Creating engaging headlines is one of the most important parts of gaining more clicks. In fact, it can actually be the single deciding factor in terms of what your target audience chooses when it comes to the stories they read and the stories they pass up.
OK so the pressure is on – the quality of your headline can be the single factor in snagging more clicks on your website. So here are a few of our suggestions on how to make that all important headline jump out at your targets.
3 tricks to creating headlines that grab user attention
Add an element of surprise
We humans get bored easily and we love nothing more than a bit of novelty. That’s where the surprise headline fits in – it turns on the pleasure centres in our brains which means that your headline offering the element of surprise is going to grab our attention far more quickly than things we already know (and even like). People definitely prefer an unexpected experience over something they think they want.
Spark their curiosity
Curiosity may have killed the cat but certainly not your targets. Just in case you didn’t major in psychology – there is a phenomenon out there that you can use to your advantage called the curiosity gap. This is all about the gap between what a person already knows and what they still want to know. When someone notices a gap in their knowledge it triggers a feeling sort of deprivation. If you provoke that feeling by offering up just a bit of information in your headline then you’re going to grab their attention straight away.
Include brain influencers (aka questions)
Believe it or not – questions that appeal to the inquisitive nature in us all – are the most powerful brain influences i.e. we don’t want it all given away before we get a chance to delve deeper. The most effective questions are always going to be about what your audience can relate to or want to know more about.
At the end of the day, deciding which elements to include in your headlines really comes down to trial and error. What you find works well for one audience may lose its appeal as time goes on. Don’t panic! Just keep mixing it up and constantly look for new ways to engage your audience.
