Sunday 25 March 2012

How to Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines that No Reader Can Resist!

One of the most important aspects of any article is the headline.  You could write the best article ever, and without a great headline many people will simply pass over it.  The headline, or title, is the part of the article that grabs a reader's interest and entices them to keep reading.  Here are some tips that can help you write amazing headlines for any article:

Headlines should be kept short and sweet.  Nothing turns a reader off more quickly than a headline that's too long.  Avoid rambling and condense what you want to say into one or two sentences. Don't worry about complete sentences when writing headlines.  Often the best headlines are fragments of sentences that would usually never be considered grammatically correct!

Don't be afraid of punctuation.  Dashes, commas, colons, exclamation points and question marks can be used when writing headlines.  However, there is no need to always use them, nor do you need to put a period at the end of a headline.  Punctuation in headlines is mostly used for emphasis.

Use words that pack a wallop.  Go for words and phrases that invoke emotion in the reader. Adjectives like amazing, great, fantastic, remarkable and the like can work well in a headline. Promise the reader something with your headline.  Entice their curiosity.  Let them know that you've got information that they need.

One way to do this is by asking a question in your headline and answering it with your article.  Let's take this article for example.  You could go for something like this:

Do You Want to Write Attention Getting Headlines?  Read on!

Or, you can be direct with your headline and tell the reader exactly what they'll be learning with your article.  Such as the title used for this article: How to Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines that No Reader Can Resist!  This is an example of a straightforward headline that's simple and to the point. 

Another strategy is promising the reader secret information.  For example, the title of this article could be Secrets to Writing Attention-Grabbing Headlines.  Let's review some attention-grabbing headlines for another article subject so you can get an idea of the different kinds of headlines you can try.  Let's say the subject is working from home:

-->  How to Find the Perfect Work at Home Job

-->  Want to Work at Home?  Here's How!

-->  Secrets to Finding the Ideal Work at Home Job

-->  Working from Home - How You Can Make the Dream a Reality

These are all effective headlines that are concise yet attention-getting.  Using these examples, you can come up with amazing headlines for any article topic.  Try to put yourself in the reader's shoes and create headlines that will capture the imagination and interest of your target audience. 

Even if you're not a professional writer, you can create a headline like one!  With the right combination of attention grabbing words and punctuation, you can craft amazing titles that draw readers in and keep them coming back to read more!

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