Eight Ways To Write Engaging Headlines
By: James J. Davis
Tags: Writing, Copywriting, Headlines, Social Media

Image by the Author from Canva

Headlines are the first thing that people see when they’re scrolling through their social media feeds or reading articles on websites. It is important to make your headlines count because it will either draw in readers or cause them to scroll right past without even giving your post a second glance.

There are many ways you can write engaging headlines-some of them good, and some of them bad. Here are some tips to help you avoid writing headlines that make people want to instantly click off your article:

1) Keep It Simple

To make sure that your headlines draw in readers, it’s important to keep them simple and straightforward. For example, instead of writing “5 Factors That Impact How Kids Learn”, write “Helping Kids Achieve Their Goals”. This is much simpler and will more easily grab the attention of people scrolling through their social media feeds.

2) Include A Call To Action At The End Of Each Headline

This headline makes you want to click on the link because of its simplicity and it gives you a call to action at the end to read more about this topic! Including a call to action at the end ensures that your readers will read the entire article because it makes them feel like they have to in order to learn more.

3) Avoid Using “How To” Or Any Other Similar Titles For An Article

Instead of writing headlines like “#300k”, try something more straightforward such as, “300k Views In One Month”! These types of titles are misleading because they make it seem as though the post will contain actionable steps when in reality there are only results.

This is clickbait and will likely cause people who read these articles to immediately leave your site after seeing this type of information.

4) Avoid Incomplete Sentences And Hashtags In Headlines As Well As Clickbait Titles

These types of headlines usually do not give readers much information and are written in a misleading way. For example, instead of writing “#MakesYouCry”, try something more straightforward such as “A Picture Of A Dog With A French Bulldog Puppy”.

5) Don’t Be Afraid To Be Controversial In Your Headlines

In order to get noticed on social media and gain more views for your articles, it is important to be controversial with the topics you choose to write about.

For example, if you took a poll of people whether or not they believe that pets should have owners or if kids with ADHD should take medication instead of using other methods to help them focus, most would probably say yes.

However, by writing an article about how saying no is better for these children because it would teach them responsibility, you will get more views and shares on social media.

6) Use A Call To Action At The End Of Each Headline-And Make It Direct And Clear

For example, instead of writing “Other Things You Should Check Out”, try something like “Click Here To Read More”! Again, adding a call to action at the end will make your readers want to click through to read the full article. In this example, there is a strong indirect call to action at the end that also tells people what they should do next.

7) Don’t Leave Your Readers With Unanswered Questions After Reading An Article

This means that after people read your headlines and proceed through to read your post its entirety, it’s important to answer the questions that your headline leaves unanswered. For example, instead of writing just “Jobs” as a headline, write something like “Why I Quit My Job And The Reason Why You Should Too”!

8) Avoid Clickbait Titles At All Costs

The definition of clickbait is to purposely draw readers in with misleading information. This means that many people who visit sites with these types of headlines will leave immediately after reading an article because they know it was written specifically to get views and likes.

Instead, try to make every aspect of your article as straightforward as possible-including your headlines!

Headlines are very important when it comes to online content marketing because often times this is all people will see before clicking through. It is important to be controversial and use a call to action at the end of each title in order to get more views and shares on social media.

Be straightforward and avoid clickbait titles as well as incomplete sentences because people will be disappointed if they visit your site with these expectations. Try using writing assistance software (conversion ai) to write headlines and articles.

By following these tips, you’ll find it much easier to write engaging headlines that can help you get noticed by more people on social media! Good luck!