7 Headline Tips from The Pros
More financial organizations are writing blogs and social media posts than ever before. However, simply creating content isn’t necessarily the key to your organization’s success.
Your credit union may be creating amazing content. However, that doesn’t mean a thing if there’s no one clicking through and reading it. Strong headlines are the best way to attract people and encourage them to continue reading. This applies whether you’re creating Tweets or blog posts.
Eighty percent of people read headlines. Yet, only 20 percent of them will continue reading the remainder of the article or message. This means your headline could make the difference between the content being read or completely overlooked.
The Role of The Headline
So, what is the purpose of a headline? Why is it so important for your credit union?
Essentially, a headline’s job is to make the initial contact with the potential reader. It’s there to entice the reader to commit to reading the article. Once you have achieved this, it has done its work.
For blog posts, this means your headline has to persuade the reader to move onto the post’s first sentence. Once he or she has, the content needs to be good enough to guarantee the reader stays engaged.
When you look at it like this, it’s easy to see why writing good headlines is so vital. Evidence shows you can increase traffic by up to 500 percent just by changing the headline.
So, how is it possible to avoid creating dull headlines that lead to readers overlooking the whole article? Credit unions can learn a lot from these seven expert headline tips.
1. Using Numbers
It’s impossible to overlook the importance of using numbers in your headlines. People share headlines with numbers more often than any other type.
Why do number headlines work? They compel the reader to continue through the whole list. Take a look at the title of this article. You clicked on it so you could find out all seven tips!
2. Being Specific and Concise
More specific headlines perform better than vague ones. Telling readers how they can save on their loan repayments is one thing. Telling them how they can slash their repayment costs by 20 percent is a lot more compelling.
Headlines that are clear with minimal room for misunderstandings reduce the chance of readers giving up. Letting them know what to expect from the post guarantees they stay interested.
While we’re talking about being specific, it’s also important to be concise. The chart above shows that headlines with between 61 and 100 characters perform best. Harness the power of the short, punchy headline.
3. Using Amplifier Words to Their Best Advantage
Descriptive language pays dividends when you’re writing headlines. Using amplifier words will boost your message’s impact.
There are three main uses of amplifiers – to show precision, express certainty, and increase intensity. All are valuable when persuading readers to continue past your headline.
4. Asking Questions
The chart above shows that a question in a headline leads to more social shares. This is because questions allow the reader to resonate instantly with your subject matter.
Questions with obvious answers spark the reader’s emotions. When you incorporate a rhetorical question into your headline that revolves around a pain point, readers are immediately more engaged. A strong tagline immediately after drives the point home. The reader knows he or she will get the solution he or she seeks.
5. Using the Second-Person Point of View
More financial organizations are writing blogs and social media posts than ever before. However, simply creating content isn’t necessarily the key to your organization’s success.