Make Or Break it With Headlines

Anyone who has experienced trying to read the front page of a daily paper that measures 13 by 22 inches knows how headlines literally wrestle for a reader's attention. Although, of course, the page layout, including size and placement, has a lot to do with what piece is read first, the way a headline is worded can also make or break a story. Let's put it this way: a so-so story with an extremely catchy and curious headline might prove to be disappointing, but it will still be read. The same story with a humdrum headline will not be read at all.

While writing headlines for journalistic articles and for web copies are different in terms of their target audience, the principle under which they work are basically the same: to capture the essence of a piece and, hopefully, catch attention.

The need for good headlines

In a nutshell, a headline can determine whether a user will click through to a copy or not. This is what's in the mind of most who write copy for an online audience. The possible downside of this thinking is sacrificing accuracy. Some opt to misguide intentionally just to get hits. Remember that clicks alone will not translate to business automatically. Hence, it's really not worth trying to misguide prospective customers through deceptive headlines.

A headline, in journalism parlance, is the gist of the gist of a story. When writing copy for the web, this can be overly simplistic. There are more things to consider than just condensing a piece into several words. While doing that, for instance, remember to be creative and inspired in thinking of your headlines. The World Wide Web is astronomically bigger than any single newspaper. And even with the help of a search engine to narrow down results, the webpages (and headlines) competing for a user's attention is unimaginably voluminous. This is where a good headline edges out a mediocre one.

The writing itself

When writing headlines, it is best to strike a balance between accuracy and creativity. The first part, simply put, means saying what you want to say, no complication, no catch. Trying to impress via headlines is not only needless and arrogant, it can also backfire in the long run. Thinking about it, writing for the sake of trying to impress often works to one's disadvantage.

After figuring out what you really need to say (in other words, what your piece says), figure out the most effective, creative, catchy, clever way of saying it. While you tirelessly try to excite and reel people in through your headlines, remember that headlines are the bait, and your copy is the fishing rod that reels people in.

As with writing for journalistic purposes, headlines of web copies differ on what purpose they will serve. The tone of your headline usually sets the mood for the rest of the article. Reserve funny headlines for funny pieces, satirical ones for parodies, academic ones for research papers, you get the picture.

The Content Annex can craft strong copies and relevant articles for your website. We also write press releases, sales copies, blogs, SEO articles, e-books, newsletters, autoresponder emails, and content for other marketing materials.