Does writing headlines give you a headache?
It’s infuriating, isn’t it?
You’ve slaved over your blog post. You’ve shared your best tips. You want to help your readers.
But now you’re stuck.
After 3 days of trying different versions, you STILL haven’t found a headline that sounds good enough.
Should you give up on this post?
Or publish it with a lousy headline?
Why headlines matter
You might have heard that 8 out of 10 people read a headline but don’t read further; only 2 out of 10 people read beyond the headline. These figures are often quoted to prove the importance of headlines.
But these figures are wildly optimistic because they originate from the era of print advertising. That’s before the internet amplified distractions and shortened our attention spans.
The average click through rate on Twitter, for instance, is only 1.64% (source, 2012), so 98 out of 100 people may read only your headline, and fewer than 2 of them click through.
Competition for reader attention is tough
Millions of blog posts are published each day. So your headline must stand out. Grab attention. Make people curious.
But how?
For today’s post, I used BuzzSumo to analyze the most shared posts on popular blogs.
I read through hundreds of headlines, and distilled 5 formulas that are proven to work.
For each formula, I collected a series of headline examples. Each example:
- generated at least 1,000 social shares (most of them generated far more)
- belongs in the top 10 of popular posts of the blog it appeared on (most are in the top 3)
- showcases how to use the formula for tutorial-style articles in any industry
Want to know which headlines work?
Let’s get started …
The Burning Question
Examples:
- Is Brand a Google Ranking Factor? (Moz)
- Do You Really Need That Exclamation Point? (HubSpot)
- Fat Shaming vs Body Acceptance: Is It Okay to Be Fat? (Nerd Fitness)
- How Much Do Keywords Still Matter? (Neil Patel)
- How Much Copy to Write on Your Home Page? (ConversionXL)
- Do You Truly Know How to Love Yourself? (Louise Hay)
The formula:
Ask the most burning question in your niche
Why this formula works:
Questions arouse our curiosity.
We all grapple with tricky questions. We debate hot topics in our industries. We enter our questions in Google to see whether we can find answers.
The Burning Question formula is probably the most underused formula on the list. But its attraction is undeniable. We know from research that questions get more clicks on Twitter than statements, and that subject lines with question marks get 44% more opens than those with exclamation marks (source).
Who doesn’t want to know the answer on a burning question?
How to apply this headline formula:
Which burning questions do your readers struggle to get answered? Which hot debates are going on in your industry? Use the question as your headline and provide an in-depth answer in your post.
The How-To Case Study
Examples:
- How I Built an Online T-Shirt Business and Made $1,248.90 in 3 Weeks (Shopify)
- How We Increased Our Facebook Traffic by 332% in 2015 (Syed Balkhi)
- How I Paid Off $46,500 of Student Loans in 2 years (Budgets Are Sexy)
- How Zapier Went From Zero to 600,000+ Users in Just 3 Years (Groove)
The formula:
How [I/We/CompanyX] [Achieved Something Specific] in [Time Frame]
Why this formula works:
This is a variation of a classic How-To headline. The headline arouses curiosity by sharing a story about a specific person or company. Of course, as readers, we hope to learn something from this case study.
Note how the headline examples are all ultra-specific. How to Build an E-Commerce Business would have been generic and bland; it doesn’t arouse curiosity. In contrast, the case study variation makes the headline far more interesting: How I Built an Online T-Shirt Business and Made $1,248.90 in 3 Weeks—this was the most shared post on Shopify in 2015, generating 9.6k social shares.
How to apply this headline formula:
Can you share a client case study? Can you interview someone for a case study? Or would your readers be interested in a story about your business? Remember to add specific results for credibility and interest.
The Classic List Post
Examples:
- 32 Legitimate Ways to Make Money at Home (The Penny Hoarder)
- 7 Sneaky Ways to Bring Your Dialogue Alive (Writers’ Village)
- 15 Simple Ways to Spread Kindness in Your World Starting Today (Positivity Blog)
- 52 Ways to Tell Someone You Love and Appreciate Them (Tiny Buddha)
- 9 Ways to Entertain Your Toddler Without Using a Smartphone (The Art of Manliness)
- 3 Creative Ways to Hear Your Inner Truth (Louise Hay)
The formula:
[n] [Adjective] Ways to [Achieve Something Specific]
Why this formula works:
Getting tired of list posts?
Think again.
List posts continue to be amazingly popular. The post “32 Legitimate Ways to Make Money at Home”, for instance, generated an unbelievable 1.8 million social shares, making it the most popular post on The Penny Hoarder.
How to apply this headline formula:
Which tips can help your readers? Which quick wins can solve your readers’ problems?
Don’t write a superficial post. Instead, include specific tips that readers can implement straightaway. For added interest, include interesting or emotional words in the blog title like legitimate, sneaky, kindness, love, or truth.
The Why
Examples:
- Why Good Unique Content Needs to Die (Moz)
- Why SEO Is Actually All About Content Marketing (KISSmetrics)
- Why Going Outdoors Makes You Smarter, Stronger, and More Spiritual (Michael Hyatt)
- Why Having to Start Over – AGAIN – Is Great (Nerd Fitness)
The formula:
Why [Surprising Fact]
Why this formula works:
When I started learning how to write headlines, I was told that people were interested in how-to’s, not in why’s. But this formula shows this isn’t true. We want to understand why things are the way they are. It’s always been that way. As children we already asked questions like Why is grass green? Why do people get sick? Why is water wet?
The posts that use this formula received tons of social shares: Why SEO is Actually All About Content Marketing got 22.4k shares; Why Good Unique Content Needs to Die gained 9.4k shares; and Why Having to Start Over – AGAIN – Is Great gained 6k shares.
How to apply this headline formula:
This formula only works when you prove a surprising standpoint in your post. For instance: Nobody wants to start over again, so why do you argue it’s great? Everyone thinks we need to write unique content, so why do you say it needs to die?
The Twins
Examples:
- How to Improve Your Google Rankings: 9 Steps to Rank Higher Fast Using Analytics (Orbit Media)
- How to Overcome Frustration: 3 Simple but Effective Steps (Positivity Blog)
- How to Be Consistent: 5 Steps to Get Things Done, All The Time (Marie Forleo)
- How to Attract Good Luck: 4 Secrets Backed By Research (Bakadesuyo)
The formula:
How to [Achieve This]: [n] Steps or Tips
Why this formula works:
Combine the two most popular headline formulas—the how-to and the classic list—and you get the Twins. How could it not work?
This formula also works well, because it’s frontloaded—within the first few words readers know what they’ll learn.
How to apply this headline formula:
Start with writing a super-short how-to headline for the first part of this formula—highlight the key problem your readers are struggling with. Then summarize how many tips or steps you’ll share in the second part of the formula.
The art of writing headlines
Composing irresistible headlines doesn’t start with applying a nifty formula.
Instead, start with getting to know your readers.
Understand which issues keep them tossing and turning at night. Find out why they can’t make up their minds. Ask them what they’re struggling with. Answer their most burning questions. Know which quick tips can solve their problems. Help them deal with niggling irritations.
When your headline uses a proven formula and addresses reader problems, you’ll see your social shares grow and your traffic soar. That’s how you become a popular blogger and an authority in your field.
Always serve your readers first.
P.S.
If you’ve enjoyed this, you’ll love the Enchanting Headline Writing course. Here’s what others say about this course …
Enchanting Headline Writing
Learn how to write click-worthy headlines so you can get more blog readers. Plus, get oodles of inspiration.
“I was looking for a course to help our internal agency writers add more life to our headlines and more clicks on our content. So far, everyone is really enjoying the course. I’m already seeing much improved headlines!”
~ S. Simeck
“I used one of the headline ideas from this course for a Facebook advert. It generated the best response I’ve ever gotten.”
~ Joan Warren
“I now have a system that makes creating a great headline, an email subject or a section subhead so easy.”
~ Gill Andrews
“I came away with a huge list of new blog post ideas.”
~ Dyan Robson
“I’ve written blog posts before but never realised how weak my headlines were until now. I love Henneke’s structural approach and all the extra materials (the treasure trove is worth the cost of the course alone!) but also very grateful for how Henneke has made it so much FUN!!”
~ Sally Cowan
Thanks Henneke. Excellent examples.
Thank you, Barry. Always good to see you here 🙂
Great stuff to know!! Many thanks.
Dannie
Thank you, Dannie. Happy writing!
Awesome blog on headlines Henneke, thank you. Do you have a blog that tells us which words should be lower case and which ones capitalised in a headline and subheadings? Are there rules we can follow for capitalisation in headlines? Should subheading have capitalisation too? Thanks again.
Hi Janette,
Different publications follow different rules for capitalization of headlines, so the main rule is to be consistent in capitalization on your blog.
These are the 3 most common rules followed:
1. Capitalize every word in the title, for example:
How To Eat On Less Than $1.00/Meal
How To Write Seductive Sales Copy Like Apple
2. Sentence case: Capitalize only the first word in the title (plus proper nouns like Apple or Mr. Rogers), for example:
How to eat on less than $1.00/meal
How to write seductive sales copy like Apple
3. Title case: Capitalize the most important words in the title, for example:
How to Eat on Less Than $1.00/Meal
How to Write Seductive Sales Copy Like Apple
To make matters confusing, there are many different style guides for title case.
– – –
What not to do …
Some blogs use ALL CAPS for their headlines which means that EVERY LETTER OF EVERY WORD IS CAPITALIZED.
However, ALL CAPS make headlines difficult to read (especially for dyslexic people). ALL CAPS also suggest you’re shouting. Moreover, usability expert Jakob Nielsen suggests it reduces reading speed by 10%.
So, it’s best not to use ALL CAPS. Occasionally, you may want to use CAPS for one or two words in a headline; that’s a matter of personal preference. For instance:
Why Having to Start Over – AGAIN – Is Great
– – –
Same is true for subheads. Choose one rule and be consistent. The rule doesn’t need to be the same for headlines and subheads. For instance, for subheads I use sentence case (only first letter of first words is capitalized) and for headlines I use title case (capitalizing the most important words).
Thank you so much, this is brilliant.
Just what I needed to know.
Awesome headline tips especially The Twins formula is superb! Thank you for informative blog post!
Thank you, John. Happy blogging!
I took your Blogging Course which was fantastic and I keep going back to it. I have a question. I am working on creating a Media Kit for my soon to be published Guidebook. In working up marketing materials I realized I needed to “up my game” with headlines . . . but . . . I am also thinking of taking your Copywriting Course to help with writing marketing materials for my book and online store (coming). Would that be overkill? I do tend to get into go after butterflies on a daily basis.
As an exercise – I used this post to come up with 4-5 of my own headlines under each category. This has renewed my enthusiasm quite a bit for the media kit already. Super Thanks.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the blog writing course. Thank you for letting me know, Patty!
I personally find it hard to focus on two different things so my tendency would be to recommend just one course at a time. But not everyone is like that and I know some people have purchased more than one course and studied them at the same time.
What is the priority for you right now? If it’s setting up your online store and writing a book description, then you may find the copywriting course more useful. If your focus is more on blogging and PR, then the headline course may be more useful.
Please feel free to email me if you’d like to discuss this further!
So many delicious choices Henneke. Wherever do you find the time to research all this? Simply amazing
It took a lot of time to research and then write this post. I can only write such in-depth posts if I don’t publish weekly. In the first couple of years of my blog, I published weekly, but I reduced the frequency to every other week and for a while the frequency went down to only once a month.
The best. Thanks
Thank you, Orlando.
Hi Henneke,
So, so funny. I actually tried clicking on this whilst reading. Proof they work 🙂
Yes, they work 🙂
I hope you enjoyed the infographic on Copyblogger about landing page goofs!
Thanks for the tips on this. I really wish writing headlines came naturally to me but it is always a struggle!
It can really help write them faster when you “steal” the formulas and apply them to your own topic.
Wow, wow wow. This is by far the most helpful content I’ve ever seen online on the subject of headlines.
Thanks ma for painstakingly putting this evergreen content together.
I’m glad you like it, Precious. Happy writing!
Hello Henneke……Thanks for this. It’s amazing how you turn bones into biscuits with your writing. You made it very easy for me, and yet you delivered value. I’ve learnt a lot from you, and I hope to learn more. I’m your number 1 fan over here in Nigeria.
I am so glad you found this useful, Darlington. Happy writing!
Wow! bookmarking this. Read through the different headlines and i find it very informative and useful.
Thanks for sharing.
Happy writing, Siver. Thank you for stopping by!
I could munch on your blog all day long! Love the elegant flow, simplicity, and style of it. Full of great information! Keep up the amazing work!
Thanks so much for your compliment, Emily. Happy munching 🙂
This is a great post! Question headlines can be so effective when done correctly. Excellent tips.
Yep, question headlines are great and often underused 🙂
This is a perfect post! I love your writing. Simple, clear and to the point. Thank you so much for this guide.
Thank you, Mary Ann. Happy blogging!
Hi Henneke,
Thanks for your reply by e-mail. This is indeed what I meant regarding headlines. I found this post very informative and I’m gonna try this out with my own blog! Do you also use a keyword explorer for your headlines, for example Ahrefs or something like that? Grtz., Robert
I don’t use any paid tools, but do some limited keyword research using the keyword explorer at Moz.com. I also pay close attention to the questions people ask me by email or in webinars and the comments here on my blog—these are good keyword research tools, too. 🙂
I also use the Yoast SEO plugin, so I often have a different page title (optimized for Google) and headline (optimized for social sharing).
I also use the Yoast SEO plug-in, it’s indeed handy. I will have a look at moz.com as Well. Thanks for the tip! Grtz., Robert
Hi Henneke,
An exciting and informative post. I’ve just finished writing my first blog post and working on my Headline.
Came across this post just in time and I’m very grateful. This will make things easier for me.
Congrats on writing your first blog post! I’m glad this post was helpful to you.
Hi Henneke,
Thanks for highlighting the importance of keeping the customer’s pain points in mind. While templates are useful, it becomes more powerful when used with the right perspective or mindset — that of helping solve the problems of your customers. The headline formulas featured in this article veered away from the standard templates, all the more making them sound “refreshing”… and enchanting!
“While templates are useful, it becomes more powerful when used with the right perspective or mindset”
Yes, that’s it! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed the templates, Jones 🙂
I feel like these tips are going to breathe a whole new life into my blog post titles. Thanks for this information.
You’re welcome, Katie 🙂 Happy blogging!
Hello There,
Once we can figure out what keeps your audience awake at 3 a.m. we are on your way.
Like so many other things worth having this takes a lot of effort and some of that effort is, at times, sitting and thinking.
If we don’t know what the problem is how can we even get close to a solution.
Another helpful post. Thank you.
Yep, we need to know what the problem is first. Having said that, I don’t often write about topics that keep my audience awake, so that’s not always necessary!
Yes! I struggle with headlines. I know lately I have been too worried about keywords and SEO. I’d rather stop being overly concerned about that and write my headlines within one of these guidelines. Thanks for the inspiration!
Yep, I agree. Focus on your readers first. And if possible, optimize the headline for SEO. Headlines often become dull when you do it the other way around.
Thanks for this, Henneke,
I keep popping back to this blog post for inspiration. Very helpful!
Great to see you again, Lisa! Glad you’re finding this post helpful 🙂
Henneke – Everyone else has said what I was going to say! Another great piece of insight and invaluable analysis work. Thank you, and a happy and healthy New Year to you.
Happy New Year to you, too, Paul!
Always good to see your name pop up 🙂
Hi Henneke,
Awesome post again.
So sorry I’m late to the party. But a headlines post never goes old, especially when it’s super helpful and bite – sized. Some are just overwhelming.
I found that running mine through the headline analyser (coschedule.com or the advanced marketing institute) helped me craft my headlines better, to convey more emotion and be less plastic.
Thanks for this. I’d definitely keep it close.
have a great week ahead.
Ruth
I used Co-Schedule’s headline analyzer to review the 47 headlines in this post (after I had published this post). Only 15 of the 47 headlines received a green score (70+), two even got red scores (49 and 51).
I know a lot of people find headline analyzers useful, but computer programs still seem to struggle to appreciate the nuances of language and engaging readers.
A good post on how to write effective headlines never gets old. And in your case, they’re better than most. I admit, I have gotten tired of doing list posts. Sort of the been there/done that mentality. But clearly, its value stays strong. Thanks for a great post!
Yes, list posts still work. You might want to try a different type of list post – make it more in-depth with a lower number of tips, or make a longer list like a checklist (and add links to other posts on your site or elsewhere on the web). A list of examples can be nice, too 😉
Great tips! I’ll definitely try some variety. 🙂
Hi henneke.
This post is super awesome, i like it very much.
Just a little question, is this formula of headline suitable to use in social media post?
Yes, sure. These headlines are designed to attract attention on social media.
Human-centric Henneke! Love the reminder to connect with and start from the point of view of the humans in waiting in your audience.
Appreciate the explanations why each formula works and when to use – Headline Alchemy 🙂 A handy go-to guide making its way to my swipe-resource file.
Cheers and keep the steal-worthy content coming.
Happy New Year.
Yes, you got it. Always be human-centric and focus on your readers. People sometimes get carried away with such formulas and forget to connect with their readers. It’s easily done. It happened to me, too.
Happy New Year, Nicole! And happy blogging in 2016!
Hi Henneke,
Enjoyed this post. Partly because I love headlines and I do spend time most days practising headline writing, like a certain Jon Morrow advises. Often I take inspiration from people in forums, for example, complaining about things that are frustrating them: “It’s hard to sort through the **** to find advice that works”, is one gripe from someone frustrated by advice online that doesn’t work. I used this line to write a headline on my blog. It seems to work because it’s one of my popular posts so far.
Have you got a favourite headline, or one you wished you’d written yourself?
-Tom
That’s a great way to use the phrases your readers are using, too, and making sure your headlines connect with them! Thank you for sharing that, Tom.
I don’t really have one favorite headline. There’s so many good ones around! My favorite formula is not included in this list as not many blogs use it, but I’ve found it performing extremely well both here and on Copyblogger. It’s using a short question first: No Time to Write? These 4 Routines Cut My Writing Time By 50% (It’s a shortened version of the PAS formula that Dan Kennedy advocates).
This is a great post, Henneke and “wow” is the word that came to my mind. Interesting to see how the posts falling into nice categories.
Will revisit (or more likely print and save this into a folder for reference).
Are you tempting us with a Part II on 10 (or more) tips we can steal on how to write great posts that deliver on the headline?
That’s a great idea. I’ll add it to my list 🙂
Thank you for your kind words, Louisa!
PS There were headlines that didn’t fall into these categories, but these categories were the most common for the headlines I reviewed.
I loved this post thank you sending it to me
have a Happy Healthy Wealthy 2016
Robert
Glad you like it, Robert. Happy New Year to you, too!
Excellent. Brilliant.
This is so helpful.
I love this post, Henneke.
Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
Great! Thank you for stopping by, Mike. Happy writing!
Great post! Thanks for all the ideas.
Happy writing!
Well done!
Analyse the best 100 or 500 or 1000 and there you go.
It was probably closer to 1,000, but I didn’t keep count 😉
Thank you Henneke,
I’ll print this post and put it next to my computer 🙂
Beste wensen voor het nieuwe jaar!
Petra
Happy blogging in 2016, Petra!
Thank you for stopping by 🙂
Amazing post, Henneke! Can’t believe how actionable it is. The fact that the stat that 8 out of 10 only read your headline is from the time of print advertising is completely new to me, somehow I hadn’t realized that. Thanks for correcting that misassumption 🙂
I think the quote comes from David Ogilvy – it keeps popping up in blog posts without proper attribution.
The CTR on Twitter I quoted is slightly outdated (from 2012); it wouldn’t surprise me if it’s even lower now. Of course, the CTR on Twitter is also impacted by things like images and @mentions, so it’s not just the headline that defines the click.
Having said that, I’m pretty sure that the figure of 2 out of 10 is optimistic.
True, and the fact remains – headlines must stand out to grab attention!
Ps. Sorry for my typo, noticed that when I hit the comment button 😉
Don’t worry. I corrected it now 🙂
Now you’ve done it!
I’m going to have to stop procrastinating and write a post! So many great titles are swimming around in my head! 😉
So happy to see you back. Mmm…:)
Thanks for a great list post! Quite a nifty title, too! 🙂
I like the word nifty. It has a nice ring to it, hasn’t it?
Happy blog writing, Katharine!
Hello Henneke
I hate to sound like a pedant, but your final formula, “The Double Whammy” needs another title.
As my mother (bless her), frequently points out to me, a “whammy” is a bad thing. The dictionary definition is “an event with a powerful and unpleasant effect; a blow”.
A bit like coming down with the measles and the flu at the same time, and so the (mum again) phrase “win-win” would be more apt.
Apologies for the English lesson (I get them all the time).
Damien
That’s a good point. It’s like hitting readers on their head, not once, but twice.
I’m not sure about win-win. What about The Twin Formula?
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your lesson, Damien! 🙂
Happy New Year, Henneke!
This really is a great way to start 2016. I’ve been struggling with headlines but I keep telling myself to just publish my posts without trying to make everything perfect. I’ll definitely be using these suggestions in the future (I actually just implemented one of the formulas for a guest post I’m currently working on!)
I think you’ve added a lot to this topic and you’ve done it in such a clever way by incorporating other great headlines from fellow bloggers.
Thanks!
Eric
Happy New Year, Eric!
When running out of time for a post, I try to focus on the most important parts: headline, intro, final paragraph, and subheads. But sometimes we all have to settle for “good enough.” Composing a good headline can guzzle up a lot of time.
Thank you for your great comment. I’m glad you found the post useful!
Happy 2016 Henneke, and thanks for this super informative post. Timely as usual. I appreciate the research and investment you put into your work and can learn a lot from that too. Cheers!
Thank you, Joan. It was fun to research this post.
Happy blogging in 2016!
Henneke,
This is a great way to help writers to craft better titles. People need to see examples to help get the concept.
Thank you for including me in your examples!
Keep up the useful information!
Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen
Thank you, Heidi.
Examples are a powerful, yet underused element in blogging (and perhaps in any educational material?). I love using examples, and I know you do, too 🙂
Happy blogging!
Henneke,
A fine post I will refer back to often this year for ideas. Thank you.
Great. Thank you for stopping by to let me know, David. 🙂
Thanks you. I love the way I always make typos on your site. Sheesh.
No worries. I corrected it, but only after I had replied to you.
I corrected typos in 10+ comments on this post. In the past, I didn’t bother with correcting typos in comments, but I think it looks neater. 🙂
You’re a good egg, Henneke.
Annnnnnd, another Henneke post full of usable tips is going into my Evernote file on writing tips. Great job as usual 🙂
Thank you so much, Carole 🙂
Happy writing!
Hi Henneke,
All great food for thought as usual. I like the ‘guidelines’ formula a lot. Never thought about that but will give it a whirl. Thanks.
Always nice to discover a new idea, isn’t it? Have fun!
Hey Henneke,
Happy New Year!
It’s been a while since I’ve been here and I’m glad that I stumbled upon this pist.
I’m always looking to improve my headlines and these ideas take the cake. I use headline analyzer like EMV and coschedule’s which have been a great help.
But one thing you mentioned which makes a lot of sense is to base your headline off of the wants of your audience. Knowing your audience makes a difference and makes you more competent to them.
Thanks for sharing and you have given some great ideas for headlines here! Have a good one!
Yep, using the best headline formulas doesn’t work if your headline doesn’t address something your audience is interested in. It’s easy to get carried away with these formulas, and forget whom we’re writing for. It has happened to me, too.
It would be interesting to see how the headlines in this post perform in a headline analyzer, wouldn’t it? I’ve found that the headlines of some of my most shared (guest) posts often score badly.
Thank you for your comment and for sharing, Sherman.
Happy New Year, Henneke! A fitting post to start the year. Headlines… They’re a pain and can sure kill an article. But when you have a good one…. Boom! Your blog comes alive!
I once wrote an article in one of my blogs with the title “How to survive in the corporate jungle” Useful stuff for exec assistants but… Silence. I changed it to “Do you have the queen bee complex?” 500 subscribers in 3 days. The power of a headline that hits the spot.
I regularly check my dead posts after that and try to make it more…. Enchanting. 🙂
Thanks for the tips. 🙂
Eeva
Wow, 500 subscribers in three days? That’s brilliant!
Thank you for sharing your story – it’s a great example 🙂
And Happy New Year to you, too, Eeva!
Thanks for the article! I have a question regarding numbers and lists. Is there any research indicating that higher or lower numbers are more effective? Do we associate more value with a higher number than a lower number or do we find a higher number more intimidating?
Thanks in advance!
I’ve heard several bloggers suggest that long list posts perform better than short list posts, and I’ve had the same hunch, but I’ve not seen it proven. It also may vary depending on the audience. It’s easy to argue both ways. Long list posts tend to be seen as more comprehensive and perhaps as useful checklists, but they can also be a little off putting as you suggest.
There’s been some research to suggest that odd numbers work better than even numbers (https://medium.com/i-data/29-reasons-youre-reading-this-article-fbf4671327e3#.q6fsvw16h).
Thanks for the response and link, Henneke! I’ve heard something similar about odd numbered lists as well.
Best wishes for a happy 2016!
Tara
What’s awesome about these tips is that they can be put to use practically almost immediately.
“Understand which issues keep them tossing and turning at night. Find out why they can’t make up their minds. Ask them what they’re struggling with. Answer their most burning questions. Know which quick tips can solve their biggest problems. Help them deal with niggling irritations and soul-destroying frustrations.”
And I’m pretty sure you follow the above before you write and this entire post is a clear proof of that.
Well done!
Yes, I put myself under quite some pressure to walk the talk. 😉
Thank you for your kind words, Syed. Happy headline writing!
Henneke, I only recently “discovered” your site. I’m not sure what took me so long. 😉 The timing couldn’t be better for me as I work on a blog redesign *shudder.* Time to learn from past mistakes. 🙂
Nice to meet you here, Cathy. 🙂
And yep, we all keep learning, and we all look back and cringe at our own writing. Good luck with your redesign!
Happy New Year and WOW Henneke. A superb article and definitely your most in-depth and most valuable post ever!
Did you have a good vacation?
Happy New Year to you, too, Mark!
And yep, I had a quiet, relaxing, great vacation. I’m feeling inspired and energetic again (although this post depleted my energy quite quickly) 😉
What a great way to start the new year. Definitely knocked it out of the park with this post. Much to ponder on here.
Thank you, Saleem. I wish I’d have the time to research a post like this more often!
Thank you, Henneke!
Useful work. I’ve bookmarked it too.
Have a good 2016!
Glad you enjoyed it, Catalina!
I am going to go back and also read all the articles. Researching the research. This was really interesting Henneke. I have been reading these headlines and responding but not knowing why so interesting. Thanks so much.
C A Hall
Sometimes the headlines are better than the articles 😉
Great post! I was tempted to click on some of the links, the headlines are very catchy. Thank you for making time to share this. Have a great year!
I hope you have a great year, too!
Thank you for stopping by, Bola.
Another great post – nothing like starting 2016 on a high note – I wonder how you’ll top this!
On a practical point. would you say that the research would equally apply when crafting headlines for B2B emails? If you have an old post I’d be grateful for the link.
Looking forward to your next topic
The same formulas also apply to B2B as you’re still writing for human beings. I’ve not included a lot of B2B titles in this post as B2B blogs tend to get fewer shares than B2C titles.
However, the Content Marketing Institute writes predominantly for (content) marketers at companies. Shopify targets people running niche ecommerce businesses. Groove targets people running small startups, and Unbounce target marketers. Help Scout also targets small companies with their helpdesk software. So these are all headlines for B2B blogs
The way to use these formulas is to first think about the problem you solve for your readers, and then see which formula applies. Who do you target in B2B? (Your web link doesn’t tell me)
This is indeed indepth and really valuable. Thanks
I’m glad to hear that!
Incredibly useful – thanks Henneke!
Glad to hear that, Caroline!
Thank you Henneke, I am struggling with my headlines these days. A lot and lot of good tips!
Even with formulas, writing headlines can still be a struggle. I’ve found it’s worth spending some time on it.
Often the best headline idea appears on the day after I start composing a headline for a post. Good luck!
Welcome back Henneke 🙂
We are happy to learn these 5 formulas for headlines.
By now, we have learnt not only to serve the readers but also delight them.
Thanks again.
Yep, that’s so true.
I’m happy to be back! 🙂
Hi Henneke,
That’s food for thought. I always struggle with headlines so this will greatly help me. And now I have to read a couple more posts(sigh 😉 because some of the ones you chose, are just tantalizing.
Great start to the new year!
Thank you, Mariken.
And yes, headline writing is tough. Despite (or perhaps because of?) researching this post, I still struggled writing a headline for this post and went through more versions than I cared to count.
Great work, brilliant! Thank you, Henneke.
You’re welcome, Irina 🙂
Outstanding content and analysis. Thank you, Henneke!
Thank you, Ron!
Sweet list, Henneke. Super examples – though they made it hard to restrain myself from clicking off your post…
Yes, I’m sorry 🙁
I hope I didn’t mess up your day too much 🙂
Love it Henneke.
This is a really practical post, (I’ve actually bookmarked it).
But for me the best take away is “Composing irresistible headlines doesn’t start with applying a nifty formula. Instead, start with getting to know your readers. ”
That really sums up getting attention via a headline, the formulas are great and will increase the impact, but an indepth knowlege of your audience will ensure you hit the nail on the head.
Paul
Yep, so true. Formulas can be dangerous if you skip that all-important step of writing a post your readers are actually interested in.
Thank you for stopping by, Paul. Happy headline writing!
Hey Henneke,
Happy new year . Hope you had a great holiday.
What a way to start off the year, huh?
An exciting post like this. I love it. Headline writing is something I practice a lot of but I’ll admit I published a post before with a lackluster headline and got punished for it. No more.
Not publishing it unless I deem it perfect and arouses curiosity.
Love the examples you gave, why that particular formula works and the how to do it as well.
Great stuff.
– Andrew
I think we all mess up our headlines from time to time. It’s difficult to get it right every time, so don’t beat yourself up too much!
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, and thank you for being the first enchanting commenter in 2016! 🙂