How to Write Headlines Guaranteed to Increase Open Rates! (And, Improve Click-Thru Rates)

The written word at the foremost top of your blog page is the first thing that visitors see when they arrive at your site.

If you’re like most content creators, you probably agonize over your headlines. Knowing that your headline is the first thing people see, if it doesn’t grab their attention, they’ll move on to something else.

In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to write headlines that will grab your reader by the eyeballs, stopping them in their tracks with the desire to learn more.

So whether you’re looking to increase traffic or just improve engagement, keep reading!

Learning ways to write effective headlines that will stop your reader in his tracks needs to be of top priority.

Your headlines must reveal what your article offers at the same time creating enough curiosity to click on the headline.

Your headline must be a culmination of the finest, most attention-grabbing, interest-arousing statements you can muster.

The Anatomy of a Great Headline

Although there is no one formula to write great headlines, there are some general tips that you can follow to write headlines.

These tips will help stop readers in their tracks:

• Show a sense of urgency
• Use active verbs
• Promise a benefit
• Use numbers or statistics
• Include keyword phrases

Also:

• Is your headline relevant to the body copy?
• Is your headline interesting and arouses curiosity?
• Is your headline clear and easy to understand?
• Is your headline concise and to the point?

The Purpose of Website Headlines

Your headline is your first, and perhaps the only opportunity to pull eager prospects into your sales copy where they can be educated about the opportunity you have to offer.

If your headline fails to magnetize prospects, the rest of your effort can be considered irrelevant because they won’t stay long.

Because capturing the attention of your targeted prospect is your number 1 priority, your headline will need to be benefit-oriented, make complete sense immediately and hint at a special something to soon follow.

Your headline needs to stop prospects from scanning… grab their attention and trigger an emotional reaction that leads them deeper into your content.

And, it has to do it instantly!

Stopping prospects in their tracks is important, but simply drawing attention from anyone won’t be of any real benefit to you.

You’ll want to capture the attention of interested, qualified, and preferably ready-to-buy, credit card-in-hand, prospects.

How to Write Headlines That Attract More Readers

When you write a headline, be sure to get straight to the heart of what your article is offering and do so in an interesting way.

Write headlines that are benefit-laden statements that pack a punch, are interesting, and promise more to come. But it can’t stop there. Your headline must also accurately reflect the content of your article.

You can’t afford to be misleading. Your headline and your content must match or you’ll develop a reputation for being untrustworthy – and that will be the death of your business.

Let’s take a look at some examples of headlines that make promises they can’t keep:

“You Won’t Believe What This Mother of 3 Did to Lose 100 Pounds in 4 Months!”

This is a great example of a headline that makes a promise it can’t keep. We all know there are no quick fixes when it comes to weight loss and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

When headlines make outlandish promises, readers feel betrayed when they click through and find average results at best.

Your headlines need to be believable while still getting attention. You can do this by using numbers and statistics whenever possible to back up your claims.

“How a Desperate Mother of 3 Lost 100 Pounds in 4 Months by Making 3 Simple Changes”

This headline is believable, packs a punch, and makes a promise of more to come. It also uses a number which gives it an element of credibility.

If you can make your headlines sound like news stories, you’ll increase the likelihood that they’ll be clicked on.

“BREAKING NEWS: Mother of 3 Loses 100 Pounds in 4 Months by Making 3 Simple Changes”

This headline sounds like it could be on the nightly news and that makes it all the more intriguing.

When writing headlines, always keep your target audience in mind. Write headlines that speak to their needs, wants, and desires.

The best headlines will make them feel like you understand them and have something of value to offer.

3 Things That Great Headlines Should DO

1. An Effective Headline Leaves the Reader Wanting More

With all the publications and intense competition all fighting for your reader’s attention, writing a headline that is more creative and ingenious will stop them in their tracks and make them pay attention.

Your headlines should always be well-written and compelling, utilizing literary devices such as alliteration or puns to make them more enjoyable to read.

Use words that are fresh and full of life to describe things instead of the same old tired adjectives. This will create sharper images in your readers’ minds.

If you want to pique your reader’s curiosity and get their attention, write a headline that taps into their interests.

If you want to add impact to your headline writing, use specific numbers and make bold statements. You can also create a sense of urgency or provide solutions to problems your readers might be facing.

Here are some effective headline ideas:

• 7 Clever Tools To Simplify Your Life!
• Why Haven’t Mothers Been Told These 5 Facts About Their Kids?
• 10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Blog
• What 5 Case Studies Say About Hemorrhoids
• 4 Out of 5 People Don’t Floss. Are You One Of Them?
• Definitive Proof That Aliens Exist – Right Here on Earth

When writing a headline, don’t give away too much information and instead stimulate curiosity in the reader, prompting them to continue reading.

Good headline writing should tease and encourage your reader just enough that they want to click on your blog post headline and read more.

2. A Good Headline Should Be Clear and to the Point

When writing an article, you should always have an interesting and unique angle. But it’s also important to make sure that your headline accurately and concisely represents what the article is actually about.

Approach the topic of your headline openly so that your audience is aware of what to expect. At the same time, find an angle that will catch their attention, pique their interest and keep them engaged.

To engage your readers on a personal level, consider the following:

• Find what part of your story is most interesting, then focus on what will make it more unique and attention-grabbing.
• The tone of your story reflects the overall mood of your writing. Make sure that your headline accurately conveys that message.
• Keep your readers in mind when you create your headline. Make sure it emphasizes the why or how of the story.
• Write headlines that connect to readers on a personal level. Think about how your story might impact their lives.

3. Great Headlines Will Play Into Your Reader’s Emotions

Using emotional keywords will help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and get the attention you deserve.

When you use emotional words in your headline, you let your readers know that you understand how they’re feeling and that you have something to offer that can help.

This connection is what will get them to click through to your content.

The specific words you use when you write a headline can create an emotional bond with your audience.

Studies have shown that emotional language is the most influential form of rhetoric to connect with your target audience.

Using emotional words within your headline can allow your reader to invest more in your story because the words used in your headline have created vivid images in their mind.

Writing headlines that tap into our emotions is key to writing persuasive headlines. This is because the words we use can speak to our deepest desires and fears as humans.

Choosing the right words to emphasize the emotional advantages of your readers is essential. This makes it appear as though you understand and feel compassion for your reader’s issues.

Some examples of emotional keywords are:

• Discover
• Easy
• Lonely
• Triumph
• Struggling
• Amazing
• Satisfied
• Breath-Taking
• Depressed
• Frustrated

Related Article >> 273 Winning Words for Emotional Copywriting (with Examples!)

5 Proven Methods to Write Great Headlines and Get Results

1. Keep Your Headline Short

The shorter your headline, the better. A good rule of thumb is to keep your headlines under 10 words if at all possible.

Long headlines are often cut off in search engines and social media feeds, making them less effective.

2. Use Powerful Words

The words you use in your headlines can make a big difference in the results you get.

Some words are more powerful than others and will stop readers in their tracks, while weaker words will be ignored.

Powerful words like “proven,” “amazing,” “incredible,” “unbelievable,” and “miraculous” will get attention, while weaker words like “good,” “nice,” and “great” will be ignored.

3. Use Numbers

Numbers are a great way to add power to your headlines. They stop readers in their tracks and make them want to know more.

Some examples of headlines that use numbers are:

• “3 Simple Changes That Saved This Mother of 3 Losing 100 Pounds in 6 Months”
• “5 Tips for Losing Weight Fast”
• “7 Secrets to Looking 10 Years Younger”

Using numbers in your headlines is a great way to get attention and boost your results.

Writing headlines effectively can be a challenge, but it’s well worth the effort. Your headline is often the first thing prospects see, and if it’s not effective, they’ll move on and never see the amazing content you’ve created.

Take the time to write headlines that pack a punch, make promises you can keep, and accurately reflect the content of your article, and you’ll be well on your way to getting the attention and results you want.

4. Use Authority within Your Headlines

Using authority within your headlines makes your readers feel like they can trust you.

When you use authority in your headlines, you let your readers know that you’re familiar with the subject you are speaking about and that you have the experience to back it up.

This feeling of trust is what will get them to click through to your content.

A couple of examples of headlines that use authority are:

• “5 Tips for Fast Weight Loss from a Nutritionist That Has Helped 1000’s of People Shed 100’s Pounds or More”
• “A Dermatologist Who’s Treated 1000’s of People Has Revealed 10 Skin Care Hacks to Look 10 Years Younger”

Yes, they’re long, but they make the point!

5. Target a Specific Audience

Not everyone is a prospect for your opportunity, and that’s why it’s so important to target your message. You will want to identify early on the specific kind of audience the words in your headline are best meant to reach.

You’ve got to convince the reader to stay on your page.

It’s important to identify the specific market that you intend to address. Often, a single word added to your headline can do the job.

Your target market might be a writer, Internet marketer, or a single mompreneur, there are any one of a million possibilities.

Add the label that fits, the one that whispers sweet nothings in their ear and acts like an unstoppable magnet that pulls them in.

Your headline works if they read on with interest and enthusiasm. Then your job is to keep adding fuel to the fire until they take the action you want them to take.

What makes prospects read beyond the headline? It’s the promise of a payoff. Something of specific interest and importance to your reader.

It’s a solution, a new or better way to accomplish a task, fulfill a dream or generate more website traffic.

In short, it’s about specific benefits being offered to a precisely identified target.

Each and every market niche has its own nuances, so the more you know about your market, the more likely you are to connect and make a substantial impact.

Writing Headlines Within Your Body Copy

Once you’ve got them on the Inside, don’t let them go! The best way to prevent an instant defection is to pepper the inside of your blog post with a series of sub-headings or bullet points to sustain their interest.

Great headlines sprinkled on your page in the form of an outline are like lampposts that light up a long stretch of a dark road.

Done effectively, they will help guide the reader from Point A to Point B, in a smooth and efficient manner. When done ineffectively, they cause the reader to get lost and quite often give up the task of reading your materials.

How to Write Powerful, Attention-Grabbing Headlines in Minutes

Keywords that cut to the heart of your prospect’s pleasure or pain center are certain to capture the attention and interest of that specific group.

High-value benefits, extra advantages, or unique solutions all naturally draw attention and interest.

Example: To a prospect that is suffering from uncontrollable heartburn, a headline such as“How to Stop Acid Reflux Within the Next 27 seconds With This One Secret Ingredient Found in Almost Every Refrigerator!” is virtually guaranteed to interrupt his online travels.

The obvious keyword here is “Acid Reflux” – this is what the prospect’s radar is set to detect.

More specifically, it’s the cure or the alleviation of pain and discomfort that the prospect seeks. But, it’s the usage of the keyword itself that identified the message as having importance – triggering the reaction and immediate shift in focus.

Prospects are constantly on the lookout for “New” ideas, solutions, and upgrades – hence the common practice among marketers to unveil new and improved versions of older products.

‘New’ implies that there has been an improvement over the old, established way. It hints at the promise of a greater benefit.

Promise a unique advantage, and you increase your chances of drawing an interested audience. As humans, we’re hard-wired to spot new ways to get more out of life.

We want more… we want it faster, easier, and at a lower cost. Headlines that scream such advantages generally reap the reward of higher readership.

Speak one-on-one with your target reader… make it personal, if possible, about him/her. If you can name him – do so.

A headline like “Attention Residents of Whispering Pines in Colorado” makes it impossible for the residents of Whispering Pines not to read it.

Another strategy for creating powerful, slam-on-the-brakes headlines is to employ proven, attention-getting words and phrases.

Obviously, you will want to customize your headline to suit the application, but stringing together a few words from the following list can get you off to a good start.

How to Take a Good Headline and Make it Even Stronger

Guarantees, added incentives, and definitive deadlines give an added sense of urgency and importance to your headline.

A guarantee offers immediate backup for any claim previously stated. You still need to prove your point, but the fact that the promise is guaranteed to add power and significance to the message of the headline.

In your headline, you offer benefit one, benefit two, and benefit three.

Benefit #1 seems impressive; benefit #2 is astonishing, but Benefit #3 has never been offered before by anyone, as far as the prospect is concerned. It seems too good to be true… almost unbelievable.

But then you follow up your triple benefit headline with a simple statement like “100% Guaranteed!” Or “It Doesn’t Cost You a Dime!”

The guarantee by itself adds credibility and security. Each of the benefits is attractive in its own right, but when combined, you’ve packaged a loaded statement that’s difficult to ignore.

How to Write Headlines Using a Formula

Lenka Istvanova, who specializes in copywriting and content marketing, is also known for being the Albert Einstein for creating powerful headlines.

After studying headlines for many years, she developed a formula that helps other writers create more powerful headlines quickly.

Her tips and advice have been featured in various online and print publications, including Entrepreneur, Copyblogger, and Lifehacker.

Lenka Istvanova’s headline formula uses attention-grabbing words and phrases, promises, and guarantees.

Here’s a formula for the taking:

(Number + Adjective + Keyword + Promise)

“7 Simple Ways to Start Your Day that Guarantees More Joy in Your Life“

Another popular formula to follow is identifying a problem, offering a solution, and making a promise.

Here’s an example:

“How To Create Headlines That Will Increase Your Open Rate“

• How to Create: The Solution
• Headlines: The Challenge
• Increase Your Open Rate: The Promise

How to Write Headlines Using a Headlines Generator

We’ve already covered that your article headline must pique the interest of your reader in a way that they just can’t help but click the link because they want to know more.

Writing headlines is an art form, but don’t feel like you’re the only one that has a difficult time coming up with just the right headline to hook your reader.

When you’re short on time or inspiration or just suffering from a bout of writer’s block, why not try using an article headlines generator tool?

A headlines generator is the perfect way to come up with creative and catchy headlines for your next article.

Not only can these headline generators give you a selection of different headlines to choose from, but they can also help you create awesome blog topics, email subject lines, social media headlines, and more.

With title generators, you’ll have a leg up above your competition for creating different headlines or sub-headlines to insert into any part of your article’s body copy.

I particularly like the Headlines generator from The Hoth.

All you need to do is to type in a keyword phrase relevant to your content, enter the name of your target audience, a common problem with your target audience that they’re facing, along with a few other simple entries, and viola, examples of headlines.

After you’ve written and published your award-winning blog post, use this online tool to create your email subject lines to send off email blasts to your email mailing list.

Conclusion

How to Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines that Create Emotional Stimulation? You take your time!

Remember that the headline is the key to the rest of the article. You should spend the majority of your time on creating a powerful, attention-grabbing headline and the rest of the time on the body of the ad, not visa-Versa.

Keeping in mind that if your headline doesn’t grab the reader by the jugular, the remaining of your information will NOT be read.

Make your headline off-the-hook and attention-grabbing. Make it startling, BOLD, provocative, and newsworthy. If you put an offer in the headline – make it BIG.

We all know that writing an amazing headline is just the beginning of a successful blog post. But there’s more to a blog post than strictly the headline.

Need more help beyond the headline? Follow the link below, which will take you to an article that will cover every aspect of writing amazing blog posts.

Sometimes, going back to school for a quick refresher is the BEST thing you can do! Visit my blog article, which will take you back to the basics for writing blog posts.

If you haven’t started your own blog, there’s no time like the present. Blogs are making money hand and fist all over the Internet, don’t be left behind.