As I’ve talked about before, blogging is – by far – the best way to gain new website traffic, capture new sales leads, and better the business relationship with your existing customers.
One area I see every blog writer struggle with, however, is writing good headlines to break up their blog posts into manageable chunks of information. Studies have indicated that a reader will make a decision to keep reading within 8 seconds of landing on your page.
That’s not a lot of time!
To get their attention in the first place, you must have a catchy blog content divided into easy-to-digest sections.
Here are some tips on how to write blog headlines that stand out and lead to longer time spent on your site:
1. Be Helpful
Deliver value to the reader by being helpful. Make it obvious to the visitor that they will be learn helpful information by reading further.
2. Evoke Emotion
When making snap decisions, readers often revert to their basic emotional instincts. Two prevalent drivers of behavior are: achieving pleasure and avoiding pain.
3. Ask Questions
Using questions in your blog headlines is extremely effective. Ask and answer questions that your ideal target customers are researching.
4. Do’s and Don’ts
Educating your readers is essential to effective content marketing. Show your expertise by offering “do” and “don’t” lessons that you audience will find valuable.
5. Use Lists
Humans are wired to love lists. They are easy to skim and process larger blocks of content. (Hint: You’re reading a list right now)
6. Be Inspiring
Write headlines that speak to your reader’s desires. Inspire them!
7. Understand Empathy
Earn your reader’s trust with headlines and content that demonstrates that you understand their needs and care about them finding a solution.
We know that lists and bullet items do well. Effective headlines work the same way. Today’s readers are jumping from one source to another, so you must give them a high-level idea of what type of information you are offering quickly as they scan the page.
What type of blog headlines attract your attention?