Best Tips for Headline Writing to make More Clickable, Shareable Blog Posts

It’s easy to let headlines take the back seat in your writing process. Headlines can wind up as a quick afterthought, but really should be treated with much more consideration. In fact, your headline is arguably more important than the article itself. After all, who cares how great your blog post is if no one even reads it?

 

"Headline writing rules have changed quite a bit since the great online migration"

Out of all the folks who read your headline, only 20% will read the article copy. Whether it’s for email subject lines, blog posts, ebooks, or webinars, you need a powerful, sexy headline to make readers swoon.
Modern online article headlines are tricky – they need to be SEO keyword friendly, but also should be unique and creative. The end result needs to be super clickable, irresistible headlines.
If you’re like me, your eyeballs encounter nearly a hundred headlines before you’ve finished your first cup of coffee. What makes you read one story over another? It’s all about the headline – that magical string of words that allures and excites.
What makes a killer captivating headline? We’re dishing out 19 headline writing tips to help.

1. Numbers, digits, & lists

We’ve talked before about how much readers are mesmerized by lists. Starting your headline with a number helps the headline stand out. Just as the human eye is drawn to contrasting colors, we’re also naturally drawn to the juxtaposition of digits resting beside text. A list also gives readers a clearer idea of what to expect in your post, as well as promising a quick, scan-friendly read.

Some great list words to get you started:

• Reasons
• Ways
• Tips
• Tricks
• Secrets
• Ideas
• Techniques
• Strategies
• Facts
• Methods
• Statistics

2. Define What the Article is About

While there’s much to be said for mystery and intrigue, you can’t leave readers hanging without a clue of what to expect from your blog post topic. Your blog post headline needs to clearly articulate what you’ll be covering in the article. No one is going to click a vague headline.

• Bad Headline: Write a Song
• Good Headline: How to Compose Your Own Song: Songwriting 101

3. Demonstrate Your Value

In our post about social media landing pages, we talk a lot about pushing your value proposition – explaining to visitors why your offer is valuable. In a way, your article headline needs to do the same, although more subtly. You want to explain to readers, in so many words, why your article is worth reading.
Ex. Create an Eye-Catching Infographic in Minutes
The headline above promises a fast (and therefore, probably also easy) way to crate high-quality infographics. Sounds like it’s worth reading more about! Promising a desired result (eye-catching infographics) within a set time period (minutes) is a classic winning headline writing strategy.
They key is to prove that you are useful and that you are providing essential info!
MORE: 21 Tips for Writing Great Ad Headlines

4. Breed Distrust

Us humans can be a cynical bunch, and we’ll often jump at the chance to read about how we are being manipulated, deceived, or given the run around.
Headline writing examples:

• 6 Lies Your Car Dealer Will Try to Tell You
• Is Your Doctor Telling the Truth About Prescribing Your Kids Ritalin?
• Sun Damage is Bad, But is Sunscreen Even Worse?

5. Educate the Masses

People often search online to educate themselves or learn more about a particular concept. They want to learn how to build a fire pit, where to see an off-Broadway musical, how to eat an apple core (hey, I don’t know, people are wacky!)

Image from Team Treehouse Blog

Many successful headlines use the “how to” concept with some extra embellishment. Starting all your articles with “how to…” gets really boring really quickly, so think of creative ways to present a “how to” educational article, for example….

• 3 Best Methods for Peeling a Mango
• 6 Strategies for Deterring Burglars
• Build Your Own Firepit: A Beginner’s Guide
• Teaching Your Dog to Fetch: Canine Training 101

Hot headline writing keywords like “101” and “Complete/Beginners Guide” are great to include in educational posts. Using words like these reassures readers that your article will be in layman terms that they can understand, marketed towards beginners.

6. Readers Should be EXCITED to Read Your Article

It’s your job to get reader psyched about reading your post. They should feel like a couple of kids at the entrance of Disney World.

OMG, the momentous fantasy magic.

People aren’t going to read your boring, dry drivel. You are not on their summer reading list. If a 7^th grader gets to choose between reading Great Expectations or Harry Potter, you can be sure as hell they won’t need to sleep on the decision. You’re going head to head with other snappy headlines, so you best bring your A game.

Where would you spend your summer? The waterpark or the shovel museum?

7. Don’t be Afraid to Embellish

The best blog post headlines aren’t afraid to sell themselves. Embellish. Exaggerate. Entice.
Is substituting carrot sticks for potato chips a “secret” to losing weight? Not really, but you can act like it is in an article entitled “The Ultimate Diet Secrets for Shedding Serious Pounds.” Don’t be afraid to take a few liberties in headline writing.
A sense of urgency doesn’t hurt either:

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8. Create an Eye-Catching, Unique Title

Captivating headlines are the ones that stand apart from the rest. Great headlines aren’t afraid to be a little weird. While it’s difficult to achieve, the best headline writing straddles the line between clarity and uniqueness.

9. Think About Your Audience and What Matters to Them

You know your audience. You understand their dreams and pain points. Make use of that knowledge in your web headline writing so that your posts truly speak to readers.
Knowing your audience lets you develop some smart, strategic headlines that capitalize on your audience’s wishes or fears.
Ex. 5 Practices That Make You Look Like a Blogging Newb
This headline would certainly have bloggers interested.

10. Remember the 5Ws

In grammar school you probably remember learning the 5Ws:

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why

These engaging, interrogative words are used to gather information. By using them in your headlines, you articulate to readers the kind of information you intend to provide.

11. Address Readers in 2^nd Person

While writing prose in 2^nd person is infamously awkward, it’s the perfect form for headline writing, grabbing the attention of readers by calling them out.

• You Think You Know Game of Thrones? Take Our Quiz and Find Out!
• 3 Ice Cream Recipes You’ll Drool Over This Summer
• 5 Emergency Tools You Should Never Leave Home Without

12. Break Conventions

Headlines that elicit controversy draw in curious readers.
Headline examples:

• Why the iPhone 5 is a Piece of Crap
• Why Your CTR Doesn’t Matter as Much as You Think

13. Brainstorm Lots of Different Headlines

Some experts suggest that writers should devote 80% of their time writing headlines – put your effort into the most important element. Set aside time to brainstorm a healthy smorgasbord of headlines. For a headline writing exercise, try writing at least 10 headlines, each with a different structure or with verb and adjective variations. See which feels the most appealing and ask coworkers for their opinions.
You really need to sit down and brainstorm to get those snappy headline juices flowing. You might not hit that headline writing sweet spot until you’re a few headlines in – chances are the first headline you come up with will never be your best.

14. Use Strong Adjectives and Verbs

As Startup Moon notes, there’s a morbid fascination that seems to hang over us. Readers are often drawn to dark and violent wording. Some dark headline power words include:

• Kill
• Fear
• Dark
• Bleeding
• War  

But it’s not just ominous words that allure readers – other viral headline words that appear in popular headlines include:

• Smart
• Surprising
• History
• Hacks
• Big/Huge
• Shocking

15. Ask Questions

Asking the reader a question helps draw them in, and punctuation helps catch the eye, similar to the way numbers and digits do.

• Think You Know SEO? Quiz Yourself and Find Out!
• Do You Want to Build a Snowman? Read This Guide First.

16. Use Keywords

Be sure to use topic keywords in your headline – it will help your blog post rank better on Google, as well as make it clear to readers what you’ll be discussing in your post.

17. Keep Headlines Under 70 Characters

If you want your headlines to look good in Google and prevent them from being cut off, make sure your headlines stay under 70 characters.

We don’t get a full understanding of what this article is about due to the chopped headline.

18. Don’t Forget to A/B Test

Buffer did a great study showing folks how to easily A/B test headlines. How? It’s pretty simple:

• Take two headlines that could potentially perform well.
• Schedule two tweets to be sent out with the two different headlines.
• Send the tweets one hour apart (keeping both tweets well within in the AM/PM period – 9am and 10am for example).
• Whichever tweet performs better earns a place as the permanent blog post headline.

 19. Use Images to Complement Headlines
Headlines are a big deal, and in many cases on the web, they are the one and only way to introduce your article to the world. However, many social sites like Facebook, Instagram, Pintetrest, and, more recently, Twitter, make it easy to add images alongside your link headlines. This is awesome news because images are insanely powerful and can do a lot to boost the success of your headline.
As Buffer notes, you can’t just use any old image to compliment your headline. The image you should provide a strong visual clue to the topic of the article.
Some image headline examples:

 The image accompanying this post by Mashable is an excellent choice – it visually illustrates that the article is about Facebook and political partisanship.

 This Wildfire image is simple but effective – it singles out one powerful statistic from the article in a visual asset, sparking our attention and encouraging us to read more.

 This image by Intel is an excellent example of how a picture can serve as a perfect visual headline. Without reading any text, we get the message.

Overlaying a relevant image with the main headline or message of your post is an excellent strategy to make the most of a social media photo post. (Full disclosure, this is an article I wrote about buying Twitter followers.)
Be sure to set aside time to focus on good headline writing. Don’t rush through it – choose a few favorites and consider which will work best. A headline can make or break your article, so give it the time and attention it deserves!

 

How to Create a Webinar that Audience will Love

Good webinars can be a little like independent movies – they leave you feeling wonderful, inspired, and ready to take on the world. Bad webinars, however, are more like Michael Bay movies – after two hours, you begin to wonder how somebody could have possibly been paid to make something so unapologetically terrible.

If you’ve ever wondered how to do a webinar that people will actually want to watch, you’ve come to the right place. In today’s post, we’re going to look at whether you should even be planning a webinar, a checklist of webinar best practices, and we’ll also learn some valuable lessons from two of WordStream’s seasoned webinar pros along the way.

Should You Even Produce a Webinar?

Believe it or not, this is a question that most marketers fail to ask before diving headlong into creating a slide deck, crafting invitation emails and all that other fun stuff.
Here’s the reason there are so many painfully boring webinars out there: many marketers don’t produce a webinar because it will be useful to their audience, but rather because it will be a great lead generation tool. Unfortunately, not all content deserves a webinar, but that never stood in the way of a determined marketer with targets to hit.

Before you start creating slides, ask yourself whether what you’re offering has genuine value. If in doubt, think about whether you would watch your webinar. You might think that everyone will be ready and willing to drop everything and enjoy your irresistible hour-long webinar on supply chain management (or whatever it is you do), but remember that most people are too busy to stop what they’re doing and watch a webinar that doesn’t interest them.
However, when done correctly, webinars can be highly beneficial to your audience and a great lead generation tool, particularly for B2B companies. Here at WordStream, we hold at least two webinars every month, and approximately 10% of our new monthly leads come from webinar registrations.

Is a Webinar a Good Fit For Your Content?

Some ideas are better suited to the webinar format than others. For example, the following would be a good fit for a webinar:

• A detailed examination of a niche topic from a fresh angle
• A panel discussion of a timely, news-based issue in your industry
• A thorough, example-driven “how-to” tutorial
• An adaptation of a presentation from a conference speaking engagement
• An interview with an industry thought leader

On the other hand, the following probably wouldn’t make for a particularly compelling webinar:

• A minor product release or update
• A news-based webinar with little or no new information/opinion
• A broad, “content thin” webinar on a general topic
• A webinar focusing on a tired idea or concept (e.g. “content is king”)
• A straight-up sales deck/product pitch

Also, it’s worth remembering that deceiving attendees with promises of sensational content, and failing to deliver (or disguising a sales pitch as useful content), is a great way to piss people off and tarnish your reputation. If you claim that your webinar is truly amazing, be sure you can live up to your own hype.
Now that you’ve settled on an idea for a genuinely interesting and useful webinar, let’s talk about how to make it happen – and potential pitfalls to avoid.

Webinar Best Practices Checklist

There are two distinct aspects of producing a webinar that you need to think about – the technical side, and the content side. Both present unique challenges, some of which are easier to solve than others.

How to Do a Webinar: Content and Planning Considerations

1. Settle on a Specific Idea

Resist the temptation to host the most epic webinar imaginable about a general topic. Instead, choose a highly specific content idea that you can go into in great detail. This will make it easier to focus on the topic and minimize the chance of going off on tangents. For example, rather than running a webinar about paid search – a vastly broad subject – focus on a specific topic, such as bid management strategies.
Choosing a topic for a marketing presentation isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds, and sometimes, things don’t go the way you think they will.
“It’s difficult to predict how the content will go over with the audience,” says Kate Gwozdz, WordStream’s Partner Marketing Specialist. “Sometimes you think you have a hit and it ends up being a total flop.”

2. Choose the Right Speakers

Webinars need to be hosted by skilled, knowledgeable experts in their field. Otherwise, how can you expect them to speak authoritatively about your chosen subject? When selecting potential presenters for your webinar, ensure that whomever you choose knows the topic inside and out, and is comfortable talking on-camera. Subject matter expertise is especially important for fielding unexpected questions, which will almost certainly happen before long.

3. Pick the Right Webinar Format

Before you start creating your slide deck (and I know how eager you are to get started), you need to decide on the right format for your chosen topic. Is your webinar going to be hosted by a single presenter? Will it be an interview Q&A-style webinar with two speakers? A panel discussion with numerous guests and a moderator? The complexity of your chosen subject, and the availability of suitably qualified speakers, should inform your choice of format.

4. Think About SEO and Promotion

Just because you’ve chosen a webinar with great content and knowledgeable speakers doesn’t mean people will be able to find it effortlessly. Once you’ve settled on an idea, think about whether your topic has solid search potential. Also consider content promotion and how you’ll publicize your webinar. Are you going to email existing customers with a link to the invite? Promote it through social media channels? What about co-marketing opportunities with trusted partners – what are they doing to promote it? These are all questions you need to ask before you start actually producing your webinar.

5. Create a Kick-Ass Slide Deck

Ever sat through a meeting in which somebody simply reads from a series of dull PowerPoint slides? Remember how boring it was? Don’t make the same mistake with your webinar slide deck. Your deck should strengthen and emphasize the points you intend to make in your script (more on this next) – it should NOT be the script itself. Back up your points with as much data and evidence as possible, and make it entertaining. Remember, your audience will either be looking at you or your slides, so don’t bore them with a dry, bland slide deck.

6. Write a Strong Script

Without a script, your webinar is almost certainly doomed to fail. Even the most skilled webinar producers and hosts rely on scripts, because talking for up to an hour, even about something you're passionate and knowledgeable about, is hard work.

A script is your compass, map and GPS rolled into one. It will help you stay on topic, and make keeping track of time much easier. Some people find it helpful to work on their slide deck and script simultaneously to avoid repetition and minimize the risks of simply reading from their slides.
“If you’re moderating or presenting, definitely prepare yourself a script,” says Chris McHale, WordStream’s Nurture Marketing Specialist and our resident webinar warrior. “There’s a lot of logistical things to think about, so even if you think you know what you want to say, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you forget once you get into presentation mode. Create a list of the questions as they come in so you can keep them organized. Lastly, relax! It can be a bit overwhelming running your first live webinar, but just have fun with it and do your best. The attendees are there to listen and learn, not judge.”

How to Do a Webinar: Technical Considerations

7. Choose the Right Webinar Platform

There are several webinar platforms to choose from, each of which has its pros and cons. Until recently, we used GoToWebinar by Citrix. Although this is a solid choice for smaller webinars, its limitations (such as a hard limit of 1,000 attendees and lack of support for integrated content management) prompted us to look for a better solution. Now, we use GoToWebcast, another Citrix product that offers more features and allows us to host larger, more interactive webinars. The size of your company and your attendee list will dictate how robust your hosting solution needs to be. (WordStream has no relationship with Citrix beyond being a customer. Citrix did not pay for this mention – we wouldn’t be that sleazy.)

8. Test Your Campaign Tracking

Webinars can be an excellent lead generation tool, but only if you set them up properly and test your campaign tracking parameters ahead of time.
“Make yourself a checklist of the steps you need to accomplish,” says Chris. “Ask yourself questions like, ‘Do I need to set up tracking links for my offers? Is this webinar for my customers or prospects? Is the webinar live time only suitable for a specific time zone?’ Once you figure out the targeting and segmentation, you can focus on the logistical steps.”

9. Use Headset Microphones or a Land Line Phone

Few things will ruin a webinar faster than poor-quality audio. Don’t rely on built-in mics on your laptop – the resulting audio may be tinny, distorted or faint, even if you have some decent hardware. Instead, use cabled headset microphones to ensure that everything your presenters say is clear.

Alternatively, Kate recommends considering using a land line telephone. Even the most reliable internet connection can fail, and if it does, your VoIP connection will be lost, too. If you want to take an extra precautionary step, think about dialing into the webinar from a land line to be safe.

10. Run a Test Webinar

Whatever you do, don’t assume that everything will go smoothly during the live webinar without testing your equipment first. Do at least one run-through several days before the live event to make sure that everyone knows what they’re doing, and that all your gear is functioning correctly.

11. Keep Backup Batteries / Power Cables Handy

If you can’t use power cords for your hardware, ensure that not only are all laptop batteries fully charged before the broadcast, but that you have at least one spare battery on hand for each piece of equipment. Don’t run the risk of a dead or malfunctioning battery ruining your webinar!

12. Prep Your Studio Space

If you’re hosting your webinar from a home office, ensure that your kids/pets/neighbors won’t interfere or make any noise during the webinar. Alternatively, if you’re running the webinar from your office, find a quiet room with a door where you won’t be disturbed. Keep your studio space clean and free of clutter, and turn off your computer notifications, cell phone and anything else that could distract you or your audience during the webinar.

13. Enlist a Technical Assistant

During the webinar, either you or your presenters need to be focused on delivering a great presentation. The last thing you should be worrying about is technical problems. With this in mind, enlist the assistance of an assistant who can handle technical issues as they arise, moderate comments and other tasks that might derail the presenter.

14. Be Early

Ever bothered to stick around for a webinar that started late? Me neither. Make sure you’re prepared and ready to go at least 10 minutes before the webinar is scheduled to begin, or even earlier if you can. This will help get things going promptly, and can help you feel more relaxed when it’s time to begin.

15. Accept That Things WILL Go Wrong

No matter how much you prepare, things can – and WILL – go wrong. Come to terms with this, and don’t stress out too much.
“As much as you prepare yourself, there’s always hiccups that occur during the live event,” says Chris. “If they didn’t, it would get suspicious if it was even live or not. I actually had a presenter who was using his laptop to present. He didn’t plug the laptop in using the power cord and was running off the battery. We were about 10-20 minutes into the presentation when he just cut out. The laptop ran out of juice and the computer shut right off. I was moderating the presentation and had to ‘entertain’ the audience for about 10 more minutes as the presenter had to get his power cord, sign back in etc.”

Some Final Tips on Running a Webinar From Kate and Chris

It’s impossible to prepare for every eventuality when producing a webinar, but there are a few things Kate and Chris recommend doing every single time to ensure things go as smoothly as possible:

• ALWAYS do a dry run. No matter what. Even if your speakers don’t want to. Just do it.
• Don’t rely on the internet; be sure to call in from a landline instead of using the mic on your computer.
• Use poll questions to engage your audience.
• Start promoting at least 7 days in advance.
• Put presenter bios on your registration page. It adds credibility. Head shots are nice too.
• A/B test and optimize your registration page and email invites.

Check Out WordStream’s Webinars

We produce at least two webinars every month, on topics ranging from advanced AdWords features to paid search strategies to help improve your ROI and lower your ad spend. To learn from WordStream’s PPC experts, including Larry Kim, check out our webinars at PPC U. Also, it's not too late to register for our next webinar on Beating AdWords Bidding, taking place today at 2 p.m. EST!

Writing a Better Headline Than This? Not Using Old Headline Formulas You Can’t

Do you know the main difference between copy that converts and copy that doesn’t? You might think it’s the story it tells, or the offer it makes, or how well the bullets are written, or any of a dozen things.
But the answer is much more basic than that.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COPY THAT CONVERTS AND COPY THAT DOESN’T IS—THE FORMER GETS READ; THE LATTER GETS CLOSED

And what makes people read copy? You probably don’t need me to cite any studies to know that it’s the headline.
Without a good headline, no one reads your copy. And if no one reads your copy, no one clicks your call to action.
That’s why the headline is the most important element on the page. David Ogilvy, the great mad man, found that of everyone who reads a headline, only 20% read the copy. Pareto’s Principle at work.
Drayton Bird, perhaps the most experienced direct marketer in the world, suggests spending 80% of your time writing your headline. Put most of your effort into the thing that will yield the greatest returns.
And common sense suggests that if you rely on using words to make money, learning to write great headlines is more important than mastering every other copywriting trick combined. If your headlines don’t telegraph to your reader a message that gets him nodding and compels him to read on, you might as well give up copywriting immediately.

WHY YOU SHOULD USE A FORMULA FOR WRITING HEADLINES—BUT NOT THE ONE YOU ALREADY KNOW

You could power New York with all the electrons that have been (ab)used to produce articles, books, courses, and particularly formulas about writing headlines.
There’s a good reason for that. Formulas help us apply fundamental principles in a repeatable, consistent way. And even after doing that becomes second nature, formulas still make useful checklists.
But while there are some good headline formulas out there, they suffer from two problems:

1. They’re too forced—“ultra-specific”, really?—which makes them hard to remember; and,
2. They typically lack a key element which is extremely important to effective headlines on the web. (Not so much for offline writing—but definitely for web writing.)

I’ll talk about that element at the end. For now, let me introduce you to the SHINE headline formula. Why “SHINE”? Because after I’d picked out the five elements that go into a successful headline, and plugged their initial letters into an anagram generator, that was the only English word that came out.

S is for Specificity

If you are vague about the value of reading your copy, your reader will be too. Needless to say, he then won’t read it.
Nothing is as uninteresting as vagueness. Specific and concrete facts, on the other hand—particularly ones that form pictures in our minds—are intensely interesting.
So the first thing you must do to create a winning headline is use objective, quantifiable language. Figures are excellent; they imply research, which adds to your perceived legitimacy. But all kinds of specificity are good: names, descriptions—including of your reader himself; Mel Martin made millions writing “For people who…” headlines—titles, examples, projections, results, and so on.
Avoid subjective claims that anyone can make. “The number one ___”, “The leading ___”, etc. These are meaningless; like claiming your newborn is the most beautiful baby in the world. Everyone says that kind of thing, and studies show these sorts of claims actually reduce readership significantly, because people give them the same sort of attention they give to banner ads—i.e., none at all.

A WORD ABOUT LENGTH

A headline you can read in a single glance obviously communicates its content more effectively than one you cannot. Usability research shows that people not only scan body copy, but headlines as well—and they tend to take in only the first and last 3 words. This suggests the perfect length for a headline is 6 words.
Of course, that’s seldom enough to tilt the specificity-meter into the red. And I have it on good authority that some of the highest-converting headlines on the web are as long as 30 words. As a rule, if it won’t fit in a tweet it’s too long. But let me suggest that rather than worrying about length you should worry about making every word count. Especially the first and last 3—and if that means using the passive voice, so be it.

H is for Helpfulness

For your reader to see value in your copy, you must show how it will help him. Sounds obvious, yet most headlines give readers no clear idea of how reading the copy will help them—and so they don’t read it.
To make your headline helpful, simply speak to the issue which is foremost in your reader’s mind—the problem he came to your site to solve. People understand that what’s stated in the headline implies a solution in the copy. It can be explicit, as in 37Signals’s “Basecamp is the project management tool you wish you had on your last project.” Or it can be implicit, as in Saddleback Leather’s “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead”—implying both remarkable durability and enviable aesthetics and functionality.
Alternatively, if your reader isn’t yet aware of the problem, simply begin by stating it directly—as in the headline, “Toxic Killers in Your Grocery Cart”.

I is for Immediacy

Speaking of toxic killers, your headline should be so interesting that your reader cannot help but read on immediately.
Why immediately? Why not just be interesting enough to avoid the back button? Well, let me ask you: how many browser tabs do you keep open because their contents look interesting, and you fully intend to read them…later? If you’re anything like me, it’s so many that you’ve signed up for a service like Instapaper or Readability just so you can create an ever-growing list of things you really must read later, to hang over your head like a gradually descending zeppelin, slowly reaching such epic proportions that the only solution, in an eventual but inevitable act of desperation, is to set the whole thing on fire and watch it burn.
Anyway, you know from experience that if you don’t read it right away the odds are slim you’ll read it at all. The same is true of anyone reading your copy.
Creating immediacy is obviously easier for topics with greater emotional appeal; more difficult if you’re selling something like project collaboration software—which, with apologies to Jason Fried, few people really get worked up about. Nonetheless, you can do it for anything if you appeal to your reader’s self-interest. Focus on desires rather than needs, as these are, strangely, stronger.
Even better if you can tease him while doing so. Curiosity is an immensely powerful motivator. Paradoxes, quizzes, an implied danger or reward, or even simple questions can inflame a headline’s immediacy by playing to your reader’s curiosity—almost forcing him to read the copy. Here’s a classic that illustrates the irresistible power of the self-interest and curiosity combo:
“How Safe Is Your ____?”
Useful for a wide range of things, from information products to security systems to hats. How safe is your head from bird flu carried in pigeon droppings?

N is for Newsworthiness

To give your reader a reason to spend time in your copy, as opposed to your competitor’s, your headline must say something he hasn’t heard before. Or, more precisely, something he thinks he hasn’t heard before.
Obvious, generic, or familiar statements will put a bullet in your foot. In fact, anything that makes him think, “I already know what this is about.”
In other words, your headline must have news value. This doesn’t have to mean actual news—although headlines starting with “Now”, “Finally”, “Announcing”, “At last” and so on are all tested winners. But it can be as simple as the example I gave from Saddleback Leather: “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead.” How many leather goods companies emphasize quality and looks as their “unique” selling points? Probably all of them. But Saddleback gets away with appealing to the exact same USP by simply phrasing it differently.
Indeed, by putting your headline in terms of a story, you guarantee a unique spin. You also guarantee the critical element most headlines on the web lack—which brings us to our final point…

E is for Entertainment value

People today are information grazers. With so many blogs to read, so many things to Like on Facebook, so many tweets to scan, so many videos to watch…sales copy stands in boring contrast. Even non-sales copy.
Headlines which promise some entertainment in the copy succeed more often than those which don’t.
This is something you don’t see emphasized very often in headline formulas. In fact, since much of the advice you’ll read about writing headlines comes from the Cult of Claude Hopkins, you may even hear that copy should not seek to entertain at all. Hopkins famously said a salesman is not a clown.
But Hopkins wrote nearly a century ago, in a very different world. Although most marketing principles are universal, some things do change, so let me put this as bluntly as I can:
People on the Internet will not be bored.
Now, being entertaining doesn’t mean you should include the sorts of stupid “clever” gimmicks you see in much advertising—self-indulgent puns, whimsical turns of phrase and other such rubbish. That is worse than useless.
But stories, the oldest form of entertainment, are highly effective. So is humor, if used cautiously, but you must understand the kind of humor your reader likes and what he’s comfortable joking about.
Here’s a great example of the combined power of story and humor, written by the master of email, Ben Settle:
“How Even Skinny, ‘Barney Fife’ Cops Single-Handedly Control And Dominate Violent Criminals, Gang-Bangers And Other Cold-Blooded Killers…Without Even Drawing Their Guns!”

Making a headline SHINE

Let’s put all this to work. I’d like to help you construct a headline here, so you can see how the principles I’ve covered make headlines SHINE.
You know Mulder, I presume. Agent Fox Mulder of the FBI? If you haven’t seen The X-Files, he’s the guy who “wants to believe”. So let’s imagine we’re selling an information product that compiles all the world’s best UFO data into a comprehensive report. Mulder—or someone like him—is our ideal prospect.
Let’s start with specificity. This product is for the FBI agent who wants to believe. Can it be that simple to really get Mulder’s attention? Yes it can.
Right, how about helpfulness? What is it that Mulder will want out of this product? I’m thinking easy access to data which is normally scattered across multiple sources. He needs all the world’s UFO data at his fingertips.
Okay, what about immediacy? Well, Mulder’s job is often dangerous. Having the right data available in an alien encounter could be the difference between life and death. He doesn’t want to die because he didn’t know something.
Now, news. It’s pretty unlikely anyone is currently offering a product like this. But we can easily imagine that Mulder has often wished for one. Finally, we have created it for him—so we can play off that news factor for even more pulling power.
As for entertainment value, a man like Mulder is intensely curious, competitive, driven, highly skilled, and knowledgeable. Someone who can’t resist a challenge, who can’t resist finding out the answer to something, and who can’t resist perhaps showing off to himself a little. The kind of man who loves to test himself. Which gives us:–

For the FBI agent who wants to believe…
Can’t survive our “alien invasion” quiz?
Now you can get all UFO data right on your smartphone

About the Author: As well as being an expert on headlines, Bnonn is the author of a free video series covering all the elements of turning visitors into customers—from headline to CTA. Known in the boroughs as the Information Highwayman, he helps small businesses by improving both their copy and web design. When he’s not knee-deep in the guts of someone’s homepage, he is teaching his kids about steampunk, Nathan Fillion, and how to grapple a zombie without getting bit.

Take your weekly savings challenge

MANILA - Does saving money seem impossible for you, with all the expenses you have during the week?

Believe it or not, you can actually find ways to scrimp and cut your expenses, if you are just creative and disciplined enough. Why not go for the stretch and aim to save at least P1,000 a week?

As we enter the last months of the year, try and set this challenge for the year, and hopefully you end 2016 with at least P15,000 in savings. With determination and discipline, you can actually save yourself a respectable sum.

Here are seven easy cuts you can do. You can combine any of these to save P1,000 a week:

1. Consider gourmet drinks. If your daily routine includes a stop at coffee shops, or sampling designer drinks, you’re spending at least P500-P850 in a week, or more if you add a sandwich. Imagine your savings if you can drop this from your routine. If you’re really in need of a caffeine fix or refreshments, check out more affordable options. A sachet of 3-in-1 coffee costs less than P5, and most come in different strengths, even gourmet flavors.

2. Take the train instead of private hire cars. If you take public transportation but use private hire cars, then you’re definitely spending a lot in transportation fees, most especially if your commute is long. Endless traffic jams will jack up your transportation expenses. Plan to leave home earlier so you can take the train or other cheaper modes of transportation. Carpooling with friends is also a great way to save P1,000 a week.

3. Cook your own meals. Let’s face it, food can be the biggest cost when it comes to personal expenses. After all, you have to have 3 square meals a day and then throw in snacks too. If you eat out and buy your meals, you are certainly paying more. 

Consider this – a kilo of chicken and a 2-piece chicken meal in diners cost about the same. Cook your own meals or if not practical, check out the office cafeteria or nearby canteens for more affordable options. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can realize P1,000 in weekly savings.

4. Drop the Friday gimmick night. If you head for the bar every Friday night to celebrate the end of the work week, you can be burning P1,000 in one night of revelry. Think of more affordable options to celebrate the end of the week. Instead of going to the bar every weekend, look for less pricey places to go to such as a friend’s place. Remember, it’s not the place but the company that counts.

5. Forego the weekend mall visit. Almost by default, a good number of Filipinos head for the mall during weekends, usually spending on unplanned, spur-of-the-moment acquisitions that can easily cost you P1,000 a week. Resist the opportunity to spend unnecessarily and spend weekends in alternate places—visiting relatives or friends, going to the park, checking out museums, or just watching good films at home. 

6. Use wi-fi and rationalize mobile spending. If you’re one of those who needs to be constantly connected, you can be spending a fortune on mobile calls and data expenses. Look into your usage to determine if it’s time to get a plan that’s more appropriate for your needs. Don’t forget to use wi-fi when it’s available instead of expensive data charges. If you’re using prepaid, use the unlimited calls or texting options to match your usage. Better yet, use the landline. 

7. Check out generic medicines. If you need medication and you still haven’t discovered generics, you’re missing out on a savings opportunity. Ask your physician and pharmacist to give you generic options for your existing medications, including vitamins and supplements. Depending on your prescription and needs, you stand to save as much as 70 percent buy just going generic, which will certainly help you achieve your savings goals.

These are just some suggestions on how you can save up to P1,000 per week. Be creative in devising schemes to reach your target, and keep a journal to monitor your spending and savings. Hopefully, not only will you be able to save up P15,000 by the end of the year, you may actually imbibe lifelong savings habits.

Grow Your Money is an editorial partnership to promote financial education and provide helpful information to Filipinos on how to better manage their personal finances.

President DUTERTE Deadliest Order to Finished the ASG in SULU!

President DUTERTE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE at Davao Aug 24