How to Write Your Best Headline – with 9 Easy Formulas

Did you see that? Yes, that title made you start reading – and now you’re waiting for me to deliver on it. So here are 9 headline formulas for you to start using in your own copy, both on- and off-line. Take this chance to look back on your past headlines, and see which ones your readers have responded to, then try using some new titles, too.

1. How To

People come to the internet looking for specific solutions. If you can promise and deliver a step-by-step solution to a problem someone is facing, they will read every word. The more specific the solution, the better.

• How to Pick the Perfect Flowers for Mother’s Day
• How My Blog Got 1,207 New Readers Overnight
• How to Spot a Great Deal on Computer Parts

2. Using You

Incorporating a personal touch will help reach out to readers and let them visualize themselves in the middle of the story, instead of just reading it. And if your title is a command, it’s conversational enough that “you” is implied.

• You Could Win a Million Dollars
• Have You Gotten Pulled Over Lately? What You Should Have Done.
• Speak French Like a Poet

3. Numbers

Rumor has it that odd numbers convert better than even ones, but all numbers add a concrete element to titles which are often too wishy-washy. Numbers describing percentages and results are great to prove how well a technique worked. Lists also attract readers, because they promise exactly what they will deliver.

• 101 Perfect Hairdos for This Summer
• Get 20 New Followers Every Day
• 12 Companies to Watch in 2012

4. Exclusivity

Everyone wants to hear a secret or get the real news. And implying that you have information that everyone knows, or should know, will encourage people to make sure that they know what you are about to tell them.

• Little Known Ways to Get Rid of Belly Fat
• The Secret to a Great Handshake
• What Everyone Ought to Know About Buying Real Estate

5. Real details

Telling stories is a great way to connect with people, so it’s no surprise that it works in headlines as well. Describe a person your audience can connect with or a device and how it will benefit users.

• Everything I Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten
• Raleigh Mom Figures Out New System for Homeschooling
• New Invention Promises Less Downtime for Web Servers Everywhere

6. Ask questions

We are encouraged to know the right answers throughout our lives – and we continue to try to prove our knowledge as we grow up. Plus, an article beginning has a clear agenda, and it’s easy to satisfy your audience’s curiosity.

• Are You Using the Right Sunblock?
• Is Your Hardware Up-To-Date?
• Why Are French Women Always Thin?

7. Use Primal Needs

Can you describe how reading your article will make something easier, faster, or better for your audience? Draw on people’s desire for hope and reconciliation, or their desire for pride and self-esteem. Try checking out Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and thinking about how your products and services could provide esteem or security.

• Build a Home You Can Be Proud Of
• Get Ready to Show Off Your Six-Pack
• Now You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too

8. Combinations

If you’re looking at the headline of this article, you might notice that it fits in several categories: it uses “you,” and “how to,” and a number. Using multiple techniques to underscore the main attraction can certainly pay off.

• The Secret That Only 50% of Readers Will See
  (exclusivity and numbers)
• How to Make Money Using the Computer You Own Already
  (how to and details)
• How You Can Lose Weight Today
  (how to and you)

9. Creativity

Don’t just take my word for it. Check out some of Copyblogger’s articles about magnetic headlines or Chris Garrett’s Authority Blogger 102 Headline Formulas Workbook, and then start looking at headlines everywhere you go. Magazines, ads, and your RSS reader are great places to pick up inspiration and start understanding how headlines do what they do.

If you want to start applying these tips today, write a title related to your business or market related to each of these suggestions. Now you have 9 new blog posts to write to start drawing in readers.