A Solid Headline - Why You Need One And How To Do It

Ever been scrolling social media and you see a headline so awesome that it stops you in your tracks? Unfortunately I can only think of a handful of times it’s happened to me. It's a real shame because it leaves so many missed opportunities on the table.

So if you’re having trouble with people not engaging with your content, this article is for you.

=The Blunt Hook Theory=

I’ll put it bluntly, most headlines suck. It doesn’t matter where you look. TV, newspapers, social media, even huge corporations. Almost all companies are doing the same thing.

They are starting their ads with something I like to call: "A Blunt Hook.”

The blunt hook is the headline in your content that is so BOOOOOOORING that nobody even sees it.

It grabs so little attention that for some people it even turns out to be repulsive.

Imagine you’re on a date, you agreed to cook for your girl. You decide on steak, you know it’s gonna taste great because you’ve done it a thousand times. However when you bring it out… it looks like it’s still alive on her plate!

You really think she’s gonna eat that? Fair enough she might be a vampire or something but you get my gist.

It’s the same with your headline. If it’s boring, has no relevance, or fails to move the emotional needle, you’re done.

You can be the best writer in the world but if they don’t get that far, it doesn’t matter. 

Let’s say you have a writing competition with a horse. Obviously, you’re going to win, he can’t even hold a pen. However if by some miracle the horse is a genius at thinking up good headlines, you’ve lost. He’ll get far more interactions and potential sales because he has them on the hook. 

=The 3 Simple Steps To A Face Smacking Headline=

Don’t worry, as long as you take in this next section, it’s an easy fix.

STEP 1: Make sure your headline is relevant to your content.

Let’s say you write an article: “The top 10 best ways to teach my dog how to ride a bike.” You can’t use a headline like: “Dogs and why they are cool.”

This is a disconnect, and a big no-no when it comes to headlines. If someone clicks on your content expecting to learn how to teach their dog to ride a bike, that’s what you’d better give them.

STEP 2: Be specific. Tell them what they’re going to get from your content.

They need to know what to expect. Don’t take this too far though, try not to give away the solution to their problem in the headline. However, if you can show them your content will solve their problem, you’re onto a winner. 

Some examples are:

The Secret To Making People Like You.

—

How I Improved My Memory In One Evening.

—

The Top 5 Money Hacks Billionaires Don’t Want You To Know.

STEP 3: Use a mix of positive and negative language depending on your topic.

Depending on your subject, you want to use a mixture of positive and negative language.

For some subjects, you’ll get a better response with positive language like:

The Best Way To Clean Your House in Under One Hour.

—

The Top 5 Pickup Lines To Get The Girl Of Your Dreams.

—

The Fastest Way To Earn £10K Per Month.

You’ll find that negative language usually gets the best results. It really gets people's juices flowing, especially if you're writing about a big problem.

Example: 

Never Say This To Your Girlfriend Or She’ll Leave You On The Spot.

–

What Not To Do If You’re Caught In A Blizzard

–

Don’t Write Another Ad Until You Fix This Mistake.

Once those juices are flowing you can get sales with surprisingly little effort. 

Why?

Who doesn’t want a solution to the problem that’s been haunting their dreams for weeks?

Summary: We want to make our headlines clear and to the point. Make them grab the reader's attention using a mixture of positive and negative language, and make sure you show them that your content will solve their problem.

Talk soon.

Josh De-ville 

BYR Marketing 

P.S.  If you want to see how I would create awesome headlines for your content do this:

Get in touch with us today and I’ll come up with a list of extremely effective headlines and go through it with you on a call.

No cost. No Obligation.

If you decide you’d like to work with us, I’ll go through exactly how that works. If not, no worries. At least you’ll have gained some valuable insight on how to improve your marketing.

No pressure. No hard closing. No annoying sales tactics.

That’s not the way we work.

Sound good? Fill out this form and let’s get started -> https://www.byrmarketinguk.com/contact-form