Looking to learn how to write killer headlines that convert like crazy and learn a few of my most guarded secrets about making money online?
Believe it or not, a well thought out headline (blog title) can take more time than writing out your article as this is primarily how you’ll be obtaining the majority of your traffic.
Why you may ask?
There are several reasons, but the one that sticks out in my head the most is that this is the first thing people will see before they click on your website.
You know what they say about first impressions, don’t you?
Well, this especially holds true for the online marketing world.
Did you know that you have only a couple of seconds to grab someone’s attention and make a first impression on them?
According to various studies that were performed just last year (2017) the average attention span for adults is only 8 seconds.
8 freaking seconds!!
Can you guys believe that?
So what does this mean to you as an online marketer?
This simply means that you need to learn a thing or two about copywriting and possibly take a few courses on it to educate yourself about it so that you can learn how to capture someone attention in under 8 seconds.
Sound challenging to you guys?
Trust me this can be extremely challenging especially if you’re just starting out in this industry and you don’t have the slightest clue as to what I’m talking about right now lol.
Your job as an online marketer is to reach out to these people by writing captivating, interesting and thought provoking headlines that grab their attention the minute they lay their eyes on it.
If you give them a reason to want to click on your website and read more about what you have to say then you have just won half the battle to becoming successful online.
In the following post, I’ll be sharing 7 outstanding tips that have helped me out immensely when I first got started in the online world.
I have used these same tips that I’m about to share with you guys today to write some of the most kick-ass headlines (blog post titles/ review titles that have gone on to earn me several thousands of dollars in affiliate revenue.
If you have currently been struggling to come up with some killer headline copy that will drive more traffic, signups, or affiliate revenue to your website or blog then you’ll definitely want to stick around and read this post till the end.
I’m sure that many of you guys out there have a plethora of questions for me and I’ll be doing my absolute best to answer them for you to the best of my ability.
However, like always If I fail to answer your question then I encourage you to leave it for me in the comments below and I’ll get back with you ASAP.
Let’s get started, shall we?
Before We Get Started
When you first sit down to write a blog post, product review, or create any type of content for your website it’s imperative that you first do a decent amount of keyword research beforehand.
Why?
Like I’ve said so many times before if you don’t know what your audience is searching for or what types of keyword phrases they’re typing into Google to find your website then how do you expect to reach out to them?
Before you learn how to write killer headlines that will reach out to people you first need to know what keywords to use or you’ll just be wasting time.
As an online marketer, I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day as it is now and I certainly don’t have any time to waste.
Wouldn’t you guys agree?
I would personally recommend that you spend at least 30 minutes researching keywords before thinking about a catchy headline for your forthcoming blog post or whatever type of content you create.
I would personally recommend Jaaxy as my #1 keyword tool of choice for the simple fact that I have learned how to rank some pretty competitive keywords on the first page of Google by using this nifty keyword tool.
Read More About Jaaxy Here
After you have researched a good amount of keywords and brainstormed a few possible headlines that you would like to use you need to write these out.
Try and come up with at least 10 ideas and narrow this down to the best 4 or 5 that you think would reach out and grab your attention within a few seconds.
After you have done this you need to narrow these titles/ headlines down to the 1 you feel is the absolute best.
Now that that’s out of the way let’s continue on, OK?
1) Make Sure The Intent Of Your Headline Is Clear
Like I said earlier, you only have 8 seconds to grab peoples attention with your headline so it’s highly imperative that you make your intent crystal clear from the start.
People need to know what a few of your intentions are and what they are about to read before they click on your website, so make sure there is no doubt when it comes to your intentions.
If this isn’t made perfectly clear then you likely won’t receive as many clicks to your website as you would like and the chances of you converting these clicks into sales aren’t very likely.
2) How Long Are Your Headlines?
From an SEO standpoint, you want to make sure the length of your headlines are between 60 to 70 character so that they fit into the search engines and look professional.
There is nothing worse than searching the web and finding websites where their headline AKA post title is cut off and you aren’t sure what their article is about without clicking to read more.
The ideal length is usually anywhere from 5- 8 words depending on the length of each word and shouldn’t exceed 70 characters max.
3) Do Your Headlines Ask A Question?
Did you know that there are 3.75 billion people who are online searching for answers to their questions?
I know that number may seem a little far-fetched but these are actually facts and as crazy as it may seem, these numbers continue to rise on a daily basis.
One of the best ways for you to grab your audience’s attention immediately and get them to click on your website is by asking the question that they are typing into Google and answering it in detail within your content.
If your headlines aren’t asking a question then you should seriously think about changing up your strategy if you aren’t receiving the number of clicks to your website listing in the SERPS as you would like too.
4) Don’t Overpromise & Underdeliver
You wouldn’t believe how many times I run into an article headline that promises me I can earn $10,000 within my first week with no prior experience or hard work.
Are you freaking kidding me?
This is what most people would consider click bait and from my personal experience, these types of articles usually underdeliver and promise you untold riches for doing little to no work.
Would you guys do me a huge favor and please don’t write headlines that contain these types of promises?
This is probably one of the best ways for you to be looked at as a potential scammer or even worst yet, sabotage your entire blogging career before you even get started.
With all the scams out there in the online marketing industry as it is, if you come off like this, it will give people the wrong impression and could likely destroy any relationship that you may have built with your audience thus far.
5) Use Numbers Within Your Headline
By incorporating a number or series of numbers within your headline you’re likely to increase your click-through ratio (CTR) from 12- 25% more than if you were to use a boring headline.
Using numbers in your headline is one of the many triggers that go off in your brain and controls whether you click on a website listing or not.
It’s as if your brain is telling you that this content is important and you need to read it now!!!
Studies show that if you include numbers within your headline your readers are much for likely to pay attention to what you have to say and hook their interest.
Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about so you can get a better idea of how to write catchy headlines
Which looks better to you guys?
How to get more traffic to your website
OR
“10 Effective Ways To Drive More Targeted Traffic To Your Website”
Also, statistics show that expert bloggers, copywriters, and other industry experts had much better results using numbers as figures opposed to writing them out in words (ie (7) vs Seven)
6) Keep It Interesting By Using Descriptive Adjectives
Adjectives play a key role in writing a catchy interesting and awesome headline that will get you lots of clicks and conversions.
When most people start out (Myself included) they fail to spend any amount of time thinking of an interesting headline title and they don’t fully grasp the concept here.
Let me give you guys an example of what I’m talking about so that you have a better understanding of how this works below.
Which one of these headlines would you likely click on if you saw them in the SERPS?
“5 ways to improve your SEO”
OR
5 outstanding ways to improve your SEO & get ranked on page 1
If you’re anything like me then chances are that you would (hopefully) pick the latter one.
7) Make Sure To Make Proper Use Of Headline Magnets
For some of you guys out there you may be wondering what exactly is a headline magnet?
Well, what does a magnet usually do?
It attracts things right?
Well, a headline magnet does the same thing in a slightly different way.
A headline magnet draws your attention and attracts your targeted audience to your article and gives them a reason to click through and read your article.
Here are a few examples of various headline magnets below
Curiosity Magnet
Breakthrough discovery: 5 things your doctor doesn’t want you to know
Anger magnet
Insurance companies are ripping you off!! Find out why here
Pain magnet
Are you suffering from ____?
get relief here!!
Then offer a product.
These are just a few examples of how you can use magnets to gain an audience of interested readers. There are many more but I think you get the idea right?
My Closing Thoughts
These are just a handful of helpful tips that I’ve used over the past 5 years that have helped me develop my copywriting skills and learn how to grab someone’s attention within seconds and hold on to it throughout my entire article.
One thing that I do want to point out here is the fact that this skill took me years to learn and writing interesting & captivating headlines wasn’t exactly an easy task.
If you would scroll through my posts from back in 2013 when I first started you would see exactly what I’m talking about.
The place that has shown me how to write captivating headlines that follow the things that I’ve laid out for you guys today is Wealthy Affiliate.
If you’re looking to either perfect your copywriting skills or if you’re a newbie who is just getting started and you would love to learn how to write some kick-ass headlines then I would highly recommend that you check out WA for yourself.
You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Not only will you receive everything you need to get up and running, but, you’ll also gain instant access to me where you can ask me any questions you want and show you how to set everything up.
It’s free to get started and everything you need to get up and running is included in your Free Starter Membership
I really hope this post has helped you guys out and given you some awesome tips on how to create killer headlines that grab your visitors attention and refuse to let go.
Do you still have questions about this or are you still confused?
I would love to clear things up for you and answer any additional questions you may have in the comments below.
Until Next Time
~Your Friend, Scott~
rick bell
Great article. I enjoyed reading about headlines. I’m glad you are helping others with this. I believe it makes a huge difference in the content since we tend to scan more then read.
Good Job!
rick
Scott Newkirk
Hi Rick,
I’m glad you have enjoyed this article. I hope it helps you write better quality, helpful content that speaks to your audience. If you engage with your audience and offer to help them out you will be rewarded for this. Thanks so much for stopping by and I wish you lots of luck in your online ventures.
Your Friend Scott