Why Are Headlines So Important?
When you are writing your content for your network marketing business you need to take the headlines into account. And the reason is a very important one.
Headlines are the attention getter for your content. When you’re dealing with all that hard SEO work you do everyday you need to have a headline as your title tag in order to draw people to click on your link. This is the number one reason why people chose your site over all the others. Of course being number 1 in the search results doesn’t hurt, but if your like me you read the first three or four results before clicking on a link to see which one interests you most.
The same applies to your emails. You take two roads with this one, which is to use the ones I suggest to you below. Or even better is get yourself Cosmopolitan magazine. They have a way of writing headlines that makes you just want to pick up their magazine. And that’s the same effect you want your headlines to have on your readers, which is to open your emails.
Headline and subject lines are the most important factor in your copy. This is where the reader decides if they are going to stay and read the rest of your post, article, or email so put a lot of though into them.
Here Are Some Headlines To Get You Started
1) What Everybody Ought to Know About (blank)
These particular headlines draw a large amount of curiosity. They also act almost as a challenge to the reader to go ahead and see if they are missing something.
- What Everybody Ought To Know About The 100 Day Challenge
- What Everybody Ought To Know About MyLeadSystemPro
- What Everybody Ought To Know About Network Marketing
2) [Do something] like [example]
I know you remember the headlines “Be Like Mike” market campaign that featured Michael Jordan during the height of his career. This particular campaign made him and his sponsors tons of money and allowed Michael to take on that fantastic baseball career (insert sarcasm here lol).
- Party Like Kim Kardashian
- Dance Like A Rockstar
- Blog Like Seth Godin
3) Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of
These headlines take on a psychology tone. You need to use this headline to appeal to your readers vanity, dissatisfaction, or shame.
- Build a Blog You Can Be Proud Of
- Have a Body You Can Be Proud Of
- Build a Business You Can Be Proud Of
4) Who Else Wants [blank]
These headlines are a take on the classic social proof strategy that works to imply and already existing consensus desire. It tends to be overused in the internet marketing niche, but it does still work in other niche areas.
- Who Else Wants Hundreds of Prospects
- Who Else Wants Free Website Traffic
- Who Else Wants More Time With Their Family
5) The Secret of [blank]
I use these headlines a lot, and for a very good reason, they work. The headlines imply that you are sharing some insider knowledge about the subject and that knowing this knowledge will benefit the reader. This post used it, does it benefit you?
- The Secret of Search Engine Optimization
- The Secret of Lead Generation
- The Secret of Getting More People To Join Your Business
6) Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]
Problem solving is the number one way to get customers with your headlines. Most people who are searching for a topic that relates to a problem are looking for a solution and these headlines help the searcher find yours. When using these headlines make sure that you’re actually solving the problem though. You can turn off a visitor if you draw them in without providing a solution.
- Here’s a Quick Way To Get More Fans
- Here’s a Quick Way To Get More Likes
- Here’s a Quick Way To Lose Weight
7) Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]
These headlines are another way to answer people problems.
- Now You Can Quit Your Job and Make Even More Money
- Now You Can Spend More Time With Your Family and Work From Home
- Now You Can You Can Get More Traffic and Do It On Autopilot
8.) Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All
These headlines are used to identify a painful problem or some otherwise unfulfilled desire that your reader has and wants a fix for.
- Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All
- Get Rid of That Carpet Stain Once and For All
- Get Rid of That Acne Once and For All
9) Here is a Method That Is Helping [blank] and [blank]
Use these headlines to target your audience and the benefit that you will provide them.
- Here is a Method That is Helping Network Marketers Leverage Facebook
- Here is a Method That is Helping Blog Owners Write Better Headlines
- Here is a Method That is Helping Affiliates Dominate The Search Engines
10) Little Known Ways to [blank]
The use of these headlines are used less commonly then all the others. The headlines are more intriguing to your reader and accomplish the same thing as the “Secret of” headlines.
- Little Known Ways to Save on Your Advertising Bills
- Little Known Ways to Increase Your Converstions
- Little Known Ways to Research Keywords
Writing good headlines is about knowing good copywriting. But truly it doesn’t have to be that hard here are some more examples I have found on the net the convert well.
- Are You Sick and Tired Of….?
- Are You Ready To Get Serious About….?
- Shocking Developments In….
- New Product Shakes Up Market for…..
- Learn the Top Five Things that….
- Finally Experience the Benefits of….
- Change Your Life Overnight with….
- Explosive Secrets that are Guaranteed to….
- Learn the 10 Dangerous Secrets that Every Successful Person in Your Niche Knows, But You Don’t
- (Frank Kern special) Oh No You Didn’t
Do some research online, take a copywriting course, and get yourself a Cosmopolitan magazine subscription. Headlines are everywhere to be had for you to spin and make your own.
Regards,
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{ 47 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmm now this has given me something to think about….thanks for this post
Let your imagination run wild Katrina, come back an share some of your products!!
Clint, that is a great article and I hope you don’t
mind, I am going to print this out and post it on my wall
for referencing my titles…
you are so correct…the title , the header all has to Capture the attention in a matter of
miili-seconds….
that is why Images are so great…its instant capturing of the mind…and the senses!!
thanks Clint!!
Pat
Having the right headline is essential if you want to get your readers attention Clint. Thanks for sharing your fantastic blog post on getting started the proper way to start writing good headlines!
Thanks Clint! I’ll be writing these ideas down! I think some people (like me
over think what our headlines should be and miss the mark. Thanks again.
Great writing Clint, You are right. People leave within seconds if you don’t have an attention grabber that creates curiosity. Suggesting to grab magazines is awesome as well. Front page headlines are a great way of provoking curiousity. Thank you for the tips here. Warmest Regards Shirley
This is some great content here Clint, Headlines are so important when it comes to marketing.
Thank you for these wonderful tips, as it is just in time for me to fix my messages. Thanks!
“Quick”, “Quickly” and “Immediately” work well with my blog and email list headlines Clint. People want things Now, so addressing the speed issue moves people into immediate action, clicking on your link or email to learn more.
Great list here. The idea is to move people into action with the words you us. Make the words colorful. Use plenty of action verbs: people respond well when told to do something. Also, include intrigue. Frank Kern is a master of this. I remember he mentioned that one of his all time best converting email headlines: “Stop, Thief”. That’s it. It makes you think: 1 – What did I steal? 2 – What the heck is he talking about? 3 – I better click the darn subject and see what he’s up to.
Thanks for sharing Clint!
RB
Thanks Clint, for this post, headlines are key to the success of a blog.
To me headlines are so important that they are the ones that detemine if I will read the post or not.
Using key words in the headline is also important…
Thank you!
Very helpful post, Clint.
People focus very hard on getting traffic and building a list. The problem I often see, even among some of my students who have built nice size lists, is that they have terrible open rates.
Headlines are critical to getting people to open your emails. In addition to the examples you give here, I’d say to try to give a fairly regular (one a week or more) dose of email blasts, also called newsletters. The reason is that they are not in your follow-up cycle of messages, so they can have an immediacy. Example: “You could create your first web page before watching tonight’s big GOP debate”, or “Get my free ebook… only during the Super Bowl half-time show”.
Thanks for the good advice (and examples), Clint.
Anytime David, and please come back and share some of your top headlines if your up to it!!
Hi Clint,
Those are all great examples of successful headlines. When I first started blogging I was clueless to how important headlines were. Some of my early post headlines were only two words long.
It’s true that catchy headlines grab the attention of readers as I can tell by my posts that are the most popular.
Hope you get some good mileage out of those Justin. Stop back by and let us know if you come up with any to add.
Hi Clint,
I am a first time visitor here thanks to TSA.
Excellent blog so much good info.
Agree with you … the headline is so important.
Unless the headline grabs me I don’t even read the article or email we are all so busy.
Great post!
Cheers
Bryan
Welcome Bryan, thanks for coming by!!!
Some wonderful ideas, Clint!! I will have to borrow a few… even reading them gives me some great ideas for articles! Thanks!!
Anytime Holly, thanks for coming!!
Hey Clint,
Copy writing is the first core skill that everyone should learn who is starting out in the direct response marketing world. The headline is the most important. It’s what gets your blog posts read and your emails opened. Where have you spent time to learn the skills of good copy writing?
Hey Edward, I wish that copy was the first thing that I learned because its really the hardest to grasp for me. I am learning from John Carlton and Dan Kennedy now. There are no better teachers to model then those two great men.
I love articles on headlines. They are the most important part of the article. No matter how great the article is, if the headline isn’t good people won’t click to read it.
Seriously gold content here. Headlines make all the different from my blog posts to my emails I send out Your post here has given me some fresh new ideas to use in my next headlines and see how they convert.
Glad you liked it Sean, come back and leave some ideas on headlines you come up with!!
Liked your article and hope you don’t mind me saying, if you are positioning yourself as an expert or leader on writing copy I would suggest that you check your spelling/grammar. In the first sentence the word your should be you are or you’re. And last sentence in that section … put a lot of though into them, should be ‘thought’ and there are more, but no more time for me.
LOL, I am by no means an expert on copy. I couldn’t write my way out of a paper bag. I write they way I talk and the Mac takes care of the spelling. Thanks for taking the time to point it out though, the critique is appreciated.
I consider headlines as window through which one looks into the core of the page. If poorly curled can have a huge negative impact on the whole page.
Wow this is an awesome post thanks Clint. I will definitely come back and implement. Already use one of them today! I love the one for secrets, no one likes to be left out of the secret!
Clint,
Great article and some great tips. I can see myself using some of these headline suggestions immediately.
-Bill
Hi Clint,
First of all I want to compliment you on the new look! Well done! I loved your post…great copy writing examples! I will be sure to use them.
I bought “The Ultimate Sales Letter” and I am enjoying it like crazy…Truly, great copy writing can make you a lot of money…
Headlines are such a great way to grab attention. Too bad it took me about a year to get it right! Thanks for the examples. I’ve been bookmarking a lot of your content lately. Keep ‘em coming!
This is a fantastic article Clint! In fact, I’ve printed it out : )
One thing I would add is that emotional headlines get really great “open rates” for emails. You want to put emotional words into your headlines. Here’s a really cool free tool I learned about awhile back that scores your headlines based on how “emotional” it is. The higher the score the better!
http://www.aminstitute.com/headline/
I actually use that tool sometimes. It pretty cool. There are a lot of copywriters who have heard about it in the Warrior Forum who hate that site LOL. But I think its an interesting concept regardless of its effectiveness. Its a tool to help your when your stuck.
Great post, Clint! In my experience, some headlines that also seem to help me are “What [Activity or Event] Taught Me About [Principle]” and “[Name of Subject of Post] and the Power of [Important Lesson].” Thanks again for sharing some great templates.
Hi Clint,
Thanks for sharing this topic and some great suggestions.
You have provided your readers with some very helpful information. I have bookmarked this page and will incorporate some of these great ideas into my swipe file.
Since so many Network Marketers have lists and are sending out e-mail campaigns and writing articles, etc…it is so important to get this part of the equation right.
You can have the best e-mail, article, sales page out there, but if nobody reads it, what good is it.
So, it all starts at the TOP with the Headline.
Just like writing this great blog post…without traffic to your blog and an effective Headline, you will not have people seeing this excellent content.
Bottom line…Without an effective Headline, most people will not be drawn to your message.
Keep up the great work,
Marc
Hey Clint, great topic! Lots of people discussing this this week because it’s such a vitally important aspect of successful online marketing. Blog posts, tweets and email campaigns are ALL examples where strong headlines either make or break your results. Most people put too little time and energy into at least one of these. Good primer!
Kim
Hi Clint. I really appreciate your headline templates and suggestions for creating attention getting headlines for my content. I will try to start incorporating your suggestions in my posts. Thanks for sharing:)
Hi Clint, thanks for sharing these great templates for crafting attention getting headlines for my posts. I will try to start incorporating your suggestions when I create my content:)
I am going to let you in on a secret. While a lot of those are great headline starters… a lot of those types of titles are covered and spun hundreds of times by article re-write companies. I read a lot of articles and even though I do read articles that have Headlines that trigger me to think it was re-written, my advice is this:
Think outside of the box and be creative. I would suggest not titling articles to seem like your peers in your niche. Flex your vocabulary and make that title a bit more vivid by breaking out of the normal.
If it takes grabbing a thesaurus, do it. Copywriting courses are not always a requirements, just like journalism is not a requirement for blogging. Not all people have the patience for playing with semantics in order to be persuasive.
Great comment Nile, how about leaving some suggestions for everyone. Compelling headlines are key and when your trying to build traffic to your website they are a requirement. The headlines above are simple suggestions to a complex issue. They need to be adapted to your writing style, the readers on your site, and tons of other considerations. They by all means are no way a end all be all list. Ideally, you want to use them to start building your traffic up and once your where you want to be, try your hand at doing some “viral” headlines. National Enquirer is a good place to start, imagine if you starting writing those types of titles!
Hi Clint,
Thanks for the really great blog post, and the great info that you are sharing with us all, your post has given me some excellent inspiration for my future headlines and blog post titles.
Thanks again
Nigel
Clint,
This is great training on how to create great headlines… or “the secret” of successful headlines.
Great post. I too, am going to refer back to this for future blog posts that I do.
Thanks,
James
Clint, excellent suggestions. I’d add a caveat to make sure the headlines address the subject matter of the post/article. I find it extremely frustrating to click an article or news story to find that the headline makes no sense in regards to the content.
Hey Clint
Those are some nice examples of headlines to use.
A headline should be honest but compelling, otherwise no one would even take a further look
Peter
Clint,
That’s a great post. It’s really good reference material – and I will certainly be checking it out again in future.
I don’t have too much trouble cranking out a 1,000 word blog post – but catchy headlines are a skill that eludes me more often than not. thanks for that.
Anytime Hamish, glad you found it helpful. Come back and show off some of your headlines!
Clint,
That is some awesome information. I wrote them all done to use later. Tomorrow I am going to go out and get a Cosmo. Thanks a lot!
Hi Clint, I just came across your site and I already have tons of ideas for my forthcoming blog posts. This article on catchy headlines is FULL of great ideas. Thanks for sharing!