What makes people click or share on a blog post, ad, or press release?
It’s not an easy answer but we’ve demystified the process with some of our best tips.
Headlines that contain these elements do well:
1. Use Numbers: It’s much easier for people to skim a numeral rather than a spelled out number. When you use a number it clues people into exactly what they’ll get. It’s also more likely to be reposted and shared on sites like Twitter that have a short character limit.
Example: 10 People From Your Past Who Will Haunt You On Facebook
2. Make Lists: Lists are easy to skim and make information digestible. Make each point into numbered or bulleted list with subheadings. Lists tell readers exactly what they’re going to get.
Example: Free eBook Tells You 12 Secrets to a Greener Lawn
3. Ask Questions: When you ask a question it makes people want to read to get an answer. It works well on Facebook or blogs because people can comment and give their input.
You can ask a leading question that sells your business. Let’s say you coach people on setting up an ecommerce business. You could ask a question such as: “Would You Like 2011 to Be the Year in Which You Build the Foundations of your Ecommerce Business for Long-Term Wealth?”
Example: Is Buying a Home Worth it?
4. Use Emotion: I always thought using emotions meant that you wanted to tug at people’s heart with a heartwarming story. A better way to look at it is how you want your customers to feel when they use your product. You can help them feel sexy, loved, smart, accomplished, important, rich, or good looking. Or, you can associate with negative emotions people want to avoid, such as shamed, embarrassed, incompetent, lazy, etc.
By associating your product with emotions you create a more powerful response that motivates people to read more. Use strong words. The word “remarkable” is better than “great.” Stating that something is catastrophic is more dramatic and unexpected than just saying it’s “scary.”
In this example from Copyblogger, the emotional payoff of taking command of a meeting is that you feel respected.
Example: How to Take Command of Any Meeting
5. Be Humorous (plays on words, cliches with a twist, etc): To me the best kind of humor is to state the unexpected. It disarms people and piques their curiosity. If you make them laugh you have made an impact.
Example: 4 Things You Love to Discuss that No One Cares About
6. Promise a solution to a problem: If your product solves a problem that a lot of people have you have a market. Everyone has problems in life and business. They are looking for solutions. Since we’re trying to solve these problems, we’re compelled to read if there’s a promised solution in the headline.
Example: Little Known Ways to Get More Twitter Followers
If you were to write a “creative” headline for this blog post what would it be? Or, share a tip you’ve learned from writing headlines.
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Lists are a great way to get a click, as is humour.
I’ve used those successfully many times.
I’ve also noticed that when you do get a click or a share on a social network, you get a lot of attention and traffic afterwards.
Finding a solution for your readers is a great way to get clicks…wonderful post.