Wondering why your well-researched blog posts go unnoticed while others get hundreds of clicks? It’s high time to ponder over what’s missing in action! Is it headlines that grab attention? Your blogs might not be making waves because of a dull headline. Yes, a punchy headline for a blog with that “aha” factor could make all the difference.
So, if you want to expand your readership or make your blog stand out, you need to explore the art behind the science of writing a catchy headline. Don’t worry! In this blog post, we’ll keep things easy-peasy for you.
After covering the basics, we’ll share 6 tips and walk you through 10 real examples of headlines that grab attention. Get ready to learn how to make headlines that POP. Don’t miss out on our favorite headline formula provided just below the examples!
Why Is Having a Killer Headline Important?
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Did you know that 80% of readers skim through headlines? A lackluster headline screams uninteresting! Nobody would care to invest time in a blog post if the first impression fails to attract them. Let’s face it. We all naturally gravitate towards interesting and engaging topics, don’t we?
So, what (as a blogger) you need is a killer headline that creates curiosity. It should be as persuasive as it gets, compelling them to click in a blink.
In short, an attention-grabbing headline sets expectations high for readers, piquing their curiosity to explore the rest of your content and satisfy their information needs. Not only this but it also increases the chances of readers engaging with your content. Furthermore, it boosts click-through rates (CTR), comments, and shares.
How to Write Headlines That Grab Attention?
Eager to make your headline eye-popping? Let’s dive into six headline hacks that make readers pause, click, and engage.
Use power words.
Power words play an important role in the creation of attention grabbing headlines. They evoke strong and surprising emotions in the reader leading to an action. Such words create a sense of urgency and excitement that will make readers want to click through and read more. Let’s discuss some power words below with the emotions they invoke.
- Free – It signals no cost and can invoke feelings of happiness at the prospect of saving money. After all, who doesn’t love getting something for free?
- Guaranteed – It provides assurance and certainty, promising that something will be delivered, achieved, or obtained.
- Limited – It creates a sense of scarcity that leads to urgency. As a result, this word promotes quick decisions due to fear of missing out (FOMO).
- Irresistible – It invokes a sense of desire indicating that something is too tempting to resist. Hence, it encourages an immediate response.
- Secret – It creates a sense of urgency and raises curiosity to the utmost by promising insider and insightful knowledge.
- Transform – This word suggests a significant change or improvement, impacting someone’s appearance, abilities, or even circumstances.
- Amazing – It is usually used to convey a strong sense of wonder or surprise, suggesting that something is extraordinary or exceptionally impressive.
- Proven – It suggests reliability, credibility, and trustworthiness, indicating that something has been tested or verified.
- Now – This word urges a quick response, emphasizing the importance of acting promptly or seizing the current opportunity.
- Quick – It indicates speed, efficiency, and immediacy. This word generally appeals to those seeking fast results or solutions.
Let’s take an example to understand power words better. Instead of saying “Best Home Workout Routine”, you can say “Shape Your Body at Home with This 30-Minute Quick & Proven Workout Routine”.
Ask a – frequently asked – question.
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Asking a question in the headline could work in your favor. When you pose a question your readers are likely to be interested in, it drives them to click and explore the link to know the answer. Moreover, it shows that you’re aware of their needs. Resultantly, this establishes their trust in your blog for valuable content.
For example, “The Advantages of Meditation” is an okay headline. To frame it as a compelling question, you can say “What Happens to Your Brain When You Meditate?”
Include numbers.
To make your heading credible, easy to scan, and more specific, add numbers to it. Readers are attracted to the promise of specific insights or quantifiable benefits. Numbers help you add that oomph factor in your headline to make it more appealing and click-worthy.
For example, instead of using “How to Grow Your Instagram Followers”, use this version: “10 Tips to Grow Your Instagram Followers in 60 Days”.
Pique intrigue.
Do you want to make your readers think, what’s next? To make your readers follow through, ensure that your attention-grabbing headlines are intriguing enough to spark their urge to know more. Let’s answer that ‘How’ you just thought about. An intriguing headline can elevate the reader’s interest by creating a gap between what they know and what they want to know. It can also challenge their assumptions or expectations (most probably, in the form of questions).
Let’s say, “The Ideal Time for Social Media Posting” can be reformulated as, “Stop Posting on Social Media at These Times”.
Connect with your reader.
Establishing a meaningful and emotional connection with your audience through the headline is very important. Try to touch their hearts by speaking their language and using phrases that resonate with them. Here’s a hint — their region and culture can help you craft a resonating and heartfelt message. Bridge the gap between what they want and what they actually need. It’ll help you connect with them at a more personal level.
Show, don’t tell.
You need to understand that boring headlines are like the north pole of the magnet when people are the north pole as well. Even when they encounter, they don’t attract. Mention the X-factor of your article in the heading to make them care about it by evoking emotions. Once you complete crafting the headline, ensure that it speaks value or stirs curiosity. Make people believe why they should – and do – care about what you’re writing about.
Stay true to your brand.
Staying authentic to your brand’s essence is another important thing to consider. Headlines are the perfect chance to set the tone and first impression of your brand. Craft headlines that not only grab attention but also reflect your brand’s unique voice and personality. This way, you’ll attract the right readers who connect with your style.
Avoid clickbait.
Sparking curiosity is a good practice in headline writing. But there’s a thin line between a clickbait title and an emotionally sound headline. That difference is exaggeration, of course. Never make claims out of the realm of possibility as it badly affects the readers’ trust. Simply highlight a reader’s pain point, then hint at the solution your content offers. Remember: you can evoke emotions without being overly sensational.
Include the type of article in the heading.
Your heading should reflect the type of the article you’re writing. Let’s understand this with some popular cases. When writing a guide, consider a title that begins with “How To” followed by an action. For a listicle, use “[X] Best” followed by a noun representing featured products or methods. In news articles, use titles like “Why (something) is happening…” or “How (an event) may affect you…” to clearly convey your content’s intent.
Optimize for search engines.
SEO optimization is one of the crucial factors to consider while crafting a headline to attract attention. Research relevant terms people use to find content like yours. Once you pick some of those valuable for your content, incorporate them as the core keyword in the title to boost searchability. Be sure to follow the best practices for headline length and format to help your content rank higher on Google and other search engines.
For example, this heading is very basic, “How to craft the headline of an article”. To make it SEO-friendly and reader-friendly, we revised it this way, “6 Tricks to Craft Killer Headlines That Grab Attention [+ 10 Examples Inside]”.
To make your blog more effective, you need to pay attention to sub headlines as well. Step inside our guide to know the unknown.
Conduct A/B testing for different headlines.
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Lastly, we’ll discuss A/B testing to fine-tune your headlines that catch attention. In this method, you compare two versions of a headline to see which one performs better. It is a highly effective approach to measure the impact of your headline on your CTR, conversions, or other metrics.
To conduct this test, you should create two or more headline variations. Then, split your audience into groups and track the results over time to find which headline format works for your blog.
Ready to take your headline a step further? Check out our guide answering the question, “What can you do to make a headline more compelling?”
10 Examples of Great Headlines
Ever see a headline that makes you stop and say, “Whoa!”? We researched a whole lot of articles to find some clickworthy headlines. Here are the top 10 attention grabbing headline examples that inspired us to utter Bingo!
It’s a great blog headline because it includes a number and promises a valuable list of skills sparking the urge to learn.
This headline has the potential to grab the attention of business-focused people who want to start the year with a strategic plan and renewed focus.
It uses easy-to-understand wording and addresses a common pain point of sticking to healthy eating habits.
Again, this headline is attention-grabbing because it’s FAQ-based and addresses the audience’s pain point.
This article’s headline leverages the power of numbers to make it specific and catchy. It appeals to the intriguing and festive spirit of the reader.
It offers a plethora of solution-oriented ideas for a common problem (finding a profitable blog niche).
In this example, the writer used “why” to spark interest and connected two relevant and important concepts: sleep + learning.
This blog headline promises a clear roadmap to achieve a cherished goal (dream home) in a simple yet catchy way.
It’s an awesome headline using an odd number and catchy words like “weird” and “outsmart” to pique the reader’s intrigue.
This example intrigues with a bold claim of ‘shocking truth’ and taps into concerns about technology’s impact.
[Bonus] A Headline Formula That Works
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After exploring numerous formulas, we settled on the following tips as our favorites for curating headlines that grab attention:
- Headline + (Benefit/Offer) – Combine a headline with a benefit or your offer to make the readers interested in your article.
- For example, Productivity Killers Exposed (Free Checklist to Boost Your Output)
- Primary Keyword + Briefly Explain Main Point – Use the primary keyword to boost SEO and provide a concise explanation of the main point.
- For example, Attention-Grabbing Headlines: Secret Formula to Writing Catchy Titles
- Question + Answer in Short Form – Present a question and provide a brief answer creating curiosity and encouraging readers to delve into the content for more info.
- For example, Want to Save Money? 5 Tips for Budgeting Like a Pro
- Primary Keyword + CTA – Incorporate the primary keyword and add a clear call-to-action to prompt readers to take a specific action
- For example, Email Marketing Mistakes: Fix Them Today!
Final Thoughts
It is essential for bloggers like you to craft attention-grabbing titles to keep your readers hooked from the very first glance. This guide is your go-to resource to master the art of writing a headline, with the power of science behind it. Now that you’ve explored it, leverage this info to cut through the noise and make your voice heard by crafting a compelling headline.
With the headlines that grab attention, you need a plethora of interesting blog topic ideas to make it go viral. Try using our Free Blog Post Idea Generator that serves just the purpose. It’s 100% customizable, newbie-friendly, and on top of all this, it’s absolutely free!
I am a full-time online marketer, for over a decade now. Helped over 100,000+ people & generated well over $12M in online sales.