Writing Killer Headlines

Writing good headlines is of prime importance. Once you know that you wonder how to go about it. Here are some rules of thumb. Here is some information on writing headlines that can attract visitor traffic. Even though, writing a good headline is not the only parameter of your success as a writer, but it makes sure that your text would be read by a good percentage of people.

To start with, remember the four U’s approach while deciding on headlines. The four U’s stand for the following attributes of a headline:

Usefulness- the reader should find it useful

Urgency-It should feel urgent to get the reader want to read it quickly

Uniqueness-it should give the idea that it is somewhat different from the usual content available

Ultra-specific-because the reader does not want to spend time finding a grain in hay.

Sometimes, the reader already has some knowledge about the subject of your text. Try to determine, how he or she feels about the subject already. Knowing that, you can determine what will the reader wants to read and what type of headline can ring a bell in his or her mind. If the headline drives the reader emotionally, your battle is won. Some topics are to general to be read about. Killer headlines can bring visitor traffic to these areas.

You can make your headlines magnetic by following some simple guidelines. It is a good idea to think of a headline first. After a good headline is chosen, come up with relevant content to follow the headline. A headline is promise that you make to the readers that the content that follows the headline would be what the headline says it is. Coming up with headline first also lets you structure your content appropriately.

The headlines you use can either be asking a question or making a promise. Good headlines either focus on the benefits or the reasons. Listings are always a hit.

Cheating works: It is not at all a bad idea to choose previously used headlines by altering the titles slightly. It is hard to get those headlines straight out of your mind. A little peep into the winning and attention grabbing headlines of the past can be very helpful. Many copywriters keep a collection of old newspapers, books and any other material that became popular. These are called swipe files. Some people even put these up for sale. Software is also available for the same. But it is not that useful. Everything needs some brush up and customized for the current scenario.