Good headlines for articles: 10 benefits for bloggers

If you ever ask yourself how to write a good headline for an article, read on.  As a blogger, you work hard and need to ensure that the right readers find your blog.  Article writing best practices can make your headline stand out.

The online world is full of info overload and millions of blogs.  However great your content is, people should visit to find it.  Having an attention-grabbing title is, therefore, a must. 

I’ve been blogging for over five years (time of writing).  Even though I aim at just one new article every week, I’ve been consistent.  If you want to find out more about posting frequency, read my other article. 

I enjoy finding better ways of doing things.  How to save time, boost productivity, and work smart are crucial.  You’ll find lots about these here, on my self-improvement blog!

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How to write an article headline:

1. Catchy ones

The online world is overcrowded.  How do you ensure that your post stands out?  You can have a marvelous piece of work.  However, if your ideal readers don’t find it on search engines, how will they ever know about it?

Having a catchy headline helps a lot.  Although there’s more to visibility, having a great title does give you an edge.  Some ways support doing your best job at it.

In addition to driving organic traffic, you can use social media and email marketing.  Once more, a catchy subject can better attract visitors.  The power of crafting a fantastic title is relevant everywhere.

If you’d like to read more about email marketing, find my other post.  It shows how solopreneurs benefit from having an email list.  If you haven’t started a list yet or need more ideas, take a look to find out.

2. Prefer clarity

Be specific and clear about what the readers will receive.  You have a limited time to grab the attention of potential leads.  If you waste it, they’ll scroll away.

When I first started to write online, I had much to learn.  I also made some mistakes at first, like any other newbie.  Learning from others, and through personal experience is always a joy for personal growth.

Fortunately, there are ways to benefit from the most experienced.  Thought leaders can show what they find works best.  Adopting current best practices supports you.

3. Not clickbait

Avoid the nasty trick of tempting others to visit your content, only to deceive them.  Doing so, risks driving them away.  Don’t promise you’ll take them to the moon if you can’t.

Deliver the promise.  Don’t over-promise.  Do over-deliver, as far as possible.

4. Strong language

Use action-oriented compelling words.  Show them why they should care.  Why is your content relevant?

Specify the needs that they may have.  Address the problem they are looking to solve.  Let them know why they should care to visit your site.

You can use some free tools that suggest better writing.  I use CoSchedule and MonsterInsights.  I also gather more ideas from a paid SEO tool.

Take a look at the word banks that many headline tools offer.  They give you a list of power, emotional, uncommon, and common words.  Find your score and improve it for the better.

Find some handy online courses,

and tools that I use!

5. Act now

Create a sense of urgency or scarcity.  Readers are likely to visit your blog right away.  Show them that they should do so urgently.

Scarcity makes your offer a limited opportunity to seize.  It creates FOMO (fear of missing out).  An example could be a special discount that is disappearing soon.

I share evergreen content.  Doing so, I don’t normally use deadlines.  If you’ve got a special offer for a specific season or event, let your audience know that they must read now.

6. Emotional needs

When helping others, you should know their emotions.  When there is a pain point, they need a solution.  Understand the craving and solve it.

When you blog, show how you’ve been there before.  Have a genuine connection to the topic.  Show how you went through it and can help others.

Evoke emotion or curiosity.  A title that grabs attention can also be intriguing.  Clicking to read further, can be a natural next step to finding out more.

7. Attention span

People say that humans now have a shorter attention span.  Many even compare it to a goldfish.  You can read more about the topic on the King’s College London website.

Search engines are always evolving.  Your rankings are likely to do so, as well.  With catchy wordings, you have better chances of getting the right readers.  Use them for organic traffic, on social media, and through your well-crafted email subject lines.

8. Best formats

Some formats tend to work the most.  It may also depend on the type of audience you attract.  Test and see what works best for you.  

Find some article headline ideas and popular types:

• Numbers
• Lists
• How-tos
• Personalization (use you)
• Questions

As a self-improvement blogger, I love the first three types the most.  Using numbers shows credibility.  Listicles promise to deliver just that, not wasting the reader’s time.  How-tos also inform what they’ll get precisely.

Be brief and concise, keeping it short and sweet.   You don’t want to fluff words.  You also don’t want to miss out by using too few words.

The length matters.  I prefer sticking to around eight words for articles.  Placing the keywords at the start also helps in making them noticeable.  Tools automatically guide you toward the current best practices.

9. Niche-relevant

Many things contribute to a well-crafted title.  However, always bear in mind who you’re writing for.  Know your target niche, and buyer personas (if you have products).

You may have exciting descriptive words that people will click on.  However, if too generic, you might have few or no sales.  You could end up attracting readers who don’t need your products.

Be specific about who you help, knowing what they need.  This is an ongoing process.  Always ask for feedback, improving your products.    

10. Include CTAs

Using calls to action is helpful.  It might not always be possible to include a CTA in your titles.  If not, you could do so in other ways.

Try CTAs in meta descriptions, which normally appear in SERPs, below the headline.  Ask people to visit your blog, giving them reasons why.  Use the space to describe your content, showing how it stands out.

Conclusion

In my article, you read how to write better headlines.  Try out the ideas, and find out what works for you.  If you need more blogger and solopreneur resources, visit my page.