How To Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines That Pull In More Prospects And More Profits, NOW!

  Written by Fontella Williams on Apr 27, 2010 4:46 pm

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There is no more valuable skill you could acquire as a marketer, than the skill of creating attention-grabbing headlines.  It’s a skill that once mastered, can be used anytime, anywhere, to attract more prospects, increase your conversion rates, and boost your profits!

Headlines are the first thing most prospects see.  It's your one big chance to interest and influence a selected audience with your message.  If you want your messages to get noticed, you need to have headlines that not only work, but, work extremely well.

Did you know that your headline will determine as much as 95% of the success of your article?  Article marketing success on the internet depends heavily upon how the article is found by readers.

Myth: Most people will read your articles because they came to a website and started browsing just like they would at a book store.

Fact: Most people search the Internet using one of the major search engines.  They will type in between 1 to 5 keywords that are related to the topic of the article or information they are looking for.  The search engine will then deliver results that best match their interest.

Goal: Find your articles in the search engine results for the keywords and topics that are most relevant to the content of your article.  Most search engines give heavier weight to the first 3‐5 keywords and a lower priority to the rest.

The first 3‐5 words of your article title determine the success of your article in terms of how much traffic your article will generate back to your website.

You can maximize your article marketing strategy by understanding keyword research and creating keyword‐rich, article headlines. You can create massive amounts of traffic to your articles and website thanks to the search engines who love keyword‐rich headlines.

As your introductory point of contact, headlines are often your only chance to capture the attention and stimulate the interest of the people you must reach to achieve the results you want.  They set the stage for the audience and they either grab a prospect’s attention, or they don’t.  This rings true whether the document is a blog post, an article, a facebook post or even a tweet.

When your headline succeeds, you’ve overcome the greatest obstacle facing all marketers; you’ve won over --at least for the time being-- a receptive audience for your message.  If, on the other hand, your headline fails to attract and interest an audience, the rest of your content is rendered completely useless.

What Is A Headline, Anyway?

In the simplest of terms, a headline might be described as the “lead-in” or “opening” of any type of communication.  An effective headline consists of a carefully selected group of words that does any, or all of the following:

• Communicate a benefit
• Introduce a compelling offer
• Reveal news

 Regardless of the approach, every successful headline is directed at a specific audience. The intention is to:

1. Attract the attention of the largest possible, target audience, and…
2. Arouse their interest and ignite their desire for more.

Ideally, you want to make your prospect “rubberneck” to pay attention to your message, the same way we pay attention to a fire truck or police cruiser on the side of the road.  Use whatever tools and techniques you have available to interrupt the mental focus of passers-by so they give all your words their undivided attention.  That’s what a good headline can do for you; capture attention and fuel interest.

Why Are Headlines So Important?

Headlines are the first thing someone sees the moment your content appears before them.  Headlines provide you with your best chance to pull prospects inside to the heart of your message.  Any communication that lacks an effective, direct headline or opening, can only attract a small fraction of its full potential audience.

If the headline seems interesting to the reader, chances are, they’ll continue reading.  And that’s exactly what you want them to do.  For you to achieve the desired results, your prospects must read beyond the headline and take some kind of action, as detailed in the body of your message.

If your headline fails to attract interest, the reader’s gone in a flash.  The result: you lose your audience and any possible chance at gaining a new prospect or making a sale.

It’s crucial that your headline draws an audience to your message.  You’ve got to burst out of the gate with your strongest, most explosive handful of words… something that compels your best prospects to read further and to take action.

So it makes sense to focus your greatest efforts on evolving a headline that is attention-getting, interest-inspiring, and the most compelling collection of irresistible words that you can possibly muster.  A strong headline alone can dramatically improve your odds of success.

Read On or Move On?

Headlines are the prime determining factor.  The headline tells prospects whether they should “read on” or “move on”.

With such a daily barrage of messages coming at us from all directions, from the moment we rise until we rest, it’s not surprising that most of us only scan headlines with our “filters” operating at high capacity.  Those filters can also be “blinders” that prevent even the best targeted prospects from gaining the full benefit of your message.  What this means is that your headlines have to work even harder to attract attention.  The world is getting busier and more competitive everyday.  Headlines that work are those that break through the barriers to reach their intended targets.

Your headline is the appeal that attracts hungry prospects.  It dangles something of immense interest in front of them.  The idea of the headline is to only give the reader a sample—just enough to whet the appetite and stimulate the desire for more.

In my next post, we’ll cover the top ten killer headline styles and how to use them.

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 For Article Marketing Success, use this Free Strategy to Drive Hordes of Traffic to Your Site, Get You Hundreds of Quality Backlinks and Increase Your Profits.

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