{"id":15884,"date":"2007-09-27T10:43:42","date_gmt":"2007-09-27T15:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/copy-writing\/hooking-the-headline-six-easy-ways-to-catch-a-reader.html"},"modified":"2007-09-27T10:43:42","modified_gmt":"2007-09-27T15:43:42","slug":"hooking-the-headline-six-easy-ways-to-catch-a-reader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/hooking-the-headline-six-easy-ways-to-catch-a-reader\/","title":{"rendered":"Hooking the Headline: Six Easy Ways to Catch a Reader"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" title=\"hook the reader\" src=\"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/images\/blog-images\/hook.png\" alt=\"how to write headlines that grab site users attention\" width=\"390\" height=\"259\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We live in a world that offers a tremendous amount of information. The online world is even more intense, as readers often have the attention span of a gnat. The first, and sometimes only, chance that you have to catch a reader on your first screen is through your headline. A headline\u2019s job is to literally make a reader stop\u2026and then read more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. Pleasing or Painful Headlines<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A headline should include a benefit that will appeal to your readers, whether that benefit is a positive or a negative. Positive headlines might be geared around:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Saving<\/li>\n<li>Profiting<\/li>\n<li>Gaining<\/li>\n<li>Winning<\/li>\n<li>Rewarding<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Positive headlines focus in on the \u201cgoodies\u201d that your readership will have if they only continue to read your copy. Examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Win your Boyfriend Back<\/li>\n<li>Reward Yourself with a 20% Savings<\/li>\n<li>Gain an Edge\u00a0 Against the Competition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Negative headlines are written to avoid:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Loss<\/li>\n<li>Embarrassment<\/li>\n<li>Mistakes<\/li>\n<li>Uneasiness<\/li>\n<li>Pain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Negative headlines are written to help readers from making any unnecessary \u201cboo-boos\u201d that will make their lives miserable. Examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>Have You Even Been Embarrassed at an Expensive Restaurant?<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Avoid the Pain of Foreclosure<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Do You Ache at the End of the Day?<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>2. Appealing Headlines<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Everyone loves to be part of the \u201cin\u201d crowd.\u00a0 Headlines that can hook with the \u201cin\u201d crowd in mind include words such as \u201csecret\u201d or \u201clittle known ways.\u201d Some examples are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>The Secrets of Beauty Supply Management<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Little Known Ways to Improve Your Bottom Line<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On the flip side of the coin, no one wants to be left out. \u201cWhat Everyone Should Know About Growing Azaleas\u201d screams at the reader that he or she may not have the complete story and really needs to check the content out to make sure that the reader \u201cknows it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Easy and Time Saving Headlines<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most people hate wasting time, particularly on solving problems.\u00a0 Many men and women would sincerely like to ignore their problems or hope that the problems just go away.\u00a0 Consequently, headlines that emphasize speed in solving a problem can be real winners. Examples include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>Five Quick Ways to Fix a Drain<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>A Quick Way to Train Your Dog<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>No one likes to do \u201chard\u201d things.\u00a0 Therefore, \u201ceasy\u201d is another great hook word. Examples of headlines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>Five Easy Ways to Study More Effectively<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>One Easy Way to Pick Up Incremental Sales<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cEasy\u201d can also be combined with \u201cquick\u201d for a \u201cdouble whammy\u201d headline.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>Five Quick and Easy Steps to Program Your CD<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If your target markets includes people who are challenged by issues such as technology or home repairs, \u201ceasy\u201d is a nice word to have in your arsenal.<\/p>\n<p>A variation of \u201cEasy\u201d is the \u201cLazy\u201d approach:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>A Lazy Mom\u2019s Way of Doing Laundry<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Lazy implies that the content will give information about how to do laundry quickly and easily.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. Curiosity Headlines <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Curiosity killed the cat, but not an internet reader. In fact, curiosity is a strong motivation to lean more. A headline that appeal to curiosity would be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ways to Entice Your Wife or Girlfriend<\/li>\n<li>Interested in Getting the Goods?<\/li>\n<li>The Alluring World of Insects<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>5. \u201cJust the Facts\u201d Headlines<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes simply stating the facts is a good way to go.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>Learn How John Doe Made Millions Selling Securities<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Ten Time Management Techniques<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Buy a $100 Vacuum Cleaner with a Money Back Guarantee<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>6. Writing Headlines<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Many people look at headlines as an afterthought.<\/p>\n<p>This is a mistake.<\/p>\n<p>When you consider that a headline\u2019s job is to literally stop a reader from moving on to the next website, this makes sense.\u00a0 Experts suggest that you write up to fifty headlines or more before you choose the best one for your content.<\/p>\n<p>Headline Writing Tips<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>Treat your headlines like the rest of your writing. You would not turn in copy without letting it <a href=\"http:\/\/workplaceadmin.blogspot.com\/2007\/08\/proofreading-booboos.html\">brew for a period of time<\/a>. Let your headlines sit a day before you chose the perfect one.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Questions are traditional hooks in writing. Turn your headline into a question.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\u201cHow to\u2026.\u201d is another eye-catching format.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Use the imperative or \u201ccommand\u201d voice when writing headlines. Imperative headlines start with an active verb and an implied \u201cyou\u201d as the subject.<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>Enjoy the High Life Now<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Stop Hiding Today<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>Create Your Own Position<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\u201cPut Your Headline in Quotation Marks.\u201d Quotes are often used in writing because the person who spoke or wrote the quote originally was an expert, famous, or otherwise important. This will lead your readers to think that your headline is important, too.<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What headlines have worked for you?<\/p>\n<p>What are the best headlines that you have seen?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span>We live in a world that offers a tremendous amount of information. The online world is even more intense, as readers often have the attention span of a gnat. The first, and sometimes only, chance that you have to catch a reader on your first screen is through your headline. A headline\u2019s job is to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[127,128,129],"class_list":["post-15884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-copy-writing","tag-headline-tips","tag-headlines","tag-hooking-the-online-reader"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}