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vangogh
03-11-2009, 04:07 PM
Headlines can do several things. They get people to read further. They let people know they're in the right place. They put people in the right frame of mind. They get people to read your ad or click on a search result. A good headline is one part in the process of persuasion. A bad headline is a quick good bye.

I found this article at GrokDotCom, 3 steps for writing (and testing) great headlines (http://www.grokdotcom.com/2009/03/11/3-steps-for-writing-and-testing-great-headlines/). The post defines the 3 steps as

Step 1. Scent
Step 2. Angle of Approach
Step 3. Wordsmithing

There's advice for each step and then lists of links for further reading.

From experience as a reader I can tell you headlines are extremely important. I'm subscribed to a few hundred blogs and there's no way I can read every post on every blog. I use my feedreader to scan headlines and those that interest me I click into the post. If a headline doesn't grab me in about a second I'll likely never read the content of the post.

As a writer I can also tell you how a better headline leads to more traffic. There are ways to get your readers to click and ways to get more search traffic all from a headline.

You might want to bookmark the post above. I've read many of the posts it links to over the years and I know they offer solid advice to improve your headlines.

Do you have any of your own tips on writing good headlines? Any questions for how you can improve the ones you write?

cbscreative
03-12-2009, 01:03 PM
The importance of headlines should never be underestimated. When I am writing a page or designing a web site, I rarely have the headings before the content. It's not unusual to spend about as much time creating the headings as the content. I basically consider the body copy to be about the half way mark. Sometimes it even takes longer to create good headlines, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Amen to this thread and the blog post.

vangogh
03-12-2009, 07:27 PM
I'll usually start with a headline, but almost always I go back and rewrite it after I finish writing the content. Writing some first helps me get started on the main content, but still it's important to go back and spend some time crafting your headline/title.

Paul Elliott
03-16-2009, 03:12 AM
The importance of headlines should never be underestimated.

Headlines important?

I have seen a one-word change in a headline improve conversion by 10-fold!

You bet!

Paul

vangogh
03-16-2009, 11:55 AM
I have seen a one-word change in a headline improve conversion by 10-fold!

Which is why I'm always so surprised that many people here don't seem to be as interested in copywriting as some of the other sections on the forum. This section more than most of the others is including in most everything any business does.

KristineS
03-16-2009, 12:49 PM
I have to fight my desire for quirky headlines almost every day. I still give in more often than not when it comes to my personal blogs. I try to do better when it comes to the professional stuff. A headline that let's people know exactly what the subject of the post will be is so much more effective. I know this, and yet part of me still yearns to be quirky.

vangogh
03-16-2009, 01:41 PM
It's probably fine to be quirky on your personal blog, but even then you know it's less effective. I know when I'm reading the headlines in my feed reader, quirky just makes me move on to the next headline in most cases. With time limited, if I can't figure out what your post is about from reading the headline I'm not going to open it.

Dan Furman
03-16-2009, 02:39 PM
The most important thing to remember about headlines is they have one main job - to get someone to start reading the copy. That's prettymuch it.

Now that can be done a few ways, depending on what brought the reader there. For a landing page, I like a headline that grabs some attention by addressing what the person came there for. For a blog, I like a more quirky / interesting headline. Whatever will get the person to read my first sentence.

People sometimes mistake this with simply "getting attention" - a headline that gets attention but doesn't entice someone to read further has generally failed. Exceptions noted for some newspaper front pages and the like.

In addition, many people give the headlines way too much power (as in thinking the headline sells anything but the copy). In general terms, nobody buys based on a headline. But they will read your pitch based on the headline. Big difference in focus.

It's sort of like a resume. Many people have this all-in-one, all-purpose resume that's written "to get them a job". I always wrote individual resumes laser-focused to one purpose: to get a phone call from the particular person/job I sent it to - nothing more. I'll leave the job-getting to me.

If you look at it as "what is my headline's job?", it becomes easier.

vangogh
03-16-2009, 07:00 PM
The most important thing to remember about headlines is they have one main job - to get someone to start reading the copy. That's prettymuch it.

Agreed. A headline isn't going to sell anything, but a bad headline can keep you from selling anything as no one will read your copy.

Dan the thing about quirky headlines on a blog is they keep a lot of people from reading. We'll probably disagree on this. I think we've disagree over the same subject before.

Speaking for myself I'm subscribed to a few hundred blogs. Granted that's probably a lot more than most people. Unless I can tell what a post is about from the headline it's not getting read. Some quirky can work, but I find most don't. They usually don't give an impression of what's inside and if I can't figure it out I'm generally not clicking. Now if your quirky headline really is that interesting I may be curious enough to look.

Some headlines can be quirky and still let you know what the post is about. Dan you could likely write a headline that does both. Most people probably can't. Most people when they write quirky tend to obscure what will be in the post. And even more often that not the quirkiness only makes sense after you read the post.

There's a fine line between effective quirky and ineffective quirky. It's definitely possible to write the effective kind of quirky headline, but it doesn't take much to cross over into the ineffective kind, which is more often than not what happens.

cbscreative
03-17-2009, 12:05 AM
Which is why I'm always so surprised that many people here don't seem to be as interested in copywriting as some of the other sections on the forum. This section more than most of the others is including in most everything any business does.

Well, since all the admins are very much aware of how important copywriting is, we will continue to support it. The trick is to get small business owners to realize the value. Big businesses certainly know this, but I'm guessing that small businesses need more awareness.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 01:49 AM
we will continue to support it

One of the reasons I tried starting a few threads here. I'm not sure how many people pop into this section of the site. It's amazing how much copywriting crosses into all the other things we talk about it. Much of the time when some is struggling with their website or an ad campaign the answer is really to improve the copy.

Just H
03-17-2009, 09:53 AM
For me, it depends what I'm reading. If I'm looking for something specific to learn about, then the practical straightforward headlines are definitely the easiest to pick out. For personal blogs or just copy in general, I'll be more drawn to the quirky as it leads me to believe it's written better than the boring one. Now, combine the factual basic topic with a quirky/clever headline - I'm sold. If you can tell me what the copy is about and say it in a completely unique way, then that's the article I want to read.

Truth be told, most of the fact-based, straight forward info that I "should read" bores me to tears and I usually skip over or don't finish it anyway. The more well-written the whole package, the longer I stay.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 12:34 PM
I guess it depends to a degree on the blog and how much you enjoy reading it. There are certain blogs that I've come to enjoy over time and it really doesn't matter what the headline is at this point since I'm going to click in and at least read the first paragraph.

H with the longer info pieces ideally the writer used headings throughout and maybe some lists and other elements in order to make the post scannable. That way you can quickly look over the post, take the most important information from it, and decide if it's important enough for you to read.

A well written post is definitely important, but the headline still needs to grab you enough to get you reading the post in the first place.

Just H
03-17-2009, 01:42 PM
Yeah, I can see where the subheadings and lists throughout would definitely make it easier to scan and identify the overall content as well as what areas are targeting what the user is interested in. I know that headlines apply to many areas as well as magazines, newspapers, the 6 o'clock news as well as cereal boxes and such. And each of those seem to use the type of headlines that work best w/ their product/piece. With pieces like the headline on the front page of a newspaper, it seems to work best to have something more catchy and it's portrayed w/ a large photo so the deciphering of meaning usually doesn't take much and the play on words is apparent.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 02:10 PM
With the newspaper you're already holding it in your hand and you're planning on reading something. The catchy headline probably gets you to look at the article as opposed to some of the other articles on the page. Still a lot of newspapers will write factual headlines. Then there's the NY Post...

With blog posts some will depend on how you're consuming the info. For me it's in a feedreader that only shows the headlines until I click on one. So that headline needs to be written in a way to get me to click. If I can't tell what the post is about there are a few hundred other headlines waiting on me so I'll just as soon scan them.

Scanning is important in any reading online. Most of us don't read right away. There's so much information calling for our attention that we have limited time. We'll scan the headline and the headings. Look at the images and check out the bulleted and numbered lists to get a sense of what the post contains. If we like we'll read the whole thing. An ideal way to write a post is to make sure it reads well just from the headline and headings and other quickly scanned elements. The paragraphs of text might be thought of as more detailed information to the shorter headline only post.

Dan Furman
03-17-2009, 02:25 PM
Well, since all the admins are very much aware of how important copywriting is, we will continue to support it. The trick is to get small business owners to realize the value. Big businesses certainly know this, but I'm guessing that small businesses need more awareness.

I do my best to educate, but many people still use really poor copy, and then wonder why nobody calls.

It goes back to "anyone can write at a basic level". Not everyone can make a website, or work with graphics, so people see value there easier. Many don't really see the value in writing. Not a "feel sorry for myself" complaint or anything, mind you, just the truth.

Plus, a copywriter really isn't cheap. In many (but not all) cases, I'm more expensive than the web designer. A lot of people, especially small businesspeople on tight budgets, have a hard time with that (the basic reason for this is usually a designer puts the bulk of the work into the first page, then the rest come easy - a writer can't do that - each page is typically "from scratch". In fact, duplication is bad.)

Another hard part of the "awareness" thing is businesspeople kind of have to reach the "I need writing" conclusion on their own - you're generally not finding my website on google unless you search for a writer. Well, that means you kind of already made the decision to at least look into hiring one.

That's why I do other stuff, like have a blog, post here, and write books. Besides the fact that I enjoy those, it brings "me" to a wider audience.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 02:32 PM
It goes back to "anyone can write at a basic level". Not everyone can make a website, or work with graphics, so people see value there easier. Many don't really see the value in writing.

That's really the heart of the issue. Since most people can write they assume it's one place they can save on the cost of hiring a professional. The opposite is really the truth. Since every one can write at a basic level you need to make sure your copy stands out from the pack. Most people can't do that and so a copywriter is an extremely valuable hire.

And if for every $200 you spend on better copy it brings back even $500 it's not really costing anything.

Dan Furman
03-17-2009, 02:46 PM
And if for every $200 you spend on better copy it brings back even $500 it's not really costing anything.

Isn't that the truth? I can't count the number of times I've paid for myself - sometimes in a matter of hours/days.

Just recently for myself, I noticed contacts were down. My old wording of being an excellent copywriter wasn't working as well with Mr. Recession at the door. So last month, I moved to a more ROI focused message (which is what people need to hear now) - bam, contacts increased immediately. I mean, I went all week without a contact, and got one within twenty minutes of putting up the new copy.

Let me tell you, that is a serious feeling of power.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 07:17 PM
And the best part is when the economy picks back up the new change will be leading to even more contacts. I think the point that a single word or a rewrite of a sentence can have such a huge impact on sales is lost on many people. Not everyone has the eye to distinguish good copy from average or bad.

cbscreative
03-17-2009, 08:48 PM
The comments above remind me of why our writing never seems to be done, and the need for constant improvement. I've mentioned this in other threads, but I felt many pages on my own site needed a revamp, and I'm still working on more of the content. Even small changes can make a surprisingly big difference.

vangogh
03-17-2009, 09:40 PM
Steve don't try to rewrite all the pages at once. Just pick one page to work on and then move to the next.

cbscreative
03-18-2009, 02:21 PM
Vangogh, that's exactly what I am doing. If I tried to take them all on, it's too much. I do one here, one there, and over the past few months or so, I've made some progress. Like Dan, I'm making changes that really alter the tone. In my case, I've lightened up quite a bit to be less business formal and more personal. I tried to be less formal before, but when I come back in now, I see plenty of room for improvement.

Dan Furman
03-18-2009, 05:11 PM
Vangogh, that's exactly what I am doing. If I tried to take them all on, it's too much. I do one here, one there, and over the past few months or so, I've made some progress. Like Dan, I'm making changes that really alter the tone. In my case, I've lightened up quite a bit to be less business formal and more personal. I tried to be less formal before, but when I come back in now, I see plenty of room for improvement.

I tried to be formal once - didn't work for me. Two reasons:

1) Formal made me sound like everyone else, and I'm not.

2) I don't like working for people that want formal anyway. I want people who want "me".

Yea, my web copy is never done... :)

vangogh
03-18-2009, 06:28 PM
I don't like working for people that want formal

Same here. It's not me and it's one of the reasons I left the corporate world. I'd much rather work with an individual trying to build a business than with a large organization. That was a major consideration in reworking my content last year.

Steve just write like you speak. I assume you're doing that already. Less worry on what's proper grammatically and more about letting the words be naturally you.

cbscreative
03-19-2009, 12:01 AM
I do write like I speak, which is usually grammatically correct. When I say it was more formal before, it's more formal compared to the rewrites. I tried to avoid being too formal before also, but I'm just happier with the revisions. I just uploaded a page a few minutes ago that was essentially rewritten from scratch. Many of the others were only modified, this one I felt needed a complete overhaul.

Paul Elliott
03-30-2009, 10:00 PM
Back to the headline issue --

Headline writers for the National Enquirer and other tabloids used to be paid $500,000/year for good reason. They were the life's blood of the papers. (They may be paid less now that several of them are under the same ownership.)

"Woman Gives Birth To Alien!" was an intriguing one I saw on the front page of a National Enquirer many years ago. The accompanying picture was of very poor quality and it depicted some animal form that resembled an alien.

I KNEW she really hadn't given birth to an alien, but I was intrigued by the headline and wanted to know what the article really said, so I bought it.

Sure enough, the article revealed she had given birth to a normal human being. On seeing the infant, a neighbor, believing the child to be exceptionally ugly, exclaimed, "That woman gave birth to an alien!" And so the headline was not completely false, but the hook was certainly different than the revealed facts.

Informing, enticing, intriguing, and curiosity-provoking were elements in the compelling headline.

Did it do its job? You bet ... I bought the paper to learn the rest of the story. :D

Paul

Spider
03-31-2009, 02:07 PM
I'm sure the original poster (vangogh) could use that Alien suggestion --

"Websites for Aliens!"

How about Dan Furman - "Aliens Write Dan's Web Copy!"

And Huggy could use - "Aliens Found Living in Drain!"

Steve B's - "Electric Dog Fence Traps Aliens!"

Lots of scope here, I think!

vangogh
03-31-2009, 04:42 PM
I was going to go with:

Is Your Web Designer an Alien from Jupiter?
Top 10 Alien Web Designers
Web Developers are from Mars, Web Designers are from Venus

cbscreative
03-31-2009, 05:29 PM
I guess I missed the mark. One of my pages is called Web Design is for Humans (http://www.cbscreative.com/webforhumans.htm). Now I have to come up with something for aliens.

vangogh
03-31-2009, 07:32 PM
Maybe we're just targeting a different market. Not everyone needs to be web designer to the aliens. You're opting for the local market, Earth.

Dan Furman
03-31-2009, 10:16 PM
How about Dan Furman - "Aliens Write Dan's Web Copy!"

My wife says I haven't been myself lately...

Brenen Lennon
12-18-2009, 08:55 AM
Readers want to instantly discover immediate benefits, the ease of getting this benefit and how much it is going to cost them. The headline can lock your potential client in and get them to read more

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