Every article that you write has only a very limited amount of time, typically less than a second to grab your reader’s attention, have them read further and be sufficiently interested to click on your author link at the bottom. You are competing with billions of bits of information. So how do you hook them in that split second that you have available? The answer is by writing a headline that cannot fail to catch their eye. Here are the three essentials of the perfect headline.
- Your keyword. Whatever niche you work in, you will be generally working around four or five keywords. These are the words that you use for your pay per click campaigns, search engine optimization, or article writing. Always begin your article title with one of those keywords. I work in the self development and online marketing field, so depending on which niche I am writing in that day, I will always start my title with something like Goal Setting, Positive Thinking, or in this case, Article Writing.
- The hook phrase. After the keyword comes the hook which will give your reader a sense of the structure of your piece. Typical hook phrases are things such as 3 Ways To, Seven Tips For, The Five Secrets to. What your hook phrase tells your audience is that this is a short, snappy, article that they will be able to read and digest in a short space of time. If your potential reader suspects that to get anything from your article he will have to spend too much time digesting your message, he will lose interest. Also the fact that you are breaking up that data into easy sound bites encourages him to delve further and see what he can pick up. Finally, emotive words like Secrets, Discover or Easy Ways will stimulate his curiosity, all of which encourages him to read further.
- The benefit. This is where you finally seal the deal with your readers and tell them exactly why they should read further and give you some of your precious time. Your benefit should be strongly worded and should make it absolutely clear what they will learn from reading your piece.
The best way to illustrate all of this is to examine the title of this article. My title was, Article Writing – 3 Secrets of Writing Traffic Pulling Article Titles. So even before reading any more than the first two words, you knew that the piece was about article writing, something you have an interest in, because it is one of your mental keywords.
Then the article told you that there were only three pieces of information in this piece and you figured, Hey, I have time to read three paragraphs, right?
Next, I piqued your interest by suggesting that you were about to learn a secret. OK, now you knew that it was not really a secret because if it was, it would not be here for free, but you understood what I meant by the word secret. Simply something that maybe not too many people are aware of and that I am revealing to you. We all love secrets, even if we know they are not really secret, it is a powerful emotional pull.
Finally, I told you what you would get from reading my piece; you would learn about Writing Traffic Pulling Article Titles.
Let me summarize. You are interested in article writing, which is why you got past the first two words of the title. You like secrets; we all do? And finally you want to know how to write articles that bring traffic rather than just sit on the web doing nothing.
In less than a second you have been attracted, drawn in, emotionally stimulated and sold to. Bang, you are mine. How do I know? Because you are reading this sentence.
And there you have it. I drew you in and I delivered on my promise. Do you now have enough respect in me to be interested to see what else I have available? Maybe.
Come on over to my website at http://www.money-and-mind.com sign up for my free newsletter, packed with tips and inspiration on online marketing and self development and get a copy of my free e book, Seven Ways to Have a Great Day
From Andrew Grant – Growing Your Wealth and Growing Your Self
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