7 Powerful Headline Tips Every Blogger Should Never Miss

The headline is the door to every great content. If you fail to write great headlines for every of your content, they might never get read. In this post, I have carefully listed out 7 powerful headline tips every blogger — including you — should never miss.

Having that great idea and coming up with amazing content is one thing every blogger craves for. You probably have a lot of ideas in your head and wish to share them with the greater public. This is a very good blogging strategy.

Unfortunately, most great contents end up with zero views. It’s so bad that you will carefully structure your content and have no one to read them at the end; it seems frustrating.

In as much as post views can be determined by a lot of actions, one striking factor that boosts your content and draws readers in, is a powerful headline. 

According to Copyblogger, 80% of your visitors will read your headline, but only 20% will actually read up the article and probably take action. So, what happens when your headline can’t even attract this 20%?

No matter how valuable your content is, a headline such as: “Money will come,” will never fetch you your desired traffic. As a result, you won’t be able to market your content.

The goal of every content is to draw readers in, to read through till the end, and finally take action. But how can you get them to take action when there’s an annoying statement at the door of the post?

Your headline does two things to your readers:

? Attract and make them read the full article. Or

? Scare and make them run away — and never come back.

So what does your headline do?

Don’t worry if you’ve been doing it all wrong. There’s always time for a change.

7 Powerful Headline Tips You Should Never Miss

These powerful headline tips will not only make you create stunning headlines, but it also has proven formulas to help consistently craft powerful post titles, to avoid getting stuck.

Are you ready?

Let’s get started!

1. Speak to your audience

2. Use simple but powerful words

3. Use specific numbers & data

4. State the big benefits

5. Ask funny or strange questions

6. Write more headlines

7. Test your headlines (A/B testing methods)

1. Speak to Your Audience

To draw your readers in and make them read your first paragraph, you will need to have a solution to their problems. You’re not speaking to everyone. 

Find out who your audience is — age, taste, preference, nationality, etc. Your blog content should have a target audience and as such, a good headline should be able to attract and make them read.

If you’re talking to the those in the food industry, you should not use words meant for sports lovers; of course, you can’t use a racket to bake a cake!

Have a little survey and find out what your audience need, their desires and problems. Your content should have a solution to it and your headline should make them believe it.

In addition to this, adding the word “you,” will do a lot better and make it more personal. You can as well, mention the industry or particular audience you wish to speak to.

Examples:

? 5 Baking Tricks You Never Knew

? How to Increase Your Page Views as a Blogger

? Harmful Cooking Practices Every Mom Should Avoid

The goal of these headlines is to make you understand the need to have a target audience, before crafting your headline. Your headline should never be as vague as, “What You Should do to Make Money.”

Who are you speaking to? 

Artists? Cooks? Footballers? Bloggers? Students?

Finding out your specific audience will help you speak to them, directly and possibly have them go through your content.

2. Use Simple but Powerful Words

Your readers will never click on something that sounds alien to them. While crafting your headline, take note of the words you use.

It should be as simple as possible. Avoid using words that will leave your readers even more confused than they were. While solving their problems, you wouldn’t want to add more to it, would you?

So, instead of using the word, “utilize,” you can as well use, “use.” Be simple and direct, you have limited words. Your title is not your first paragraph. It is the summary of what your content.

In as much as you’re trying to use simple words for your headline, they should be powerful enough to attract and draw audience. Use emotional words and interesting adjectives to best project your solution.

Your headline should be able to tell your readers, “Hey, I have the best solution to your problem!” 

Not all words are equal. Some power and emotional words include: free, extra, exciting, boost, authentic, irresistible, proven, results, tricks, tips, miss, tested, explosive, special, unlimited, strategies, odd, strange, surprising, facts, controversial, alert, announce, etc.

These words can be used on your headlines to create an “ah-ha!” moment, and prove to your readers that your content is all that they need.

State the obvious and be direct. No need for long statements. Write something that will be easy to understand in its simplest form.

Examples:

? Mind-blowing Facts You Need to Know About Facebook

? 101 Free Cooking Tricks

? Amazing Ways to Fix Your Broken Glass

Also, you will need to do keyword research to optimize your headline. Yes! You need to optimize your headline too! Target a keyword with high search volume. It should be something people are looking for.

This will also enable it rank high in search engines, if used with other best SEO practices. When visitors search for something online, your headline should pop up and scream, displaying the solutions to their problems.

Can you do that? 

Yes, you can!

3. Use Specific Numbers & Data

One best way to draw your readers' attention to your content, is to add specific numbers in your headline. This brings a sense of sincerity and tells them: “This is all you need!”

With numbers and specific data, your audience will react more, with a feeling that the information is genuine and correct. It’s very easy for the brain to process numbers and lists.

While adding numbers, be careful to know words that follow. If you’re using “steps,” try not to exceed “10.” Your readers won’t be able to carry some much information at a time.

However, if you’re using “ways,” you can go as far as “1000.” They don’t need the cram all the ways. They just need to pick out the ones they love and can comfortably use.

While writing numbers, it’s best you write them in figures, rather then words. “9 Easy Blogging Hacks,” is much easier to read and understand, than “Nine Easy Blogging Hacks.”

Sometimes, you should try to put the numbers at the front of the headline to draw their attention more. It all depends on your message.

So you see? Using numbers or data in your headlines isn’t that difficult. Shall we see some examples?

Examples:

? 23 Amazing Ways to Knot your Tie

? 7 Steps to Write Powerful Blog Posts

? Make Your Wife Love You More With These 5 Proven Steps

? 1000 Ways to Decorate Your Living Room

These and so many more, are simple ways to attract your readers, using specific numbers in your headlines.

Check out the headline formulas, for more examples.

4. State the Big Benefits

Your headline is the only way to your content. It is the only medium for dragging visitors to consume your content, without thinking twice.

The only opportunity you have to entice your audience and tell them how amazing your content is, is to make your headline scream!

Who would love to click on a headline that reads: “I want a Car”? Absolutely no one.

Your readers should know the benefits they will get, after reading your post title. Do you have an offer? State it.

Are you solving a problem? Tell them.

There are a gazillion headlines on the internet and you don’t have a chance to miss out. There are 4 powerful U's that will guide you and help your headline display amazing benefits, to produce clicks.

? Unique — if your headline cannot show how different it is from the rest, it will be ignored. Visitors love unique content. It shows that, the information is different and stands out in the crowd. Be “one of a kind.” 

To check if your headline has been used, try placing it in the search bar, and enclosing it in double quotation marks. For example, instead of searching for 5 Amazing Baking Tricks, try “5 Amazing Baking Tricks.”

If you see “no results found,” then it hasn’t been used!

? Ultra-specific — no matter how short your headline is, it should be able to clearly state the big benefits. Tell your audience what they should expect in your article. It should also speak to a particular set of individuals — not everyone.

If you’re using “How to Make Money,” your audience may seem confused. Who is actually making this money? What different method are they using to make money?

In other words, your headline could be “How to Make Money From Home” or “How You Can Make $100 Every Month, as a Blogger.”

Be specific, avoid vague headlines.

? Urgent — unless you want your audience to ignore and come back later to view your content — which they may still forget — you should create a sense of urgency in your headline that says: “Read me now, or miss out forever!”

So, instead of using “Ways to Save Money on Facebook” you can still use “Stop Wasting Money on Facebook”

Also, adding words like now, urgent, important help to create a sense of urgency that will make your readers click without hesitation.

? Useful — it’s not all about adding clickbaits to your headline and tricking visitors to click. If your headline or content is not useful, you will lose your audience. Tell your audience that your content can solve their problems. Use words like beneficial, practical, guide, valuable, worthwhile, to boost your headline. People love to see things that works and would probably help them. Your headline should be able to do this.

Use these 4 U's to create emotional and powerful headlines that will make your readers eager to read through. Also use the word, “you/your” in your headline. It speaks directly to your audience and makes it personal. 

5. Ask Funny or Strange Questions

One major act that will make your audience read your content is the sense of curiosity. Everyone wants to know more.

Ask a provocative question in your headline, that will leave your readers with wild thoughts. They will have no other choice, but to click, in other to satisfy their curiosity. 

Avoid using misleading questions; they should be thought-provoking. The questions will make them ask more and in turn, seek the answers you have to give.

Isn’t that amazing?

Examples:

? Why are you Still Using Facebook?

? Is Toronto a Safe Place to Live?

? What do you Know About Fried Eggs?

? Have you Tried These 3 Stunning Smartphone Apps?

These questions will always leave your readers with a thought and they would wish to find out “what’s new.”

6. Write More Headlines

One headline trick that makes Upworthy stand out, is their ability to test so many headlines before using them. For every post, they write — at least — 25 headlines!

Whoop! Crazy right? Yes. This is what makes them stand out and come up with great post titles. So, out of 25 headlines, 24 gets out of the way and only one is used for the article.

You may not necessarily start with 25 headlines at once but you need to write more than one headline. Check out different keywords and note how the public reacts to each of them.

Do market research and find out what your competitors are doing. Cross out vague headlines and allow your brain come up with better ideas.

The more you write, the more you get even better post titles. Start small, grow big.

7. Test your Headlines (A/B Testing Methods)

After writing your headlines, you will have to test them, to know which works better. Always test them by either asking friends, or using various headline analyzers, like Coschedule headline analyzer.

Keep testing. Find out those that pass the test and ignore the rest, until you get a last and final result. Don’t just rely on your human wisdom — keep testing!

Useful Headline Formulas For You

Let’s check out these practical headline formulas that will help you constantly write stunning headlines without getting stuck.

1. How to [something] and [something] — this is not just an ordinary “how-to” headline. It tells your readers how they van do something, and get something bigger.

Examples:

? How to eat without losing weight

? How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)

? How to Love Your Wife and Make her Love you Back

2. [Number] ways/steps to [something] — this headline gives a list on ways, steps, tricks, strategies, methods, etc., to achieve a goal.

Examples:

? 33 Ways to Easily Repair a Broken Pipe

? 5 Steps to Write a Good Article

? 11 Methods I Used to Bake a Chocolate Cake

3. Who else wants [something] — everyone wants something! This headline springs up a feeling that your audience may be missing out on something, if they don’t act fast.

Examples:

? Who Else Wants 18 Free Hacking Codes?

? Who Else Wants to Know How I Made my First $1000 at Age 20?

? Who Else Wants the Secrets to Fast Pizza Delivery?

4. The secret of [something] — with this headline, your readers assumes that they access to hidden information.

Examples:

? The Secret of Effective Communication Among Teens

? 9 Secrets of Online Money

? The Secret of Successful Writing

5. Little known ways to [something] — just like secrets, your readers will assume that very few persons have access to your information since it’s “little known.”

Examples:

? Little Known Ways to Ride a Bike

? 7 Little Known Ways to Upgrade your Website

? Little Known Ways to Make your Spouse Happy

6. Here’s a method that is help [someone] to [something] — this headline works, because it shows how am influential or a well-known person achieved an aim.

Examples:

? Here’s a Method That is Helping Mark Zuckerberg Stay in the Online Market

? Here are 5 Strategies that Bill Gate uses to Avoid Going Bankrupt.

? Here’s a Method I use to Crack Hard Codes

7. Get rid of [something] once and for all — this headline formula has been narrowed down a little and can be used for things which are not beneficial to your audience. It could be a disease, habit, etc. It creates a positive feeling in your audience, telling them that they can be free from their problems, forever, if they read the article.

Examples:

? Get Rid of Smoking Once and For All

? Get Rid of Diabetes Once and For All

8. Here’s a quick way to [something] — this headline formula convinces your audience that there’s actually a quicker and more effective way to achieve a goal.

Examples:

? Here’s a Quick Way to Make Quilts

? Here’s a Quick Method to Fix Your Broken Window

? Here’s a Quick Way to Mow your Lawn

9. Now you can have [something] and [something] — just like the “how-to” formula, the headline formula also works. It tell your readers that something new has been discovered and they can make their lives easy without stress.

Examples:

? Now you can Sleep and Still Make Money

? Now you can Have Work and Have Fun

? Now you can Eat Without Getting Fat

10. Do [something] like [someone] —with this headline formula, you can tell your audience how to achieve a result that someone has already done in the past (or present).

Examples:

? Perform Amazing Tricks like Ronaldo

? Become Crazily Rich Like Bill Gate

? Understand Physics Like Isaac Newton

11. What everybody should know about [something] — this headline formula creates a sense of urgency in your readers, telling them that they would be missing out on something, if they don’t get the information immediately — since it’s something that everyone should know.

Examples:

? What Everybody Should Know About Sleeping Late

? Crazy Facts Everyone Should Know About Noodles

? Annoying Things Everyone Should Know About Cats

These headline formulas can be used to guide you to while creating your headlines. There are so many other headline formulas too and you can come up with yours. Just be creative and learn to use to tips given above.

Great! You have successfully completed these powerful headline tips that will draw visitors to your content and leave them asking for more.

Do you have any questions or contributions, hit me up and I won’t fail to leave a sincere reply. So, what headline formula do you love best?