Many content creators may be ignorant enough to forget about it, but a great headline makes the difference between stellar content and stale content. Readers are bombarded with information on a daily basis: one coping mechanism is to subconsciously tune out as much of it as possible in order to only find what we need. This is why paid marketing campaigns (particularly those that incorporate images) have to be changed on a consistent basis when targeting the same audiences. How can you create remarkably simple yet effective headlines for your blog posts, social media updates and emails? Continue reading, and we’ll divulge three simple secrets to help you get started.

Use a Number

The number one way to excel with your headlines and the amount of traffic they can pull in is to, well, use numbers! Lists, countdowns, top tens and other variations are wonderful ways to be pinging for SEO at the same time that you attract the most clicks for your content. This premise has been documented time and time again, and applies across multiple spectrums – email, blogs and social media shares. If you are having trouble with audiences and they are expressing reservations about clicking on your stuff, then create a juicy headline that tells them how many things they have to look forward to in your content.

Don’t Lie

All too many blogs and content delivery networks – particularly those who deal with click-bait tactics – have gotten into the habit of deceiving their readers by using headlines that are just not accurate. This can backfire substantially; negative comments will be made and bounce rates will skyrocket. By giving the audience what they believe they’re getting from the headline, you’ll do better with conversions and many other targeted metrics. On social media in particular and when it comes to shares and retweets, you can’t gain any real traction when the article content doesn’t match the headlines. People will simply blow it off and move on before even considering sharing it.

Incorporate Subtle Action

A variety of eloquent vocabulary is at your disposal, which may or may not be appropriate for your next headline. Many people love action words and the effect they can have on content engagement. You can combine action with the concept of a list as mentioned above to transform any drab article’s main descriptor; we can transform “How to Impress Google by Pinging for SEO” into “Six Sensational Solutions for Wooing Google’s SEO Algorithms”. The colorful language can pique the senses of the reader as they stumble across your content (and many others). Remember the subconscious effect we mentioned earlier? The incorporation of subtle action can also be helpful at working around it.

Conclusion

If you need to spice up your headlines in an attempt to boost traffic, then adhere to a few simple ground rules. Above all else: don’t lie to the reader – you’ll lose them forever. If you incorporate subtle action into the headline, you can overcome some of the natural tendencies people have to tune out generic text. Last but not least, incorporate numbers in your headlines and reform your content to fit them accordingly.