Have You Been Making This Huge Mistake On Your Blog?

So you have great content on your blog but no one is turning up to read it. Your writing is interesting, humorous and clever but despite your creative talents the readers aren’t showing and that dream of a successful blog that attracts thousands of readers is slipping away.

If there is one thing that you need to learn before anything else is the art of the headline. In journalism schools, one of the first topics that is covered is how to write a good headline.

It’s been reported that up to 50% of all tweets that are retweeted are due to the headline only!

Twitter has in fact made a lot of people realize how important a good Twitter headline is to get people to click on the link to take them to your blog content. On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of your title, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the entire article. It is especially important early on in your blogging career to master this skill because it is your one and only chance to get them to read the rest. People like Seth Godin and Chris Brogan who are well known bloggers, authors and speakers have let their headline writing skills slip but they can get away with it because they have built up so much trust and a huge tribal following. You don’t have this luxury and you need your headlines to be compelling and inviting to start a tribe.

So why are your headlines so important?

1. They capture your readers attention and draws them into the article

If you screw up the headline people won’t even click on the link to your article and read it. With headlines, first impressions count, you literally only get one chance at this and if you fail, potential readers will move on.

2. It’s a promise of the benefits to be had from reading the article.

The title sets the stage for the article content, and lets people know why they should read your article or what they will get from doing so.

3. They give a first impression of you as an author.

If your title sucks, and no one opens your articles, what do you think the odds are that the viewer will look for more of your work?

So what are some of the basics of writing a good headline? Here are 3  basic formulas that will help you write a good headline

1. How To

How To [Do Something] that [Benefit to the Reader].

Example: How To Write A Mind Blowing Headline For Twitter So People Will Read Your Blog

2. The List

Top # Reasons to [exercise, eat healthy, write articles, etc]

Example: 90 Tips To Make Your Blog Rock

3. The Question

This where you want to invoke your readers curiosity for them to want to go on and read more.

Example: Why The Web Is Becoming Less Social

So how are the headlines on your blog? Could you do better?

Resources:

These are from Brian Clark the genius behind CopyBlogger who currently ranks number one on the Advertising Age “AdAge Power 150”  and one of the reasons he is there is his headline writing skills.

1. Why You Should Always Write Your Headline First
2. The Cheater’s Guide to Writing Great Headlines
3. Do Key Words in Post Titles Really Matter?
4. How to Write a Killer “How To” Post That Gets Attention
5. 7 Reasons Why List Posts Will Always Work
6. Why Some People Almost Always Write Great Post Titles
7. 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work
8. 9 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy
9. 7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work
10. Warning: Use These 5 Headline Templates at Your Own Risk
11. The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines

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