Your headline is the first, and possibly only opportunity to make an impression on a prospective reader.
A headline is a promise of the benefit to the reader in exchange for the valuable time it takes to read more.
Without a compelling promise that turns a browser of your blog articles into a reader, the rest of your article may as well not even exist.
So, from a blog article writing and content marketing standpoint, writing great headlines is a critical skill.
Here is an interesting statistic: On average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest of your content.
This is the secret to the power of your headline, and why it so important for the effectiveness of your blog articles.
Remember, every element of a compelling blog article has just one purpose — to get the next sentence read. And then the sentence after that, and so on, all the way down the slippery slope to your call to action.
So it should be obvious, that if a reader stops at the headline, you’re already dead in the water.
The better your headlines, the better your chance of getting your blog articles read by more people. And not just any people, but highly targeted people, that are actually very interested in what you have to say.
Why Your Headline Should Always be Written First
Would you like to write great headlines and even better blog articles?
Start with the headline.
You need to have a general idea of what your blog article will be about. Once you do, craft your headline based on that general idea, before even starting your article.
Why?
Because your headline is a promise to your readers, one of the primary functions of which is to clearly and accurately communicate the value your article will deliver to your readers.
A promise is a declaration or assurance that a particular thing will happen. If you write your article before your headline, then you will need to try and make your promise fit the content.
Writing your headline first enables you to keep your article on point and well structured.
Trying to fulfill a promise you haven’t yet made, is difficult and often results in weak headlines.
Great Headlines Cheatsheet
When crafting a headline, skilled blog article writers look for inspiration from a variety of sources, including their collection of great ads and copywriting books that contain collections of powerful headlines that have been proven to work.
These collections of proven headlines are called swipe files, and they are the ultimate resource when it comes to creating great headlines.
Why?
Because great headlines are created using time and money tested formulas that can be adapted to many different contexts and applied repeatedly to achieve remarkable results.
Swipe files aren’t really cheating, it’s just an effective way to help you craft compelling headlines, especially when you don’t have much experience.
Only when you have a complete understanding of the mechanics involved in what makes a headline work, will you be able to come up with your own original headlines.
Starting with these proven headlines can improve your blog article titles immediately, which should result in many more people reading your blog.
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