How to write a killer headline and tagline that will get you the candidate attention

This is a MUST-read if you want to write headlines that will get results.

A good headline is the first impression your reader will get of your content. It's the first thing that will set your content apart from others.

Your headline should be clear, concise, and compelling. If you have a good headline, people will be more likely to click on it, read more, and apply.

When you're writing a headline or a tagline, you want to get people's attention. It can be challenging to get noticed in the crowded world of online content, so you need to be clever and think outside the box.

David Ogilvy, known as "the father of advertising," said this:

"On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy."

A good headline will usually contain 3-5 words. It should be short, sweet, and to the point. If you have a lengthy headline, you will lose readers because they will get tired of reading it. But, on the other hand, they will also get bored because it's too long.

Strong headlines sum up the content, strong headlines set the expectation, and strong headlines make sense of the context. So you can use them on your career website, as a Linkedin profile headline, in your recruiting blogs, like subject lines when short, for your Linkedin post, etc.

A good tagline is something catchy and memorable. It can be a line from a song, a quote, or even a word. Make sure that your tagline is short, yet it has to have a hook to capture your readers' attention. Taglines are the most crucial element of your content. They are used to give the reader a quick overview of your content. Therefore, your tagline should be short and easy to read. It should also convey the central message of your article.

Ideally, you would use taglines as a section/paragraph divider in your career website, job posts, and emails or blogs.

Headlined Formulas

1. Surprise. In the headline, write something unexpected that catches the reader of guard.
2. Questions. Ask a question that the audience can relate to. A good tip is to personalize it.
3. Curiosity Gap. It's all about piquing their interest by creating a massive "open loop" that they must close. It's like leaving them on a cliffhanger. (what is a cliffhanger? read here)
4. Negatives. People are motivated to seek pleasure and avoid pain. However, the pain aspect is a more significant incentive for some reason. As a result, headlines that target a pain area and suggest a way out of it can be effective.
5. How To. The traditional "how-to" post. Immediate value communication, as long as what you're showing them how to do is something they're interested in.
6. Numbers. People are fascinated with numbers. It appears more distinct and less hazy as a result. Also, rather than being rounded off, the more specific the number, the better.
7. Audience Referencing. You're highlighting a specific target audience segment and associating the title with them.
8. Specificity. This has a lot to do with numbers. People favor concrete facts backed up by data over general notions once again.

Headline Ideas

• Who Else Wants _____? e.g., "Who else wants to code for Medtech?"
• X Ways To _____ [Curiosity Gap]. e.g., "3 Ways To Pass a Tech Interview at Our Company."
• How To _____ Even If ______. e.g., "How to join MedTech even if you didn't study medicine."
• Lessons I Learned By _____. e.g., "Lessons I learned by talking with our CTO."
• A [Quick/Free/etc] Way To _____. e.g., "A quick way to speak with MedTech CTO."
• X Warnings Signs Of _____. e.g., "7 warning signs of liking our company."
• The Shocking Truth About _____. e.g., "The shocking truth about our technology stack."
• Warning: _____. e.g., "Warning: you will like what you will read."
• X Shortcuts To [Blank]. e.g., "3 short cut to talk with our CTO of MedTech company."
• How To _____ While You [Do Something Else], e.g., "How to join high tech company without a CV."
• X Steps To _____. e.g., "5 steps to a leadership position at our company."
• X Things I Wish I Had Known About _____. e.g., "7 things I wish I had known about our company." (check more in the original post here )

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, a great headline is one of the most important skills you can develop as a recruitment copywriter. A good headline will entice readers to click on your ad, while a poor headline will drive them away. You can use the same headline for multiple ads, but it's essential to keep each one different. You should also test your headlines in various places and make sure they perform well.

A good headline can be the difference between apply and no apply. A good headline gets attention, captures the reader's interest, and makes them want to click through to read more.

Learn more about recruitment copywriting here.