How to Write Killer Headlines that Get More Shares

One of the best ways to get more people to your web site or blog is through the use of Twitter and social media. Having a Twitter account and a decent following just isn’t enough. You need to be able to write good quality content and engage with your audience through your headlines.

In this post I’m going to show you some great examples of how you can start rewording your site content and titles to gain more attention, engagement and social shares.

Here’s some quick words of wisdom from Brian Clark of CopyBlogger.com, which is in reference to just how important your actual headline title is!

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of your title, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the entire piece.

Remember, every element of compelling copy has just one purpose — to get the next sentence read. And then the sentence after that, and so on, all the way down to your call to action. So it’s fairly obvious that if people stop at the headline, you’re already dead in the water.

Before writing your next title for your site, think if it’s something that you would actually click on.

Many times bloggers and content writers are writing headlines that are for search engines instead of people. While this might make sense from an SEO stand point, it doesn’t relate well with your audience.

Here’s an example and how we can make them better.

• How to Rank in Google (generic seo search / title)
• How I Ranked My Site in Google in 36 Hours! (same concept, but more engaging!)

Remember that people are seeing your headline and it’s going to make them click it or move onto the next. Add some life and mystery to your headlines.

Heidi Cohen also has a nice post on writing killer headlines and highlights five of the key components that you title should have.

1. Provides a benefit for your target market. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. They’re thinking “Why should I read this post?”
2. Has a sense of urgency. Take a tip from direct marketers and focus on benefit. Think infomercials where the announcer states: Please call within the next hour; our operators are standing by. (Like the operators are leaving before their shift ends.)
3. Delivers the goods. If your post’s headline doesn’t provide the information readers expect, it’ll fail. Even worse, you may have trouble getting these readers back again.
4. Is short and to the point. Remember readers skim looking for a way to move on. Grab them and reel them in fast.
5. Contains your keywords. While blog post titles should be written for humans, it’s important to attract spiders to ensure your posts get indexed by search engines.

Entertainment sites are some of the best copywriters out there when it comes to writing killer headlines.

BuzzFeed.com is a great one for you to follow. Whenever something is trending or going on in the entertainment world, they will come out with a ton of posts and content that will go viral like crazy.

The importance of headlines isn’t just about getting social shares and people to click on your search rankings, it also plays a crucial role in the world of email marketing as well. There is actually a full case study on how the White House was won based on the different split testing titles from the Obama campaign. Knowing which headlines and titles got people to open their email and donate played a huge role in their success and eventually winning the election.

The next time you are writing a blog post or new content for your blog, make sure that your title is well thought out and engaging to your audience. It can make all of the difference in the world!