Why the rush?
There are only 86,400 seconds in a day, and it seems like we don’t want to waste a single one of them. You spent many of your seconds writing a piece of content, but how likely is the reader to continue reading past the first sentence, let alone to the end? How can we grab a reader’s attention and persuade them to continue reading?
Headlines are the Elevator Pitch
Do you remember learning about the elevator pitch concept in school? You theoretically meet someone in an elevator and you have the time it takes until they exit at their floor to introduce yourself, get your points across, and make a connection.
The purpose of a headline is to persuade the reader to keep reading...
The headline says “HEY YOU, Did you know about this?” and if “this” is of interest to the reader then they will scroll and continue reading, otherwise they will bounce on to the next contender for their attention. You have come this far in reading my post here, so now I will reward you with my tips about attention-holding headlines.
Headline Tips
- Short yet Descriptive: the headline should tell the reader what to expect in the content that follows it
- Does it hold its own? If the reader were to scroll and skim could they learn what you are trying to get across by simply reading the headlines?
- Lead them somewhere: you have our attention, now where are you leading us? What is your call to action? What do you want us to do next? Buy, share, subscribe?
Nice Headline Examples
LastPass.com’s “Password Management from Anywhere” is a headline that offers a solution to a common user issue.
MailChimp.com’s “Turn Emails into Revenue” is a headline that targets a goal of its customers.
MailTrack.com’s “Know When Your Emails are Opened” is a headline that says exactly what their service does for you.
Meir is a web developer who has been writing code since 2000. He enjoys his family, movies, cooking, golf, and bowling.