The internet is like the big blue ocean populated by different creatures (Leads). With blogs, we cast our line far into the ocean with the intention of hooking a valuable, wealthy school of Leads and with that, watch our blogs explode online.
That’s the Digital Dream, I suppose. There’s just one teeny issue – you’re not the only fisherman with his line cast at a particular crowd. You have competition, competition that may very well be superb at what they do.
So, on that note, how do you propose drawing in better lead generation and destroying your competition?
Create Irresistible Headlines As A Start!
Headlines can be described as the composition of your entire pitch/article into one catchy, informative and irresistible title.
We have read books and seen many successful blogs such as Copyblogger promoting the importance of an irresistible headline. It’s been said, ‘spend at least 50% of your time creating the body of content and the other 50% at creating the perfect headline’.
- The item you’re selling,
- The persona you’re targeting,
- The social awareness you’re attempting to create and;
- The ranking you aim for, are all factors taken into account when creating the perfect headline
When formulating Headlines, one ought to draw a comparison between real-life and digital marketing. A bookshop has hundreds if not thousands of different books belonging to different genres. With that being said, a book on cooking would need a cover that deals specifically with food and a title that promotes the product in its entirety.
What is the Principle Message of your content?
It wouldn’t make sense to name a cooking book after motor vehicles or mechanics, it has nothing to do with cooking and neither would that speak to the crowd of prospective buyers. Online, your featured image would be the book cover and your article headline is the book title.
Your headline must be RELEVANT and INFORMATIVE in terms of the product, message and targeted persona.
Are you selling a particular product? Is your content based on controversy or a factual finding? Is it solving a problem or identifying an issue? By answering these questions, you can create a headline that directly speaks to people who are either desperate for solutions, curious about the problem or newbies seeking guidance.
Once you’ve identified the principle message and the target audience, you can move onto creating the perfect kind of headline for your content.
To sum it up, a headline ought to:
- Pique Curiosity
- Be Informative
- Laser Focussed
- Evoke Emotions and/or –
- Create Excitement Through Scarcity.
The following are a list of headlines that are both popular and high converting:
Command Headlines
A command headline is essentially an instruction. For instance – Download ‘This Divine Cook Book’ Totally Free for ONE Week Only! Not only is it to the point, it directs and instructs readers to take part in your call to action which would be downloading your cook book within the specified time period (creates scarcity).
When constructing a command headline, make sure it is direct, instructional and super focussed on the action required.
Question Headlines
Throughout life, we are taught and encouraged to question everything that crosses our path. In fact, more than a decade of our lives are spent asking and answering questions during our entire schooling cycle. With that being said, asking questions, even rhetorical ones, engages the potential lead from the get-go.
Why?
Because countless of studies have shown that the human mind develops with many compulsive behavioural patterns. One of those is the need for having our questions answered. It’s an undying quality that will remain for generations to come.
On that premise – isn’t it wise to ask questions that people desire an answer for?
Problem Solving Headlines
There is a reason for why How-to and Tutorial sites are exceptionally popular and high converting – they solve problems. It goes even deeper than just solving a problem. They are providing a helpful service.
Everyone and I mean everyone prefers firing up google and searching for a solution to a problem. It’s quick, fast and cost efficient.
By making use of problem solving headlines, you offer helpful information but more importantly, information that requires a reader to actively engage in your step by step guides. This sort of headline never goes unnoticed, especially since these are laser focussed headlines catering to a specific crowd of people.
Testimonial Headlines
In this digital era, there is one important and pivotal aspect to running a business online – building rapport with your audience. In other words, building trust with readers and clients. If you have any intention of building a group of loyal readers/clientele, you need to use Testimonial headlines as they are a powerful way of establishing trust and promoting positive emotions in seconds.
For example: ‘I shed 20 Pounds within 30 Days on the Paleo Diet’ Danielle claims enthusiastically!
Not only are you evoking emotions, you’re displaying real factual results and creating an intimate relationship using a testimonial headline. It truly is an exceptional headline for increasing conversion rates.
Inserting Personality + Combinations
We’ve heard writers scream on rooftops about inserting personality into writing but how does one go about achieving such a task in headlines?
I’ll tell you how – adding an extra special few words.
- 10 Ways to Lose Weight – A Standard Direct Headline (Lacks Personality)
- 10 Ways to Lose Weight (#5 Blew Away the Pounds I Hated) – A Direct Headline + Personality + Testimonial
Option 2 is a typical example of a direct headline composed with personality that creates a sense of realism, trust, intimacy and curiosity. Earlier we spoke about how we all need answers to questions asked but in this case, the headline does not ask any questions.
However, careful consideration of proper wording can create a combination headline that sparks questions influenced by curiosity whilst promoting trust and relevancy.
Your potential lead will be asking him/herself what #5 could be and how effective is it. Furthermore, he/she would be intrigued by your results and want to know more. Immediately, questions formulate in the mind of the lead and he/she will succumb to their curiosity resulting in a higher converting headline.
Concluding Remarks
Essentially, headlines require utmost attention to detail. Craft a headline with the mind-set of it being too irresistible for the reader to ignore. Instead of slapping together a random headline, use the guidance and checklists provided above and choose the best form/combination of headlines that suits the topic and audience appropriately.
As a content creator, you need to immerse yourself into the mind of the reader and word headlines carefully so that they stand out against powerful competition.
In short – if a headline doesn’t engage you, the creator, it’s not good enough.
