The headline is the most important part of any online story. It’s the first thing readers see when they come across your article, and it’s ultimately what decides whether or not they click to read more. If your headline isn’t powerful enough, you can have the best story in the world, but it won’t matter if people don’t read it.
In the days of print, headlines primarily served the purpose of catching the eye, but as we’ve moved to a search-based discovery model, they’ve had to take into account keywords too. But that doesn’t mean all those old cliches don’t still work. For example, list posts still work, as do headlines with numbers, because they offer scan-ability and a sense of structure. And question headlines work because they leverage human psychology and a desire to know the answer.
Getting the right headline is essential for making sure your content gets seen, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Try putting a different word in the headline, or try using a different type of verb (like “frustrated,” instead of “afraid”). If you can, also test out your headlines with some keyword research to see what’s working and what isn’t.
Another key tip is to write lots of headlines for each piece of content you create. That way you can find out which ones are performing the best, and then use that knowledge to help inform your future headlines. It’s also worth remembering that the ideal headline for a given article will differ depending on how it’s going to be distributed. For example, a headline that’s aiming to be shared on social media will likely be very different from a headline designed to drive traffic from search engines.