I love to talk about copy, and here’s the thing, good copy is essential, however, the single most underrated truth about copywriting is that your copy is only as good as your headline. You might have the best content in the world, but if your headline isn’t grabbing your audience’s attention, they won’t read anything else, whether it’s a blog post, an email, or gulp, your website. Your headline is the deciding factor when your audience asks themselves “should I stay or should I go?”
When it comes to your website, 99% of the battle is getting people to click in the first place. A powerful headline can drive traffic from social media, search engines, or wherever else someone might find you. It needs to be strong enough that they can’t help but click and see what you’re offering.
Not all headlines are created equal.
And while there’s no specific formula, each type of headline has a slightly different job, and we’ll dig into them here. (Pro tip: where possible, you’ll want to optimize your blog and web headlines for SEO, but we can dig into that another day.)
Writing the perfect blog title.
Headlines, or titles for blog posts should be informative, engaging, and concise. Better yet, if a blog headline includes a random number (anything but 10), they’re more likely to get clicks (see the title of this post as an example).
Writing a killer web headline
Headlines for websites should invoke emotion and convey the transformation your audience wants to buy, or in layman’s terms, the end result of working with you or buying your product. For example, if you’re a personal trainer, you’re not selling muscles as much as you’re selling confidence. If you’re an accountant, sure, you’re selling bookkeeping, but you are selling time, headache relief, and yep, also confidence that your books are compliant. What transformation are you offering your audience? That’s what your headline needs to convey.
While there is sometimes crossover between web and blog headlines, this is rare. Where blogs teach you how to do something or inform you about a topic, conversion is the main goal of your websites.
Engaging your audience with a great email subject line
If you’ve never thought of your email subject lines as headlines, think again. They have an important job, too. A great email subject line should make people WANT to open your email to find out all the awesomeness that you’re sharing with them. Think about the emails you get…and more importantly, the ones you actually open, and use that as your starting point.
So what makes an awesome headline?
Now that you know the secret behind a great headline, let’s look at some blog and email examples and talk about what they can be used for, why they’re awesome, and what they accomplish. Technically, a blog should also convert, however, blogs use a different strategy. Some of these could also be converted to web headlines with minor tweaks, depending on your audience.
“The Underrated Secret to Writing Killer Copy”
Everyone wants to know secrets! And if they’re underrated, suddenly they become even more exclusive. This headline shows you are sharing “insider” knowledge that the reader will want to get in on.
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
“How to Write Amazing, Attention-Grabbing Copy That Makes You Proud”
The first half of the headline sets up the awesome thing that the audience wants, and the second half appeals to their ego and vanity. Everyone loves feeling proud of themselves!
This headline is great for blogs.
“What Every ________ Needs to Know About Copywriting”
Yep…that blank is intentional…as in you fill in the blank! Use this headline to dig into your specific audience (every CEO, every coach, every Virtual Assistant, etc.). Narrowing it down to your niche will generate more clicks and engagement from your target audience. This type of headline creates FOMO (fear of missing out) since everyone in their field or demographic needs to know whatever the headline is about. It also plays on ego, because nobody wants to be perceived as ignorant if they don’t know something they should.
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
“How You Can Learn to Write like a Professional Copywriter”
Keep it simple and clear. It’s a good rule for copywriting and a great rule for headlines. This headline is crystal clear in the message and appeals to the ego by showing how the audience can do something just as well as a professional.
This headline is great for blogs.
“The Top 22 Reasons Why Copywriting is Important For Your Website”
This headline works because it includes a number, which is always an attention grabber, as well as the exact explanation of what you’re going to offer and why it’s valuable to the reader. And the best number posts include numbers that feel random (aka not 5 or 10).
This headline is great for blogs.
“How Good Copywriting Generates More Website Sales”
Cause and effect is a strong headline formula. It’s clear and simple, showing how the audience will be directly benefited through the promise of more sales and what specifically will generate the sales.
This headline is great for blogs.
“The Ultimate Guide to Creating Kickass Web Copy Without Breaking A Sweat”
Grab the audience’s attention by implying the content is definitive through the use of a strong word like “ultimate”. This headline shows exactly what is being provided—a guide to better copy.
Great for blogs and emails.
“Mind-Blowing Copywriting Strategies That Can 10x Business “
Starting with a big, dramatic word will get people to take notice. It also appeals to your audience’s curiosity and effectively sets up the promise that these strategies will grow their business.
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
“8 Tips About Copywriting You Can’t Afford To Miss”
Nobody wants to miss out on something big! This type of headline creates a sense of FOMO, as well as appeals to curiosity. They’ll be asking themselves “what is it that I can’t afford to miss?”.
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
“Life is Too Short for Bad Copywriting”
This headline formula appeals to emotion and creates a sense of urgency by letting the audience know how they are being negatively affected. It creates a sense of intrigue and FOMO which is a big winner.
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
“The #1 Key to Attracting Your Audience Isn’t What You Think”
The intrigue! The mystery! This coy headline is playing its cards close to its vest. It uses curiosity to draw the audience in and entice them to keep reading. It also projects authority by proclaiming it has the single most important key to attracting your audience. (PS-the answer to this headline is copywriting! It really is the greatest way to grab and keep your audience’s attention.)
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
“Why Bad Web Copy is Costing You Big Money (and 13 Ways to Fix It)”
Offering a problem and a solution is always a great headline formula. Money is a pain point for many people, and virtually everyone wants more of it. Appealing to the emotions of the problem and providing concrete solutions (with a number in the solution!) is a great attention-grabber.
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
“Stop Making Excuses and Start Writing Better Web Copy”
Calling out your subject for “making excuses” is a surefire way to grab their attention. It appeals to emotion and ego and shows them what they can do to fix it. The bold, commanding language is eye-catching and will speak to your audience!
This headline is great for blogs and emails.
A headline is only as good as what comes after it.
Once you have an awesome headline, your work isn’t done yet! To make your headline count, the first few paragraphs need to pack a punch. While your headline grabbed their attention, it’s what comes next that will help your audience decide whether or not to keep reading. If you want to learn more about what to write after the headline, check out this post.
Not sure if your headline can hack it? Book a live review today and I’ll give it to you straight. You can also join our First Impressions email challenge! You’ll get 5 days of awesome tips and tricks to make sure your website makes a killer first impression to draw your audience in and land sales.
