It goes without saying that headlines are a vital part of any website. Within a glance they explain what the story is and in that nano-second, they decide whether or not they’re going to stay, or leave. In order to get visitor attention quickly (and then keeping it), you need a smart & snappy headline. Here’s how I like to reel visitors in when I write great headlines…
Hook ‘Em: Short and snappy
With the right headline, you can hook your customers.
The best headlines are between three and six words. When they start going past that point, they appear clumsy (well, they actually become a sentence, and not a headline!); not only that, long headlines have a hard time holding viewer interest. For example, you might be searching for “what’s the best mortgage?” and see a bunch of headlines appear in the results. But ah-ha! You see this tone: ‘Save Money with the Best Mortgage’ and you’re hooked in right away!
Why? Because not only does it answer my question, it tempts me with saving money, too!
It’s also important to mention the title tag will appear in the search results as well so that short sentence or two needs to support your brilliant headline!
The Line: A Secret source
Okay, so you may not be a writer, let alone a “guru” for headlines so I’m going to let you in on a secret of mine to come up with the best lines!
Go to Amazon.com and take a look at popular book titles. Yup, it’s that easy! If I only check out the top selling books, then I know that means the title works 🙂 It’s like tapping into the gurus themselves, but without having to bother them!
Let’s say you have a website about golf, then go to Amazon and in the Golf books you’ll find at a book called ‘Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game.’ Now, isn’t that a short & snappy headline?
Sinker: Tweak and it’s yours!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you to plagiarize – I’m telling you how I search for the best ideas to come up with the most amazing headlines! So when you locate a top selling book that matches your website, make sure to tweak it up a little to make it your own and you’re done!
To take it a step further, on the back cover of the books listed on Amazon you’ll find bullet points. These book companies spend millions of dollars with their copywriters on research, so you know what they’ve done on the cover and back is going to hook the reader in. All of this information can help inspire you – not only for your headline – but for the copy as well!
The last little nugget in my secret to finding a good line to tweak for my headlines is searching the book’s table of contents. Why? Because it always lists the most important components of the book, which might give you some insight on what you should be focusing on with your site!
Basically, someone else has done all the hard work and research for you, and all you need to do is review and tweak to make it your own!
Reel ‘em in with great headlines & copy
As you can see, sourcing inspiration for when you write great headlines & content is pretty easy nowadays! With well written copy, your site will grab visitor’s attention, “hook line & sinker”, and encourage them to read further. If you need help with creating content for your website, check out our blog here for more helpful information like this. Or if you prefer to get someone else to do it, contact us today to get in touch with one of our professional copywriters!