Nobody wants that: You invest a lot of time and energy in a blog post, have the feeling that you have written a really good post - and then the article is drowned in the daily flood of articles. The blame for such flops often lies with suboptimal headlines that don't encourage you to click, read and watch. So that your contributions get the attention they deserve, we have collected in this contribution the most important tips and expert knowledge around the perfect headline for you.
Whether blog, Facebook or the daily newspaper: various studies show that user and reading behaviour has changed considerably. Instead, the content is scanned for sought-after information, flown over or combed through.
Time is short and users are impatient. Added to this is the amount of information that is collapsing on us every day and that leads us to jump from contribution to contribution. In a study conducted by computer scientists at the University of Hamburg, for example, more than half of users spend less than ten seconds on a website. Only ten percent of website visits last longer than two minutes.
These results show: A good headline is your big chance to draw users' attention to a contribution and then draw them into the article.
Summarize yourself briefly and the content of your contribution in a few words exactly. In addition, formulate the headline in such a way that it hits the nerve of the potential user. The title bar should give you a quick overview of everything you need to know. An example: The headline "Which blog software suits me" is much better than "10 content management systems in comparison" as you find the best solution for your needs.
A well formulated headline shows that the author has thought through everything well, knows his subject and his target group. Sounds simple, but is always a big challenge - even for professional copywriters. A few basics will help you:
Pick up your users with unexpected new ideas and formulations. Content that surprises the user not only generates more clicks, but also keeps in mind and increases the chance that your content will be shared. A study by the agency Frac.tl, for example, shows that surprise is one of the most important elements for the viral distribution of content.
There are words where the human brain immediately "clicks". Advertising has been working with these words for decades, and these buzz words are also often used on the Internet to encourage users to click. These are simple, easily accessible and descriptive terms that appeal directly to people.
The British advertising copywriter David Ogilvy - to this day one of the best-known representatives of his industry - drew up a list of so-called powerful words more than 50 years ago, which is still up to date. To work exclusively with these terms would be a bit flat and boring in the long run. But there's nothing to stop them being interspersed with headlines or intertitles from time to time.
Draw numbers. Studies show, for example, that articles that work with numerical lists (and this already in the headline anteasern) rank first among the most frequently clicked and shared blog posts. Numbers or lists are so popular because they
By the way, the ultimate tip for high click rates should be headlines that contain an odd number.
At this point, the correct dosage plays a decisive role. On the one hand, it is important to place relevant keywords in the headline (and, of course, in the article itself). On the other hand, (too) many keywords quickly make a heading difficult to read and accordingly unattractive. In addition, Google now punishes so-called keyword stuffing. So pay close attention to which keywords are really important for you and which you can do without.
Blogs and social networks are not only about placing your content, but also about the dialogue with the followers. Questions are a good way to get started. This not only works with small talk, but also with headlines. Questions arouse the curiosity of users and address them directly. It is important to formulate the question clearly and precisely and to make sure that it cannot be answered with a no if possible - because this has a negative effect on the click rate. A good headline question could be: "What are the most important WordPress plug-ins for 2019?
We all want to develop and learn how to take things into our own hands - whether it's a job, a tax return or sewing. Accordingly, tutorials and co. are popular on the net. You can also use the DIY trend for interesting headlines. Examples: "So you use WordPress for your own online shop" or "Learn to program a website yourself". Such formulations are a signal to your users that you share your knowledge with them. At the same time you distinguish yourself as an expert in your special field.
"Best...", "Most successful...", "Most beautiful...": Superlatives are more the rule than the exception on the net. So why not focus on the opposite and attract attention with negative formulations? "10 hotels that you should never visit" or "The most boring cat videos in the world" are guaranteed to arouse curiosity - if only because each of us likes to be gloating. But also here applies: This mesh is quickly exhausted. Therefore it is better to use it sparingly in order not to annoy or disappoint the users.
Ideally, the headline summarizes the content of the text in a compact way. Intertitles ensure that your users can quickly find their way around the article and find anchor points. They make long texts easier to read and also play a role in search engine optimization. It is therefore worthwhile to subdivide contributions carefully and to provide them with intertitles in h2 and, if necessary, also in h3..
So much for our nine top headlines tips. Have we forgotten any good ideas or do you have a personal special recipe for optimal headlines? We look forward to your feedback!
