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The formula to ace headlines for your copy: A step-by-step guide

. 3 min read . Written by Vanshika Goenka
The formula to ace headlines for your copy: A step-by-step guide

In a world that’s overflowing with content, how do you get people to read what YOU write? Through your headlines! Yes, that’s the trick. And even though it sounds too easy to draft a headline, it takes some effort to devise a great one.

Do you know? 8 out of 10 may read a headline, but only 2 out of them will actually read on to know more about your copy! Headlines have the power to make or break your copy. It’s the first thing that your target audience reads after coming to your social media page.

Here’s how you can woo the audience with headlines, among other things!

Table of contents:

  1. Why should you care about headlines
  2. Steps to write great headlines

Why should you care about headlines?

Traffic on your post could vary up to 500% because of your headline. If you fail to make it impactful and clickable, every other marketing step that you take will be a total waste of time.

But worry not, because PowerPass has a course on ‘Writing social media copy that sells’. It will give you exclusive insights into the world of copywriting for social media and curating content that actually helps you get engagement, and sales!

Steps to write great headlines

Writing that perfectly clickable headline isn’t a cakewalk, but it isn’t rocket science either. Marry a few elements together, and you get a profitable headline for your social media copy. Here’s how:

1. Use numbers to give concrete takeaways
There's a reason why so many copywriters use numbers in their headlines. It simply works. There aren't really any rules regarding what numbers work best, though. That said, sometimes a really obscure number like 19 or 37 can catch people's attention.

For example - “11 hacks to design a great deck’, or, ‘5 birthday party ideas for an Aries’.

If you’re sharing tips or hacks in your post, or if it’s a how-to post, then using numbers attracts more attention.

P.S: Don't overuse numbers or use them arbitrarily. If your copy clearly has some key takeaways, adding a number to the headline can help make the takeaways more digestible. But if the copy doesn't, don't force it.

2. Use emotional adjectives to describe your reader's problem
Your audience will respond to adjectives more than the points in your post. So either use positive adjectives like ‘6 effortless brekkie ideas to begin your day’, or ‘12 incredible and offbeat places to explore in Himachal’.

Here’s a list of the most commonly used adjectives that are known to stir up emotions:

  • Effortless
  • Painstaking
  • Fun
  • Free
  • Incredible
  • Essential
  • Absolute
  • Strange

3. Use what, why, how, or when
These are trigger words. If you’re trying to persuade someone, use ‘why’ and ‘how’. Typically, you'll use either a trigger word or a number. Both look odd when coexisting.

For example - if your copy is about sustainable decor, your headline can be ‘Here’s sustainability is the future of home decor’ or, ‘Here’s how using sustainable decor will help you in the long run.

More often than not, your audience is looking for a solution to things. So, adding these words in your headline can trigger them to click on the post.

4. Make an audacious promise
Promise your reader something valuable. Will you teach them how to learn a new skill? Will you persuade them to do something they’ve never done before? Will you unlock an ancient mystery?

Here's a simple headline-writing formula:

Add a number or trigger word + adjective + keyword + promise

For example: Take the subject of selling our house. You could write a copy on ‘selling your house in a day’.

Apply the formula and you get: “Here’s how you can effortlessly sell your home in less than 24 hours”

5. Use a headline analyser
Always analyse your headline through a headline analyser tool. A headline analyser provides several scores for readability, SEO, and sentiment. It offers suggestions for boosting SEO in your headlines. You'll learn how to incorporate power words and positive word counts through a headline analyser too as well.

Some of the best headline analysing tools are:

  1. Sharethrough
  2. CoSchedule
  3. BlogAbout
  4. Portent
  5. SEOPressor Blog Title Generator

Life can sometimes get boring, your social media copy’s headline needn't be. Take time to consider what headline will grab people's attention the most, and make sure that it describes your content in an honest, but attractive way.

Your audience won’t regret reading it, and neither will you regret watering your headline. Use these 4 tips to better your headlines, and grab more eyeballs on social media today!

Disclaimer: You may be reading this blog after the current learning course has lapsed. Head over to our all courses page to check for the latest courses and upskill yourself!