for a material. If you often encounter a similar problem, then I will teach you how to write beautiful and effective headlines in a matter of minutes.

I decided to devote this section to the criteria for catchy headlines and create some kind of information-cheat sheet for copywriters, which you can look into if you quickly need to create an original headline.

Criteria for a catchy headline:

  • Intrigue

Instantly affects a person’s consciousness, awakens curiosity, and quickly attracts attention. Intrigue the reader! Let him linger on the title and want to familiarize himself with all the information presented.

  • Target orientation

The correct article title is always aimed at a specific target audience. It makes it clear to the person that the material was created specifically for him and will be useful to him. The name must fully meet expectations target audience and then it will really “work”.

  • Benefit

When we scour the Internet and look for specific information, we may notice that not all headlines are thought out correctly. After reading them, the reader immediately thinks about whether the information will be useful to him and whether it is worth spending his personal time reading it. Interesting article headlines encourage us to look at the site and find answers to questions that are important to us, to find out why we, in fact, went to the Internet.

Types of text headings + examples

Titles are attractive in two ways:

  • They give an initial idea of ​​what will be discussed in the publication and are often called "talking" headlines. They present a condensed essence of the material and do not contain aphorisms. If you need such a title, it won’t be difficult to come up with one. First write declarative sentence, then remove unnecessary words, making sure to leave the active verb. You will end up with a good informative headline.

Examples of “talking headlines”:

  • Hook titles- Another popular headline option. They are often called figurative or playful. The main function of such a headline is to instantly intrigue and force you to read it. Unlike “talking” titles, they use catchphrases, aphorisms. As a rule, they consist of two parts and form a special mood in the reader, thereby making it easier to “enter” the article:

My advice: Do not overdo it with such titles, because they can scare off the reader and not inspire confidence in the author.

The following rules will help you easily come up with unique page titles:

  • while writing text write down important words and phrases, which can be used as ideas for the title of your publication;
  • focus on specific details and images that arise in your mind when reading the material, on the emotions that it generates;
  • use words“high-quality”, “effective”, “best”, “fast”, “easy”, etc.;
    very often people need a push to start or continue moving towards their goals, so in the titles of some publications you can use the words: “succeed”, “build”, “find”, “create”;
  • remember, that The title must fit completely in Google search(write up to 70 characters, approximately 6-8 words) – this is a trick not only to improve readability, but also SEO;
  • Titles of articles should not be pretentious or feigned.

Most “working” headlines include numbers, for example: “top 10 best web studios in Ukraine”, “5 advantages construction company"Step", "10" interesting facts about Thailand that you didn't know." You can start the title with the word “How”, for example: “ How to open a business without investment”, “How to get rid of varicose veins forever”.

There is a very good formula that will help weed out unnecessary words from your title if it turns out to be too long and you need to highlight the most important thing in it. So, I present to your attention this formula:

For example: "10 simple steps things you can do now and be happier." I would like to immediately draw your attention to the fact that the proposed formula is not universal.

In fact, the power of a well-chosen word is limitless. That is why many experienced copywriters also use this simple formula to write attractive headlines:

For example, amazing examples, unrivaled advice, legendary strategies, fantastic ideas. Titles like these work well for many magazines and business books.

Personally, I am hooked by headlines that guarantee benefits. For example: “How to attract new clients without spending money?”, “How to get rid of wrinkles: 5 proven face masks” and so on.

To correctly write a title in Word, highlight it in bold or another color. Be sure to select heading h1, heading h2, after which the titles will change size and color.

Best Techniques for Writing Selling Headlines

Often copywriters have to write selling texts, for which it is extremely important to choose the right title. If you don’t know how to write a selling headline, then the next block of my article will be very useful to you.

Below are a few additional tips to help you come up with a great sales headline:

  • users search the Internet for a specific product, expecting to find the most profitable proposition. The copywriter’s task is to clearly articulate the benefits of the product that needs to be sold. The title plays a special role here and can reflect, for example, the main advantages or properties of a particular product;
  • in the title you can indicate what benefits the buyer receives after purchasing the product. Here are a couple of options for successful selling titles: “ Women's clothing By best price in Ukraine”, “Spare parts for microwave ovens with a guarantee from the manufacturer”, “Sugaring with a 50% discount”.

When composing a sales text, follow the rule of the four “W’s”.

Based on it, the title and subtitle should be:

  • ultra-specific;
  • unique;
  • terribly relevant;
  • amazingly useful.

Summarizing all the material presented, I would like to once again focus your attention on the fact that the title should not be:

  • too short and not too long, try to fit it into one line;
  • formulaic, hackneyed and boring (try to come up with an informative and original title for the text).

Titles should consist of approximately 3-5 words, since bulky titles will negate interest in the material.

By following these tips, you will never write “dull” headlines again, but turn them into a selling masterpiece.

Hello everyone, guys!

Do you think it's really important to know how to write headlines? Most likely, your answer will be positive. And I have no right to argue with this, because this part of the text is of great importance.

Absolutely all novice copywriters are very concerned about this issue. Today we will learn how to create great headlines for selling texts and informational articles.

What to do before writing a title?

Every action has a beginning. Writing a headline begins with a trivial analysis of the target audience. That is, before you start writing an article, and therefore a headline, you need to find out what the audience wants.

Everyone’s favorite Wordstat () will help you find out what the audience wants. Let's look at it with an example. Let's say I want to write an article about how to cook borscht. We enter this query into Wordstat and look at what else people are looking for for this query:

Pay attention to the queries that I highlighted in red: +how to cook delicious borscht and + how to cook borscht step by step recipe with photo. Having done such a small action, we have found what our target audience needs and can safely use it in the title, but more on that a little later.

Advice: copywriting on the Internet is primarily about sales and promotion search engines Oh. Therefore, use Wordstat keyword statistics to more accurately target your target audience, as well as for better promotion in search engines.

Writing a title

Great! We know what the target audience is interested in. Now you need to learn how to write a headline correctly.

  • Question. The title consists entirely of a question. In our case, the entire key phrase will serve as the title. Example: How to cook delicious red borscht? Step by step recipe;
  • Availability of numbers. Numbers make the headline more attractive, effective and specific. Example: 3 recipes for delicious red borscht;
  • Intrigue. For most members of the human race, especially female, it is important to know all the secrets. The interest in such things is just off the charts. Why not use this in headlines? Example: Secret way cook delicious red borscht;
  • Appeal. Reaching out to people also works well. Example: Do you know how to cook delicious borscht?;
  • Problem. It’s quite possible to put pressure on the readers’ sore point. Example: Not tasty borscht? Recipe for delicious red borscht;

You can also play with combinations of the above methods.

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 required for websites, letters, advertisements, on banners, in articles, press releases, in general, wherever there is content 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's it about? we're talking about? Perhaps someone died? Or are some things missing? There's really no specifics here.
  4. Communicate urgency.
    This rule is not always applied, but it 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 placed 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 most quick way get on 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.
  • Lead to any guides.
  • 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 appears 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 ELECTIONS!!! 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 the 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.

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 on finished articles.

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

Something like that. Use such headings as much as possible in texts about various options earnings.

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 in a certain situation.

Is the principle clear? Use it. These are 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, when combined with others, can have a magical effect on 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 inspire some fear 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 living, prompting him to read an article that contains a 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 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

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 the needs of your target audience, the purpose of the title, and search queries by topic. 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 your titles 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 the keywords in the title look 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 can't fit it into six words, make sure the most important information is 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. From the title it should be immediately clear what the text or video is about. 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 the definition: “ Intriguing headlines, which 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.

Vivid 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