It might seem like a bit of a no-brainer when I ask the question, “Why does a headline matter?” The importance of a good headline has been known since the dawn of the printed word. The question isn’t so much why it matters as much as it is why it has the influence it does. Once you understand that, it’s easier to anticipate whether the headline (or title) you choose is going to have an impact on your reader.
The Twofold Purpose of a Headline or Title
The goal of a headline or title is to both inform the readers of the subject and motivate them to keep reading. The tendency to judge an entire written work – be it an article, a sales page, or even a full-length novel – by the title or headline is also as old as the written word. People want to learn as much as they can in as small a space of time (and, really, with as little effort) as possible.
People also subconsciously read much faster than they think they do. Studies have shown that people often decide whether to consider the entire message of an article before they’re even done consciously reading it.
Why Headlines and Titles are So Influential
Any speed-reader will tell you that the brain processes words very quickly and can be trained to do it even faster. That really doesn’t give you, as a marketer, a whole lot of time to persuade the reader to consider your message. In that tiny expanse of time, the brain is assigning emotional responses to the words it sees. If the emotional response is indifference, you’re in trouble. It has to be stimulating in some way. It’s important to realize here that both positive and negative responses can be very effective, depending on the message you want to convey.
At the same time that the brain is assigning emotions to the words, it is assigning pictures. The mental images your words elicit also need to be compelling. Those two elements are the foundation for why the words you choose matter.
Getting the Ball in Play
Many experts agree that five seconds is all you’re ever going to have to win over a reader when it comes to marketing copy. That means that your article titles and headlines need to be not only passively interesting but also actively engaging.
The first goal of a good headline is to capture the attention of the reader. Here is where the importance of the words becomes apparent. The approach varies with different types of content. Here is a brief overview of how it works with several popular platforms:
1. Email – A strong, concise subject line that leaves key questions like who, what, and how unanswered is what increases your open rate:
• “Mike, Science has finally figured it out”
• “Did she really say that?”
• “Mike, I’ve been wondering about something…”
2. Web content – Lists, how-tos, and controversial subjects are the three key elements of good web content writing; they keep the reader scrolling or clicking through to more pages. Combining those elements whenever possible is extra effective:
• “10 Things Your Credit Card Company Doesn’t Want You to Know About Rewards Programs”
• “10 Ways to Spot a ‘Cash Back Rewards’ Scam”
• “5 Reasons Why Your Last Diet Failed”
3. Landing pages or sales pages – Emphasizing “pain points” and hinting at a solution:
• “How I Blasted Away 40 Pounds of Stubborn Belly Fat in 21 Days”
Winning the Game
The goal of your headline is to raise questions and pique interest so that your readers proceed to the smaller print. Even then, they’re not likely to read every word. This is where sub-headlines come in handy. You have to be prepared for the eventuality that people will only ever read the bold print (and make buying decisions based solely on that), so make bold statements in your sub-headlines.
Whenever possible, also include visuals that have congruity with the points in your title, headline, or sub-headlines, but be careful not to inundate the reader with images. Why? Because they’ll gravitate to pictures much faster than words. If you want them to get your message, don’t overdo it with the visuals.
In a previous article, I suggested that you should align your content with your visuals and not the other way around. In this instance, you want to choose visuals that accentuate the key elements of your message and then create headlines and sub-headlines that lend equal deference to both in the mind of the reader. In other words, your pictures and headlines should complement, not compete with, each other.
It really is quite remarkable the power that words possess and the influence the right ones can have. The above only scratches the surface of what the right title and headline can accomplish. The more you start understanding their power, the better chance you’ll have of effectively leveraging them with your readers.