Headlines advertise and organize articles, helping readers decide from a quick scan what they’d like to pursue. Now that the internet and social media have made everyone a potential publisher it’s both unthinkably easier and incredibly harder to find an audience. Short is delicious, but headlines need to communicate something. There needs to be some […]
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Headline Tip #13: Put Some Meat on It
by Wes Hanson on May 2, 2012
Headline Tip #5: Promise a Benefit or Solution
by Wes Hanson on April 6, 2012
Your reader is cold and calculating, not altruistic. He wants to know, What’s in it for me? So don’t write a headline like “How to Build a Website.” That just sounds like a lot work without reward (and Lord knows it can be). Write instead “How to Make Money Building a Website” or “How a […]
Headline Tip #4: Key Words Unlock Passages to Readers
by Wes Hanson on April 5, 2012
In headlines every word is key. Literally. Keywords rule internet search. You attract more readers when you use the language your audience uses. Their readership leads to more links, more retweets, more social bookmarks, and more search traffic. Specificity improves headlines. They address readers’ specific interests and needs. A narrower niche also means less competition […]
Headline Tip #3: Learn Free From the Masters
by Wes Hanson on April 4, 2012
A lot of trial, error, and money was expended in crafting effective headlines in the past, the key to sales and readership. Learn from the masters, for free. Digg.com – People vote on headlines that attract them. What are they voting for? Magazine covers – These guys have been doing this since the 19th century […]
Headline Tip #2: Swipe From the Masters
by Wes Hanson on April 3, 2012
Writing copy does not mean copying someone else’s writing. But you should study what works so you can head off in the most promising direction. You learn by observing as well as by doing. To be a great (or just better) tennis player, for example, you’d be well advised to study the way Federer constructs […]