4 ways to write amazing titles and headlines

You read the title, right? Are you reading anymore? Did you know that only 20% of people read the copy? That might be extreme but most of us want the facts…FAST. Just give me the meat. And many times we can do that from the headlines alone. A friend of mine said she didn’t want to watch all the Game of Thrones so she just YouTubed the main points and is caught up in about 2 hours. We are kind of like that so how do you write amazing headlines to capture people? Well, your main headline isn’t the only thing to focus on. The headers through the article are important too. So here’s what you need to know.

The headline needs to specifically state exactly what the article is about.

You can’t just say, “The one thing you’re missing today”. This could literally cover millions of things. It has to be insanely specific such as “Clean your entire bathroom in 15 minutes or less”. That article better be about how to clean my bathroom in 15 minutes.

Use numbers.

People love numbers. Five ways to do this, 10 ways to do that, etc. People love numbers and when you give specifics in the title, people can mentally wrap their head around it a little bit better even if it’s a large number. “Over 100 homes sold this year on Mercer Island alone” – that will probably get you a few sellers. Research has shown that headlines with numbers got over 300% more thanks then any other form of a headline.

Be urgent.

The headline needs to evoke strong emotions and urgency. Use words like “now”, “fast”, “new”. And, you don’t need to put all of them in one headline. Don’t go overkill either. “5 fast and simple ways to increase your home’s value” Make sure you’re giving them a teaser headline so they instantly have the fear of missing out.

Is the headline about you or your reader?

Does the headline instantly say what’s great about you or how you are helping solve the problem? Headlines like, “We are the best real estate team in Chicago” has nothing to do with the customer. So what? How will that affect me? I have lines such as, “Your home sold in 30 days or less for top market value” really speak to the client and make it all about them.

People want quick and easy information that will solve the problem. Are you the hero of the story or the guide helping them solve a problem? The headlines don’t have to be fancy but they do need to be specific, urgent, informative, and specifically state what the article is about and how it will solve someone’s problem.