A good headline is the most important part of any article. It needs to grab the attention of readers, communicate a benefit, and encourage action all in a few words. It also must stand out among a sea of competitors’ mediocre content and news feeds.
When writing a headline, focus on a benefit that will help readers solve their problem or accomplish their goal. This will make your post stand out from the rest and attract readers’ interest. The best way to do this is to describe a transformation that will occur if they follow your advice or take action. For example, this headline for a blog post on how to overcome writer’s block is incredibly compelling because it gives readers a specific result they can expect if they read the article.
News articles have a very short window to capture reader attention, and they’re competing with dozens of other stories on the same topic for that limited space. That’s why news writers (especially new ones) are coached to keep their headlines as simple and uncluttered as possible.
The first few words in a headline are called the “Google Juice,” so they need to be enticing for search engines. They should also be accurate, but more importantly, they need to reflect the topic of the story in an engaging, clear, and direct manner. Finally, they should be written in the third person (unless there is a compelling reason to use first or second person). For example, using “Pat” instead of “Patrick Stal” can help readers recognize which individual they’re reading about.