On the internet, there is always going to be more supply than there is demand. We live in such a fast-paced world, and if you want me to commit some of my valuable time to reading your blogpost/watching your video/looking at your content, you're going to have to have a great first impression.
In order to attract readers, headlines have to be awesome. Take a look at the king of headline-writing, Buzzfeed. Their masterful headline writing can suck you down into a wormhole of article reading, and before you know it, it's two hours later and you're knee deep in reasons why Hufflepuff is the best Hogwarts house. (Which it is, by the way.)
This study by Moz displays the data about what kinds of headlines work best at enticing busy people into reading articles: superlatives or no superlatives? numbers or no numbers? CAPS LOCK YELLING or no caps lock yelling? What percentage of people will click on an article with a question as its title versus one with a statement? Before we get into the actual suggestions, let's go over what I mean when I say 'headline'.
A headline is the title of a post, what the reader will see in the link to the article or content. It's what shows up in their feed as they're scrolling away. It is not necessarily the same as the SEO meta-title. The meta title is what will show up in the tab label at the top of the reader's browser. What exactly ware the differences, you ask?
Well, headlines are for people, and meta titles are for bots. Headlines draw in humans, and meta titles tell Google which searches to have your article or blog post show up in. Sometimes your headline and your meta title will be the same, but that's not always the case. Your meta title should contain the words or phrases people are typing into their search bars when they're looking for the information contained in your article. Your headline should convince people that getting the information therein won't be a pain.
Alright, now it's time for some suggestions.
1) Spend Some Time On It
Your headline should not be the last thing you think about when you're writing a blog post, something you tack on at the very, very end. Some sources claim that 80% of readers don't even get past the headline, because they've decided (based on the headline alone) that your article isn't worth reading, even though it totally might be.
The actual percentage might vary, but all you have to do is go through your Twitter or RSS feed and take a look at how many articles you're passing up to see that whatever it is, it's pretty high. Thus, time spent refining and crafting an awesome headline is well worth it. You want to be part of that small group of articles that actually gets read, and having a great headline will help get you there.
2) Make Your Headlines Absolutely Clear
What I mean is this: tell the truth about what your article offers. I'm as much a fan of witty wordplay, marvelous metaphors, and awesome alliteration as the next English major, but don't tweak your title just to include them. A reader should know exactly what he or she is in for when he or she clicks on your article. The title told her she was going see How Small Businesses Can Improve Local Search Visibility with Online Reviews, so that's what she should get.
The less ambiguous your headline is, the more likely a reader is going to click on it, because when it comes to cryptic, puzzle-like headlines:
3) Use Numbers
This goes along with #2 above, in that it clarifies exactly what the reader will get out of reading the article. What really help in using numbers is that it also helps readers figure out how much time they'll need to commit if they want to read your whole article. Obviously, if they're very interested in a topic, they'll want to read all 7 Ways to Make Your Brand Stand Out on a Noisy Web, but maybe they just don't have the time at the moment. (Hopefully they'll bookmark it and save it for later.)
One thing to consider: nice round numbers look prettier, but odd numbers stand out. Headlines like '10 Ways to Eat a Cupcake' or '25 Reasons You Should Get a Cat' can sometimes indicate the writer has either fluffed out their article in order to get a pretty even number, while articles with uneven numbers stick better in a reader's mind and also suggest that the writer knows what she is talking about and thought up exactly that many points of data.
4) Address the Reader
You, the reader, are special. You're reading this article right now and, among the millions of people online right now, you are the only one that matters to me. It's nice to feel appreciated, isn't it? That's why addressing the reader (with 'you') in the headline works. It indicates that you are concerned about their problems and want to fix them by giving them information via your content. I wanna help you get more clients at your law firm, here are 3 ways to do it.
Even though most readers are pretty marketing savvy and know when headlines are trying to influence them, there's no stopping their subconscious in creating an immediate relationship when they are directly addressed.
5) Be Completely and Totally Crazy Dramatic Way Over the Top, Or Understate It
Data suggests that more than four superlatives (best, most, greatest, super, etc.) can actually draw people in. I mean, if you're using 5 superlatives for a blog post headline, it must be a really awesome blog post, right? Or, you know, you could be real and just use no or only one superlative. The content should speak for itself, right?
The key is to realize that you've gotta go big or go home. No one likes it when you publish things that are half-baked, so avoid the middle ground, and either state your case, plain and simple, or embellish the heck out of it, because it deserves it.
6) Combine and Experiment
Feel free to mix and match all the previous suggestions to figure out what works best for your audience! It's going to be difficult getting the same article in front of the same audience with a different title, so keeping an eye on different blog posts with different types of headlines to see which gets more traffic might be worth it. Alternatively, you can take one of your old blog posts, spiff it up with a new headline, and see how it does.
So There You Have It
In the end, what you have to remember is that your headline counts. It's your first (and sometimes your only) chance to grab a reader's very limited attention. Make it count!