Headlines and subheadlines are imperative to your content marketing success.
Heatmap studies have found that people rarely read a page in full, word for word. Instead, they scan the page for important key points. They are looking to see if the page is worth the time it takes to read (or watch/listen) all the way through.
The key to successful headlines is to grab the attention of the reader.
A headline should…
- Address your specific audience (Being vague or general = ineffective)
- Highlight the specific benefit or outcome they desire
- Highlight the specific pain that your reader most wants to avoid
- Create curiosity
- Add urgency
“On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.”
– David Olgivy
Key elements that should be present in an effective headline is:
S – Specificity
H – Helpfulness
I – Immediacy
N – Newsworthiness
E – Entertainment value
For example:
The Best Five Minutes (immediacy) You’ll Spend Today (entertainment):
The Latest Tips (newsworthy) From Buffer (specificity) on Getting More Followers (helpfulness)
