Headlines are one of the most important parts of any post. They’re what people see in search, on social media, and in ad copy, so they have to be eye-catching, powerful, and explain the content the reader will find when they click.
Luckily, there are some formulas that top writers have discovered work well. A 2020 study by Semrush found that headlines with between 10 and 13 words drew in twice as many readers and 1.5x as many social shares than headlines of less than seven words.
Question headlines are always popular and draw attention by making readers think they might find the answer to their curiosity in the article. It also gives the impression that the article is a bit of a mystery or a surprise, which is an added incentive to read more.
Other popular types of headlines are lists, factoids, or quotes. These are simple and easy to digest, so they’re ideal for quick skimmers. Lists also have the benefit of allowing you to put more information in your headline, which is a plus if you’re trying to rank high in search engines.
As any newspaper person will tell you, controversy sells. Creating a headline that stirs up emotions or is thought-provoking is an effective way to draw in an audience, and it will help the story go viral. You can also generate interest with finality style headlines that use power words like ultimate, best, exclusive, guaranteed, et cetera.
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