Rev up your headlines and attract readers with these 10 tips

A great headline can mean the difference between a story that gets read and one that gets passed over.

So, what’s the formula that will produce compelling headlines that appeal to search engines as well as to your target audience? Whether you’re writing a blog post, news release or social media status update, try these tips for drawing readers in with your headlines:

1. Avoid vague heads.

These are actual headlines that have appeared in actual publications:

If your headline could apply to any story, you shouldn’t use it for any story. The best headlines are ultra-specific. Write a unique headline for your unique story.

2. Tighten loose heads.

These, too, are actual headlines that appeared in actual publications:

Vague heads are less like headlines than story ideas. “I know, let’s do a story on what is intellectual property, and why should you care about it?”

A story idea isn’t a headline. Good headlines take time and effort to write. (For more on this topic, get in on this workshop.)

3. Forgo label headlines, and use active verbs.