Whether you’re talking email marketing, social media marketing, blogging or press releases, a great headline can prove the difference between attracting potential customers and a wasted investment. Plenty of research has been conducted on the importance of snappy headlines, as well as the oft-repeated slip-ups that can detract from a marketing message (or cause it to be left unread). Below are just four of the most common headline writing mistakes that are made in the communications industry:
1. No Reason To Read On
Put yourself in the shoes of your readers and ask yourself – would I want to read this article based on the headline? Try to consider what a potential reader will gain from reading your article and tailor your headline with this consideration in mind – you could have the email of the decade in your hands, but it won’t do you any good if no one clicks open.
2. Pushy Headlines
Don’t like being told what to do? Neither do your readers. Research indicates that when a reader considers a headline to be bossy, they’re 20% less likely to read on. Examples of pushy headlines include those which contain the words you, your, must or should, which leave you looking a tad snobby and leave the reader uncomfortable, disinterested and far more unlikely to engage with your content.
3. Being Too Positive
A positive attitude doesn’t always open doors – especially when it comes to headline writing. Studies have shown that headlines which use negative words rather than positive words are far more likely to attract a larger readership. It’s a bit of basic psychology – we all know there’s more that we could be doing to improve (and we procrastinate it daily), but we’re far more likely to take action on something that we didn’t realise we were doing wrong. The average click-through rate for headlines that used negative superlatives is said to be more than fifty percent greater than headlines using positive superlatives.
4. Last Minute Headline Writing
A headline can make or break your article, especially in the world of online digital marketing – so don’t let it be nothing but an afterthought. Starting with a catchy title and continually linking your content back to it is one way of ensuring that this part of your article is given the attention that it deserves. Later you can reread the lot in order to be certain that the headline actually reflects the tone and message of the article itself. By continually updating and editing your headline as you go, you can be sure that the final product will be as effective as possible at grabbing the attention of potential readers. If there’s a number that you can work into your title (e.g. items in a list) go for it. Tweets that contain numbers get more retweets than those that don’t, and this lesson holds true to other forms of digital marketing as well.
Don’t have a way with words? Liquidity comes fully equipped with a team who share a gift of the gab and all the background knowledge you need – we’ll keep up with the changing trends and audience psychology while you run your business. Get in touch today.