Use These 5 Quick Tips to Write Headlines That Get More Clicks

A headline can make or break your article. Write a great one, and people will click on your article. Write a not-so-great one, and they’ll click on the next result they see in Google.

But, what makes a great headline?

There’s actually a formula for that! The formula for a winning headline includes the following five elements:

• Numbers
• Adjectives
• Call to action
• Promise
• Keywords

Read on as we review each of these in detail and see how they work together.

1. Use numbers

The reasoning for using numbers in your headline is simple: In a sea of text-based Google results, numbers stand out. Research shows headlines that include numbers resonate 15% more with audiences.

You can use numbers for listicle articles, such as this one:

5 Reasons Why Headlines Still Matter

You can also use numbers to highlight a key piece of data or finding your article, such as:

Better Headlines Deliver 30% More Clicks. Here’s Why.

2. Add an adjective

Strong adjectives create interest. For your adjectives, choose “power words” that evoke emotion in your visitors. Power words intrigue and persuade your visitors, driving them to action. Think words like fantastic, fearless, and foolproof. In our headline, “quick” is our power word. 

According to research from OptinMonster, adding power words to your copy can lift conversion rates by 12.7%!

Need inspiration? Check out HubSpot’s list of 150 power words.

3. Include a CTA

Calls to action, or CTAs, drive action. As a marketer, you already know that. So, why not include them in your headlines? 

Consider the following two examples. Which one do you feel more compelled to read?

5 Tips for Writing Better Headlines

Write Better Headlines With These 5 Tips

4. Offer a promise

People read because they want to learn something. They want to know more about a topic, solve a problem, or get tips on achieving a specific result. In your headline, promise the value you’re going to deliver. 

Here’s an example. Which of the following two headlines sounds more interesting? The second one, because it offers a promise.

X Ways to Clean Your Bathroom

5 Cleaning Tips for a Sparkling Bathroom

Many people looking for headline tips are doing so because they want to drive more clicks to their website. So, we used “drive more clicks” as the promise in our headline.

5. Include keywords for SEO

You probably want your articles to rank well for SEO. Including keywords in your headline can help with that. 

Here’s an example from SEO tool Ahrefs. When they added the keyword “track keyword rankings” to their headline, their organic traffic increased 37%!

Write better headlines with this formula

To recap, here’s what you want to do to create a winning headline:

1. Include numbers
2. Add a “power word” adjective
3. Drive action with a CTA
4. Promise value
5. Include keywords for SEO

You can switch up each element, but try to use all of them when it makes sense. Here’s an example with our title:

[Use These] + [5] + [Quick] + [Tips to Write Headlines] + [That Get More Clicks]

[CTA] + [Number] + [Adjective] + [Keyword] + [Promise]

When in doubt, use a headline generator like this one from Capitalize My Title, Sharethrough, or Advanced Marketing Institute.Headlines are an essential part of any successful content strategy. For help writing better headlines, contact Your Marketing People.