Intriguing headlines. How to write effective headlines How to write a proper headline for an article examples

Mikhail (Kashchey)

20.10.2015

Writing a title. Why can't you use secret formulas in 99% of cases? Writing a headline for a 21st century article

Article title as an alternative advertising banner. He must attract and interest the target audience in 2 seconds. How to write a title for an article? Make it an effective, working tool, rather than a useless line of text.

Are you reading?This Fine! This means that the title of this article caught your attention, and the lead (the first paragraph of the text) fulfilled its purpose.

We write a headline using a formula - is this normal?

What is our a common problem? We forgot that headings cannot be written according to a template. Yes, yes, there are so many outdated secret formulas on the Internet. All of them were created with one purpose: take it and do it.

TO Unfortunately, most authors forget that ready-made formulas are a great opportunity hopelessly behind your experienced colleagues.

Simple formulas:

and you want...;
we will bring your site to the top 5 or return your money.

More difficult:

Numbers + Adjective + Keyword + Explanation + Promise;

Let's get to the heart of the problem. Someone created the formulas. You found them from third parties (who stole them from the source) and use them instead of learning how to write headlines without formulas.

The harsh truth is that templates are outdated the moment they are released. They are immediately adopted by thousands of authors.

And now millions of hackneyed headlines appear on the Internet, which are similar to each other, like twin brothers. Here's what I wrote based on the template:

Do you want to know how to write exclusive headlines?
10 Secret Title Writing Techniques That Boost Your Expertise.

Do you recognize the formulas? I almost threw up while I was writing them. Or maybe pickled cabbage is to blame for this? Ay, it doesn't matter. I think the title for this page is much better. You can challenge this point in the comments.

How to write a cool title without using formulas?

A copywriter who is developing and wants to become an expert writes headlines based on the following points:

Keywords (if the page will be promoted);
Knowledge that the essence must be contained in the first 65 characters (which is actually not the case);
Information presented on the page;
The target audience for which the text is intended;
Your flair and style.

CopywriterKashchey, yes, you are senile! After all, formulas are a “bang-bang” and a ready-made headline came out. Did you think the same? We can discuss.

Articles and notes are characterized by all 5 points, but when writing selling texts, you need to build on 3, 4 and 5. Let’s look at them in more detail.

Headings and keywords

The main thing is that the key should be in the title among the first 60 characters. However, the key is often the title itself. In this case, we get a “key header”. If you read the article ““, then you understand how big a keyword phrase can be.

By choosing a keyword as the title of your article, you limit your wiggle room. This is not so scary, because the “key title” is already interesting to users (wordstat is a witness to this).

What is the optimal title length?

Why 60 characters?

I warn you, It's going to be hard now.

The search engine displays limited quantity characters. Technically, the header (

) can be of any length, but the tag< Title>– no more than 60. The problem is that only the first 60 (according to another version 65) first characters will be displayed on the search results page.

Unfortunately for us, search engines take into account all the words and distribute the weight ( relevance) throughout the tag

.

We caught our breath, blinked 20-30once V fast pace... I'm serious, because copywriting is. Go ahead.

The shorter and more precise the title (written in

) responds to the query entered by the user, thus higher value gets every word.

Title relevance is one of the evaluation points used by search engines and not the most important one. If the headline is longer than necessary, but this length allows you to interest more users, then you can sacrifice relevance. Its influence on the entire text is small, but the relevance of the text is of great importance for the promotion of the article.

The most relevant title for this page is “Title Writing.”

And the interest was cemented: we are writing a headline for an article in the 21st century.

And now the most important thing: the entire title for this article contains 117 characters. Remember that in the tag

You can insert as many characters as you like. (don't forget about relevance). For< Title>you need a shortened version, one that does not exceed 60 characters. By the way< Title>And

should not duplicate each other.

That's why< Title>to this page the following:

“How to write a title for an article? Successful headlines of the 21st century."

Here's an SEO squiggle that every web copywriter should know.

Psst... this is Vasily the cat. Kashchey didn't say that the tags were filled in correctly< Title>And When submitting an order, they speak about your expertise.

Information is an important basis

What does a person who is interested in the title of the article and swallowed the first paragraph (lead) want to see? We list the possible options:

useful information for yourself;
your benefits from a service or product;
clear and concise answers to the questions posed in the headlines.

It is important that the text of your article matches the title. It seems so simple, right? From the very beginning of my article, I have not deviated from the topic. We are still discussing it.

If an article, where the title talks about building a brick house, talks about selecting bricks, then the visitor may leave. Behavioral factors will sag, and the article will become useless trash. Write honest headlines!

Target audience (TA)

What is the difference between a heavy-duty road train driver and a copywriter? He differs in that in 99% of cases he will not be interested in the title of this article. The remaining 1 percent is if he himself is an author and writes texts. Remember to write headlines for your target audience. The rule is simple, but if you have a template, then “bang-bang”, and they forgot about the audience.

Flair and original style

If you use templates and formulas, then you will not understand me now.

An author who writes headlines without templates can come up with 10 cool options faster and they will be of better quality. It's simple. Over the years of training, your brain adapts, it thinks, and does not substitute words into a template. For a good copywriter, writing according to a template is not a problem, but why do it?

The article turned out to be big. Perhaps my head is a mess right now. There is one military technique that allows you to quickly disperse thoughts into corners. 30-50 squats or push-ups.

How to make the title more interesting? Simple but useful tricks. ()

They help with this. But without an attractive and competent title, all your work will disappear into oblivion. You may have high-quality text, but who will see it if the title is not catchy and does not encourage further reading?

The headline should not only attract attention and encourage the reader to click on it to read the entire article, but also reflect the essence of the material and be relevant to its content.

In this article, I will talk about the basic rules for creating a title that will help attract an audience, including from search engines.

1. Use keywords correctly

You don’t need to insert a bunch of keywords for , one or two are enough. The keyword in the title helps Google and Yandex systems understand what the article is about and for what queries it should be shown to users.

Do not forget that it is important to reflect the essence of the article in the title. If the title and content are radically different, such a sneaky move search engines(not to mention the readers) will definitely not appreciate it. They will “bury” such an article in the depths of your site. It will never be ranked in search results and there will be no talk of any visitors.

According to Copyblogger research, out of ten people, only two will study the entire article after reading the headline. Just think about it, 8 people will ignore the material.

There is only one attempt to attract attention. A strong and attractive headline will help with this. I recommend using unusual, emotional words. For example, “How to avoid getting fined 70,000 rubles...”, “Are sales falling? 5 steps to correct the situation..”, etc.

3. Write clearly and to the point.

The title of the article should be clear and not misleading. You devote so much effort and time to building trusting relationships with your audience that you simply must meet their expectations.

For example, the title of this article allows you to understand exactly what the material will be about. In the text itself we reveal the essence and do not write about anything else.

If you deceive the reader and indicate something that is not covered at all in the article, this will lead to the person leaving the site. The bounce rate will increase, and search engines will trust your online resource less.

Do you know what your audience really cares about? What problems does she have? The best headlines are those that answer the client’s questions and help solve problems. The title should answer the main and painful questions that concern your users.

Create a portrait of your client (or several), conduct an analysis - what problems concern these people, what tasks they face. This will greatly help in creating the right “messages”.

Below is one of our client portraits:

5. Use numbers

Numbers attract readers; they give a clearer idea of what will be “inside” the article. For example, “3 ways to attract more clients” or “5 healthy foods that you should eat for breakfast." It is immediately clear that the article will contain a list of 5 foods that you should eat. And it’s immediately clear whether this article is long or not. How more points, the longer the text.

According to Outbrain research, odd numbers attract on average 20% more readers than even ones. Here's an interesting fact.

TO keywords add strong adjectives and adverbs. For example, “free”, “easy”, “new”, etc. Try using these words and you will notice how your audience will begin to grow.

Another way is to use phrases that indicate urgency, specificity, and uniqueness. Everyone wants to find out the latest information faster than others.

7. Keep it short

Also, if you are engaged in email newsletters and announce articles, a short title is most welcome. After all, you must force the subscriber to open the letter. What should you write in the subject line of the letter? Exactly, the title of the article. And that's it email clients It is recommended to use no more than 40 characters in the subject line. Otherwise, the name simply won’t fit completely.

Of course, the above list is not the holy grail. Use and test various strategies and hypotheses that you come across along the way. But incorporating this practice into your regular content creation strategy is essential.

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

To attract 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 easy to understand for 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 amount 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. Good title takes longer than the main text. 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)

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 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 there is no change in the reader’s state 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 your car thieves 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 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!
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 couple of 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 from 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 heading “ 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...

Stop worrying about what others think of you;
Become a master at creating great content for your readers;
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.