How to Create a Catchy Headline
So, for my next few blog posts, I am going to be talking about headlines. If you were to look at some of the most popular posts on various websites, essentially the "template" for the headline is the same, with an infinite variety of tweaks to make it unique.
Today, I am looking at the "how to" headline, which of course, I have used myself for this post. Believe it or not, this type of headline has been around for nearly 100 years. Readers naturally are drawn to posts which will help them achieve something.
In its simplest form, just start with the two words "how to" and add an appropriate ending on your niche topic. Of course, it goes without saying, that any headline should have your keyword in it. Here are some examples:
How to Create a Social Media Marketing Plan
How to Build a Sales Machine Which Works While You Sleep
How to Make Lavender Lemonade to Get Rid of Headaches
Taking this concept a step further, we move on to "how to be". This particular type of headline ties into your readers wanting to transform themselves. Here are the examples:
How to Be an Interesting Blogger
How to Be More Productive on Social Media
How to Be an Unforgettable Writer
Next, we have "How to *** Without ***". This is an idea which draws the reader in, by offering them a solution to a problem, but doesn't force them to take an action they don't want to. Here are the examples:
How to Make Money Online Without an Initial Outlay
How to Double Your Writing Speed Without Lowering Quality
How to Find the Best Laptop Without Hours of Searching
For our next idea, we have "How to *** and ***". You are now offering two benefits at the same time with just one action. Lets see it in headlines:
How to Meet Your Own Needs and Make Others Happy
How to Find Affiliate Programs and Get Approved
How to See Your Competition on Google and Beat Them
Now, we introduce a timeframe. "How to *** in Five Minutes". People are notoriously impatient and are intrigued by tips which offer them a result in a short time. Here are some sugestions:
How To Make Your Wife Happy in Five Minutes a Day
How to Write an Article in 20 Minutes
How to Start a Blog in 10 Minutes
I am going to finish with a phrase I don't actually like, but is definitely becoming more common. How to *** Like a Boss". Here's how to use it:
How to Cut a Pineapple Like a Boss
How to Restore a Classic Ferrari Like a Boss
How to Order Coffee in Five Languages Like a Boss
So, I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and it is has given you some ideas on how to create a catchy headline!
Recent Comments
46
Great points! These definitely are proven to work.
A long time ago I created a tutorial on creating catchy titles and according to the research that I've done, it was discovered that "how to", numbers, and words like "without" attract viewer's attention and often appear in the top rated blog posts.
If interested, here's the link for further reading: How to Write a Good Blog Post Title (Tips) Looking forward to your next blog post, Diane!
Nice trick for creating catchy headlines. However, it is recommended to keep blog titles within a 60-character limit. Any title that is too long gets truncated while being shown in Google's search results.
Hi - a good point which had clearly slipped my mind! I will amend the suggestions which are too long. Thank you!
See more comments
Hey Diane - can you point me to the link for this one: How To Make Your Wife Happy in Five Minutes a Day? :-)
Great ideas. It's amazing how often these formats appear in sales pages, and theya re relatively easy to create.
Boss doesn't work for me, either. I think of Boss Dog or Boss Hogg! :-)
Ian