10 Ways To Write Better Headlines...

Hey I wonder if you can help me out. You see, there's so much great content here on Better Networker that I can barely find it some days. I mean, I'm always looking for a great article, video, or even forum post to share with the whole community. but I can't always find one fast...

And it's all because of headlines...

So here's a few tips that I think will help both of us out. It'll boost your chances or being featured in "Best of Better Networker" e-mails and it will save poor Jason Better from going blind... or getting lost.

I should mention, it will help you get more web traffic too. :-)

How To Write Headlines For Better Networker...

To get started...

1. Keep it Relevant. I know this sounds pretty basic but a lot of great articles are floating around with headlines that aren't even remotely related to the content inside. It's frustrating for readers.

2. De-hype. You can smell a salesman ten miles away. They use words like: Killer, Amazing, Insane, Ultimate and so on. I'm actually surprised this isn't as big a problem on Better Networker as it used to be. So thank you for nipping this in the bud. :-)

3. Contrast. If you want to stand out from the crowd... well... stand-out. Some topics are evergreen favourites here but that doesn't mean you can't give it all a new spin. One of my fave headlines in this category is "The Reverse Twitter Checklist".

4. Flow. Your headline should relate to your opening line and picture too. It's not as easy as it looks but makes for powerful artcles when you get it right.

Tips on keeping it brief...

5. Remove the 3-letter words. If you can delete a word in a headline then wipe it out. Words like and, the, but, and more can often be deleted. The result is a powerful headline.

6. Cut off the tails. There's nothing wrong with a long headline as long as it's relevant. But some folks take this overboard. See if you can cut-off the last or first half of your headline.

If it still works... then chop, chop, chop away.

7. Telegraph. Back in the day, there used to be these things called "telegraphs". There wasn't any silly nonsense. They said what they meant without extra fluff. So pretend you're sending a telegraph... or I guess they call them text messages now.

Three more tips...

8. Promise. Some of the best headlines here make a powerful promise. Strive to put a benefit in your headlines and watch your readership soar.

9. Problem. Another type of headline that packs a punch is the problem headline. These work so well, it's almost scary. It's the reason people "rubber-neck" when they drive by an accident.

10. News. If there's one type of headline that almost always pulls a crowd it's the news headline. So if there's any way to tie your headline to news... consider it.

And that's about all I can think of today, but here's a few articles you might enjoy if you're looking for even more ideas about headlines....

How To Write Wicked Good E-mail Subject Lines...

How To Write SEO Headlines With Heart...

Jason Better: How To Write Even Better Headlines...

To your success,

Jason The "Better Networker"

P.S. Deathly Important -- Every time you vote on articles at Better Networker an angel gets his wings. Okay, that's not entirely true, but I thought I'd ask all the same. If you liked this post... well... click that little button and vote. Thank you. :-)