So you've got a content strategy, developed plenty of good content for your site, and you're ready to go. But wait. Have you considered how to intrigue your audience enough to click through to read your articles? There's one more thing you need to do to make sure your content gets exposed to as many eyeballs as it should be. Write great headlines!
A good headline will interest the reader enough to want to read more, without giving away your whole story. In his book, 25 Terrifying Reasons Your Content is Not Successful, Cyrus Kirkpatrick says this about headlines that reveal too much:
It’s ultimately an ineffective way to promote an article. It pretty much encompasses all the information in one short blurb, to the point where I don’t have any interest in seeking out more information—everything I need to know is already right there!
Headlines need to have a sense of mystery. People have very short attention spans when they are surfing the internet, and as result good copywriting is more than ever if you want your content marketing strategy to succeed. For instance, a headline that says, "Saving Important Documents on a USB Is Important For Your Business", is just not going to get as many clicks as it can. The headline gives away the article, and many people won't bother to click on the article once they read the headline. A better headline would be "The Best Way I Know to Back Up Business Documents". At least this title will make readers curious, prompting them to click on your article for more information about the subject being presented.
Remember, your goal in writing a headline is to make your audience want to, "...read all about it!"
Contact us if you would like to learn more about content strategy and how it can help your business.