For those of you who are still contemplating about the importance of headlines, let’s just start by saying that numerous studies have revealed that 80% of people make the decision of reading your blog or article on the basis of how attractive your headline is. Let us look at some of the techniques you can adopt in order to write a headline that will seem irresistible to the viewer.

Adding a number always works

As soon as you have a number on your headline, it automatically implies seriousness and intent. For example, “7 ways to give your dog a bath”, would seem a lot more attractive than any other generic headline. As soon as you add a number, it shows the reader that he will not be receiving an overload of information but can look forward to a nice, broken down structure into specific points which are easy to understand.
A number also has an aesthetic appeal to the headline. It has a significant psychological impact on the mind of the reader.

Be extremely specific and promise value

The idea behind having an attractive headline is to give the reader exactly what he is looking for. So, it is important to put yourself in the mind of the audience and come up with something that appeals to his specific need and at the same time, also promises to solve that need. It is not always necessary to come across as a catchy headline, but coming up with something which is straight to the point is the only answer.

Create an atmosphere of intrigue

Where coming up with something that is straight to the point can be one strategy, another could be to cater to a specific need but also simultaneously create an atmosphere of curiosity around what the reader should expect. For example- if you are talking about a polarised issue, it is important to start your headline with a fact and then lead the reader on. For example- “Polls predict landslide victory for BJP in Gujarat. Here’s the full story”.

Explore the world of adjectives and hyperboles

Any serious writer will always talk to you about the danger of adding superlatives and adjectives. It does strongly signify your personal bias and should in any case be avoided. However, when it comes to headlines, adjectives and the use of superlatives is perhaps your best friend. They make for undefeatable conversion rates and almost always what catches the readers’ eyes the most. This is because the brain connects with exciting adjectives and hyperbole. When you are thinking of your next title, you could use some adjectives like “Exciting, magnificent, jaw-dropping, incredible”.

Have an emotional connect with the reader

Any person visiting your website or your blog will appreciate the emotional connect you can bring to your piece. A good piece is called something that has an emotional connect. Something that can connect well with the reader. It inspires people to make a change, it moves them to click on the article and find out more. So when you are thinking about creating a good headline, it is important to go beyond just fancy phrases and attractive use of adjectives. It is important to also create something that is not fun but also meaningful for the reader.