Digital Trends | MIN READ

How to Engage Your Audience With an Enticing Headline

It’s easy to give more attention to the article and have a quick afterthought for a headline. We find that often, less time has been invested in the headline.  For perspective, a headline should be given equally as much time as the article, because well, if the reader doesn’t take an interest in getting to read the report from the headline, then the whole item is as good as pointless.
Everyone wants to capture and grab their reader’s attention to pick their interest in their article to either increase clicks, conversions or whatever the goal maybe. But first, Let’s understand what a headline is.
 

What is a Headline?

A headline is often identified as a descriptive title of an advertisement for your business. A catchy headline will create excitement and appeal to have your customers willing to click and delve into your story. The headline offers a sneak-peak of the irresistible information that your readers are about to read.
An interesting headline is Unique, Useful, Ultra-specific and Urgent. All these are components to get you started to have the right headline that is captivating and attention, grabbing to your readers.  A boring headline will have you missing out on readers and having them move onto the next eye-catching headline.
 

Know your target audience

On coming up with a headline, you must understand your target audience. Knowing your audience will help you identify their needs and how best your article can be of value to them.
Think about what would make your headline stand out from the rest, what would interest your audience into choosing to click your article instead of your competitor’s. Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and try to imagine what they would search for if they were looking for something that you were telling them about in your article.
People take a keen interest in clicking an item that has something of value in it for them. Take, for example, a headline educating them, e.g. Everything You Need to Know About Keeping Fit or sharing ideas and tips, e.g. Try This Recipe for Great BBQ Chicken Wings. Drill down into the story and get to understand what the information is really about and pull the main idea from the article.
 

SEO considerations in headlines

Keywords are word ideas that define what your content is all about.  This will help readers find your article easily through search engines like google by identifying the keywords you use. Research keywords for the search engine to quickly identify when your targeted audience search for something similar to what you’re writing about.
 

Style

Make the headline engaging by using dynamic language, striking a balance between using familiar terms and being precise to the point. Play with familiarity terms as people tend to draw into something or someone that is better known to them.
Consider choosing topics that people find interesting while trying to avoid being outrageous. Sure, an outrageous headline will get people to want to read the article, however, if it is without cause, you’re likely to lose your readers.
 

Mechanics

Major words should be written in capital letters. Proper punctuation comes in handy as it helps one say more with less. It is advisable to use single quotation marks while directly quoting someone instead of using double quotation marks. Also, consider using verbs to elaborate the motion of your headline better.
 

Using Subheads

Subheads are further descriptions used to complement headlines by getting deeper into details. Sometimes the headline just isn’t enough to emphasize what exactly you want to say. The subheads shouldn’t repeat what already is in the headline but throw more light on the headline.
With all this into consideration, you will have more leverage to reaching your set goals for the content you have created.