Do you find that you spend hours rethinking and rewording your headlines? What if there was a way to speed up the time it takes to write a compelling article title, email subject, or ad header that actually gets clicked?
Have you ever wondered if more people would read your blogs is they had a different title? Probably! The most important step to writing is taking the time to understand your customers’ wants and needs.
So how do you write a winning headline that will get you heard?
The following “formulas” from Mike Samuels of the McMethod are proven to get your read!
1. A Question…
Ask the most pressing question in your niche.
Example: What is the best software for webinars?
2. How-to …
How to X (try to use numbers in your X)
Example: How to make $5,000 in 2 weeks.
3. Liar, Liar
X Lies About Y. Here the goal is to induce fear. Your goal is to invert a typical relationship of trust.
Example: 7 Lies your marketing director told you about measuring social ROI
4. The Promise …
Make a big promise about results client’s can see.
Example: Get 1,000 subscribers to your blog in 3 days.
5. A Comparison
Why X [is better than, instead of, rather than] y. This works well if the comparison dispels major myths in your industry.
Example: Why you should be building relationships with referral partners not end consumers.
And my favorite quick formula for writing winning headlines:
End Result Customer Wants + Specific Period of Time + Address the Objections
Example: Make $100 in your first week while working only 1 hour per day.
Why do these headlines work?
Following formulas like the ones above increase clicks because they are specific, client-centric, and give actionable tactics that lead to real results. As long as your blog ties into the headline that you write, your readers will thank you. Most importantly, these formulas keep you from being vague.
As you are writing the headline, also make sure you know exactly what your client wants. McMethod gives the example of not saying “Lose 10 Pounds” if your client actually wants to “get ripped”. This obviously ties into being specific and client-centric, but can often be overlooked!
Have you worked on transforming your headlines and titles? How have you seen your open and click rates change using these formulas?