You’re frustrated, and I get it. 

You slaved over your latest blog to provide meaningful, value-packed content that you know will revolutionize your readers’ lives. 

It meets their needs. It speaks to their problem. It’s what they’re looking for!

You can’t help but smile as you post it and promote it on social media because you know it’s just that good.

But then a day goes by and you have like 15 clicks. Five days later—16. 

What went wrong?

The most likely reason your blog flopped isn’t that your content wasn’t good enough. God gave you a message and you’re called to share it!

Instead, chances are the real problem was with one of the most crucial parts of your entire article: your headline.

How Important Is Your Headline?

The late marketing guru David Ogilvy recommended that advertisers spend 80% of their budget on the headline. 80%!

That’s a large percentage to spend on a single line of copy. (Especially considering your article is likely 70 times as long as your headline.)

But I’m convinced Ogilvy was absolutely right. In my experience as an online editor, I’ve noticed that the amount of clicks an article gets correlates almost exactly with the quality of the headline!

When I first started working as an editor, I couldn’t write a headline to save my life. It was a huge mystery to me. “Just tell me what to write!” is what I wanted to scream.

But as time went on and I kept writing more headlines, I noticed which ones got people to click and which ones didn’t.

Check out my free cheat sheet for 19 captivating headlines that you can tweak to make sense for your audience and get them to click on your articles! CLICK HERE to get your free headline cheat sheet: 19 Headlines That Will Capture Your Audience’s Attention (And Get Them Clicking)!

Now, granted, you will never be able to convince me that headline-writing is a pure science. There will always be a weird x-factor that no one can explain regarding why one story explodes and another trickles out of public sight.

And yet, there truly are several practical things you can do with headlines to ensure that your article gets as much love as possible. 

Here are the main lessons I learned that dramatically improved my headline-writing game:

1. Speak to the felt need or pain point with your headline.

I know this sounds like marketing jargon, but it’s actually super simple.

Speaking to a felt need or pain point simply means understanding what your audience is feeling, what they want, what keeps them up at night, what burdens their souls, and what they wish they could change in their lives.

Understanding an audience’s emotions and motives is the most valuable thing you could do for writing better headlines.

Don’t think like a writer at this point in the game. You’ve already written the content. You know it’s good. 

Headline-writing is not the place to put your emphasis on being super cutesy, poetic or creatively ambiguous. It’s not that those things never work. It’s that it’s easy to get lost in those tactics and lose the felt need that your headline desperately needs to address.

Writing headlines is when it’s time to think like a consumer. Pretend you’re your ideal client, scrolling through Facebook looking for your cousin’s photo of the humongous tree that crashed through her roof. 

You’re not going to stop hunting for your cousin’s photo because you saw an article titled “The Solace of Spring.”

But if you’re a young mom, you might stop if the article said “How I Got My Rebellious 3-Year-Old to Finally Stop Throwing Daily Tantrums.”

See the difference?

2. Use eye-catching words.

there are other words that naturally draw attention no matter who’s reading them.

Words that are eye-catching in and of themselves tend to be dramatic, unexpected and underused.

For example, which would catch your attention more:

“How to Deal With a Rebellious Child”

Or

“How to Extinguish Your Toddler’s Worst Tantrums (Without Losing Your Mind)”

Maybe some of you are more drawn to the simplicity of the first headline, but I guarantee that the majority of people would be more intrigued by the second.

While some words tend to draw attention no matter who you are, there are other words that are more confined to your specific audience (words they’re familiar with and talk a lot about).

If you know your audience loves homeschool curriculum based on living books (also known as the Charlotte Mason method), use that phrase! Non-homeschooling people might not know what a living book is, but your audience does—so use it!

3. Use numbers every once in a while in your headline.

Listicles are a consistent attention-grabber. 

Not only do numerals draw attention to headlines anyway, but listicles tend to give easy wins and practical advice. Readers don’t mind giving a little of their time to read your stuff if they know they’re going to get some concrete value out of it.

(On the off chance you don’t know what a listicle is, it’s an article that centers on a numbered list, as shown by the headline. For instance, “10 Ways Green Smoothies Boost Your Overall Health” would be a listicle.)

Odd numbers supposedly do best in headlines. People I would consider writing and marketing experts have told me this countless times. 

But this doesn’t give you license to come up with a bogus point or tip just to take your list number from 8 to 9. Don’t force yourself to create an extra point if it doesn’t actually add value. 

Another caution: Don’t overdo it. Listicles are great, but people can get irritated if every single piece of your content starts with a number.

Listicles are like salt. Some people love a lot of salt on their meals. Others only need a dash. But no one wants to eat a bowl full of it. (And if you do, maybe have a talk with your doctor.)

4. Make a promise, then deliver on it.

Another important thing you can do in headlines is make a promise. Again, headlines are basically the first thing people read that tell them why they should click on your article and read.

If the information or encouragement in your article can make a change in the reader’s life, then tell them what that change is. 

Keep in mind that promises should be specific, timely, and practical/doable.

Here’s an example of that: 

How to Get Your Child to Eat Broccoli (and Love It!) in 2 Weeks

This headline makes a promise to me (the reader) that if I apply the principles in the article, my child will not only eat their broccoli, but love it (specific and practical) in two weeks (timely).

Please keep in mind this huge warning: Never overpromise in your headline. Don’t tell your reader that you will show them how to lose 10 pounds in one week if that isn’t actually realistic or likely. 

Overpromising in your headline is the easiest way to become clickbait and cause your audience to lose trust in you.

Make a promise, but be realistic about what that promise is. Then, in your article’s content, deliver on that promise.

5. Add some headline mystery.

Headlines with mystery make people feel like you know something they don’t–but desperately need to!

For instance, if you read “Lose 5 Pounds of Fat in 2 Weeks With This Simple Diet Change,” you might wonder, What diet change is she talking about? Do I need to make that change to my diet?

You can add mystery to headlines of promise (like in my example above), or you can add it to headlines that play on your readers’ fears.

I know playing on your readers’ fears might sound manipulative, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

For example, if you read “This Common Blogging Mistake Could Cost You Hundreds of Clicks,” you will want to know what that common mistake is because you care about your blog.

Going back to my clickbait soapbox, make sure the fear you are presenting is actually a real problem. Don’t say in your headline that the fear you are presenting will do more damage than it really will.

Be honest. Be real. Write compelling headlines.

You can do this!

Email me with some of your latest headline ideas at jennyrosespaudo@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you!

P.S. If you’re still struggling with writing compelling headlines, I think you’ll love my free cheat sheet: 19 Irresistible Headlines.

In it, I provide 19 headlines that are irresistible and explain why they work. I offer a formula for each headline so that you can easily tweak it to make it work for your content and audience.