By Sadie Fidler
In today’s digital age, there are as many internet links as there are stars in the sky. Thinking about this can be daunting when figuring out how to get people to click on your content. It all comes down to making your content stand out against others.
At Marketing Choices, we believe words are an artform that can be used to your advantage when crafting a headline. As the first impression of your content, headlines are meant to draw your audience in. Today’s fast paced society means that not everyone has the time to read a detailed account. This is why headlines are the most important part of your content. They are what leads to the exposure of your craft.
Psychology Behind Clickable Headlines
What marketing comes down to is understanding how people interact with media. To further understand this, it is important to examine the psychology behind certain human behaviors. Fully understanding the psychology behind your target audience will help you think like your audience and create better headlines.
The Information-Gap Theory refers to when consumers have a gap in knowledge about a certain topic that interests them. Consumers are more likely to actively seek out information regarding the topic. This can be used to your advantage by crafting a headline that alludes to a way to fill this gap. For example, headlines that feature phrases such as “How To…” or “The Secret To…” are meant to grab attention.
A Step-by-Step Approach to Crafting Headlines
Step 1: Remind yourself of who your target audience is and what they are looking for. Different industries and issues require different approaches and language. Are you trying to inform your audience of trends in the industry? Or are you providing tips for getting started in the industry?
Step 2: Once you have determined who your target audience is and what they are looking for, it is time to develop your marketing strategy. Your strategy is the why. It should align with your brand values and approaches. The marketing strategy should support your objective. For example, if you are hoping to increase sales, your strategy should focus on increasing exposure.
Step 3: After figuring out your marketing strategy, it is time to execute it. This is called your marketing plan. It is how you plan to execute your marketing strategy. To illustrate, you want to increase exposure for your brand so you plan to do that by increasing your social media presence.
Step 4: Do some research to see how your competitors are crafting headlines. Look for articles or blogs with similar subject matter. The aim of this is to see what others are doing so you can create something unique that stands out. Additionally, look into what words are used in headlines that have a better impression to interaction ration. This is called a click through rate (CTR). Here are some tips for a headline that will increase your CTR:
- Make sure the headline is clear, adding a number to the headline can assist with this (example: 10 Ways to Make Your Car Last Longer vs. How to Make Your Car Last Longer)
- Inspire curiosity with your headline (example: Why Your Car is Not Lasting Long: 10 Habits to Avoid vs. Common Tips to Prolong the Life of Your Car)
- Add urgency to your headline (example: Engine Repairs You Can Do In 5 Minutes vs. Tips for Engine Repairs)
- Use unique wording (example: Learn the Language of Japan: 5 Recipes to Spice Up Miso Soup vs. 5 Miso Soup Recipes to Try)
Step 5: Using all of the information from the previous steps, it is time to put together a headline. It is important to make sure that your headline aligns with your brand voice and marketing objectives. Be sure to implement your marketing strategy and plan to strategically craft a headline. Your headline should be truthful and reflect your content accurately to avoid being seen as clickbait.
Testing What Works
Much of marketing your written work is going to be testing what works. This can be accomplished by something called A/B Testing. This is an experiment where two or more versions of a product are shown to users and they determine which performs better. The content is assessed on how well it aligns with the brand’s objectives and how well it does with engagement.
Need Additional Guidance?
At Marketing Choices, we are a team of creatives who can assist you in creating solutions for your marketing plan. Our team specializes in all things marketing like developing marketing strategies and managing campaigns. We are here to assist you in growing your business by guiding you through content marketing and online advertising. If you are looking to grow your business through marketing, contact us.
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