Writing Better Headlines
This week I read the article “5 Easy Tricks to Help You Write Catchy Headlines” on Goins, Writer. I thought that the article made some good points like use numbers and use interesting adjectives I felt that it missed some very critical aspects of headline writing.
In order to know what the article was missing we need to establish what Jeff Goins’ five tricks were. Goins said we should use numbers, use adjectives, use unique rational, use words like what and why and make an audacious promise. I agree with a lot of what Goins was saying because most of his points are to make your title stand out. If a writer uses numbers or unique adjectives in the headlines that story will stick out on a websites main page or in a search engine. I also think that making an audacious promise is an interesting thought, but I think if a writer makes a promise they better deliver on that promise. Goins made good points, but I felt that he was missing a couple major points. Here are a couple other points that will improve your headline writing.
1. Don’t be afraid to name drop
If you are writing an article that involves an important or famous person don’t be afraid to put their name in your headline. Well known names will draw attention to your article and will make them more likely to appear on search engines like Google or Bing.
2. Don’t overcomplicate your headline
Keep your headlines short and to the point. A headline should tell the reader what is in an article, but it shouldn’t tell the reader everything. Headlines should not exceed 10 words. Make sure that your headline reads easy and doesn’t confuse your reader.
