Writing headlines is hard. You know (cause I’ve gone on and on about it) that the headline is what gets attention. Bad headline, no readers. Not good.
But sometimes your brain is just stuck on neutral. Nothing. Nada. Zip.
Here are a few ways to write a great headline with very little work.
Have Google do it
Search for your topic and check out the sponsored links and ads. This tells you if there are a lot of other pages and posts on the topic and if it’s worth pursuing further.
Then, use Google’s keyword tool to see how many searches are made with those words.
Use a headline tool
Try the linkbait generator. Type in a topic and get a catchy headline.
Fill in the blanks
(OK, this requires some writing, but very little)
Who Else Wants to _______?
Little Known Ways to ________
Get Rid of [Problem] Once and For All
The Lazy [Bloggers/Writer's/Designer's] Way to [Better Posts/Write Faster/Get More Clients]
_____ That Wow
On Monday, why these headlines work.
Image thanks to Mannoobhai
Email me privately for personal help.
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Jodi,
Thanks for the Dr. Seuss quote on the WSL blog.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
You’re welcome!
(For anyone who doesn’t know, WSL is the The World’s Strongest Librarian) blog, which just celebrated its first birthday. Go visit and congratulate Josh.
I use google keyword tool also to help with competitive keywords that are beneficial to the article as well. Great post! Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks Jarrod!
Jodi, thanks. I’d never heard of the LinkBait thing, and when I went there, its headline was, “8 ways heroin could help you survive a zombie outbreak”—since I happen to know a lot about that topic, I know what my next post will be about.
Copyblogger has good stuff about writing headlines too; worth the search.
“8 ways heroin could help you survive a zombie outbreak”—since I happen to know a lot about that topic, I know what my next post will be about.
Er, heroin or zombies???
How about “8 ways bacon could help you survive a zombie outbreak”?