A headline can be the make or break of your media release, so it is key/essential to make sure your headline stands out and grabs the reader’s attention.
The formula of a headline is short, snappy and attention grabbing. It should include points from your release or post, and sum up your subject and why it is newsworthy.
In short it the headline needs to standout and say read me or your readers will want to read me!
Short headlines are best and they work well with SEO so get to the point.
Your headline should boil down to what your release is about. It should tell the journalist what to expect and in just a few words, make them want to read on.
Shorter headlines are also better for SEO reasons especially when you are using release submission sites.
Use Trending Words and Topics:
Trending words and topics allow you to connect your story to what is happening now. By using trending words and topics you are opening the door with topics and terms the media are already familiar with.
If you can somehow tie your headline and your news to what’s hot right now, you’ll get more clicks and views of your release.
Use emotion in your headline:
By using emotion in your headline you create another reason for the journalist to read on. Emotion can be anything from creating excitement in a new product or service, to addressing a pain point your audience might feel.
Stats and Data work well in a headline:
Stats and data give your headline automatic credibility to read on. Your release will need to back them up to work, but using stats and data is a great way to get your headline read.
If you are stuck leave the headline till last:
Sometimes you have to draft your release before you can come up with something catchy.
Leaving your headline till the end of the release means you know what the story is and you can sum it up better. (Even when writing this blog post I changed the headline at the end.)
Use Tools to help you:
I love a good brainstorm to come up with headline ideas. However, not everyone has a team to bounce ideas around with…and sometimes you just get stuck! So I thought I would share with you some tools we also use:
Headline Analyzer: is the free blog post headline analyzer which will score your overall headline quality and rate its ability to result in social shares, increased traffic, and SEO value. http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer
Portent:Generates headline ideas by using your keywords and spinning it with some words. It can be fun to see what it comes up with: http://www.portent.com/tools/title-maker
Emotional Headline Analyzer: Want to create emotion with your headline? Then the emotional headline analyser is for you. Pop your headline in to see what emotion the word evoke: http://www.aminstitute.com/headline/
Headlines are all about ideas, so whether you are part of a team or on your own, have fun and throw around some ideas until you find a headline that sticks.
