Writing the perfect headline can be frustrating , difficult, and very rewarding!
Here’s your headline…
“Scranton Area Paper Company, Dunder Mifflin, apologizes to valued client. Some companies still know how business is done.”
For public relations pros and fans of The Office, this may be one of the best episodes ever! But I digress.
The perfect headline is also crucial to maximizing your content efforts across your social media and shared channels, as well as your owned media assets.
Let me start by dispelling a myth. As a public relations practitioner, we have no control over the headline that runs as part of our earned media (media relations) efforts. And most of the time the reporter we’re working with doesn’t control the headline either.
Newspapers are vying for everyone’s attention like the rest of us, so they usually have someone other than the reporter writing their headlines and focusing on making it as interesting as possible.
When you have a minute, compare the headline with what the story copy actually says – many times there’s a connection, but it’s a bit of a leap. This is on purpose, and it’s something copywriters and content creators can learn from.
With an increasingly obscene amount of content being created every single day, getting your headline right is the most important aspect of writing.
Take Facebook for example:
And let’s consider platforms other than the social media powerhouse of Facebook for a second:
There are a lot of sources out there that say 80 percent of readers never make it past the headline. Some dispute that number and say it’s more like 50/50.
Regardless, the fact is that you need strong headlines to grab someone’s attention, or get your message across because they are only reading the headlines to decide if they want to like, share or ignore.
Writing an awesome headline is definitely more art than science. And a headline can take many forms, all seemingly just as effective as the next. Here are just a few highlighting something that’s top of mind right now – the flu:
“Are You Protected Against Flu?”
“The Fastest Way To Fight The Flu Has Just Hit The Market”
“Renowned Pediatrician Reveals The Best Way To Battle the Flu”
“Think You Know How To Protect Against The Flu? Chances Are You Don’t Know This!”
There are tons of ways to write a headline, and the “right way” varies from person to person. So, how are you supposed to know which headline will work for you?
The easy answer is, there is no easy answer. Sorry.
But that also means you get to be creative. The right headline truly does vary from story to story, audience to audience, and goal to goal. Heck, it may even vary from mood to mood.
So, are you’re working through your moods (we all have them), here are some tips one writing the best headline for your story:
Everything we do as communicators, including writing compelling headlines, should start with understanding who your audience is. You should be creating different headlines – or at least different versions of your headline – for different audiences and different platforms. Know your audience, what content they’ve already connected with and consumed, and write with them in mind.
It’s easy to get lost in creating sensationalist headlines. But, is that your brand? If you’re a conservative brand writing for conservative audiences, perhaps you want to take a more tempered approach to your headlines. Likewise, if you’re an edgy brand, you can take some liberties and get a little crazy. Important note: one is not better than the other. You can get creative and find compelling headlines regardless of your brand – just stay true to your brand values.
Ideal headline lengths vary by medium and audience – Facebook is different than Twitter and LinkedIn, which are all different than your owned channels. Whether it’s 70 characters, 90 characters or something else, one thing that is certain is you need to pack a punch with few words. Even though many more people read headlines than stories, they are still skimming those headlines, so you need to stand out. You have about as much time to resonate as it takes someone to swipe up on their phones to the next Facebook post. If you find yourself adding more words to make your headline make sense, rethink your strategy.
Your headline is where you set the expectations for what the audience will consume if they choose to read your story. This is why it’s important for you to stay true to the information contained in your content. If you lure your audience in with a sensational headline and then offer up content that doesn’t deliver, you’ve not only failed to engage them, but they now don’t trust you. So, set the expectation and stick with it.
We have so much access to data that with a little bit of digging and some testing, you can determine what works best for your audiences across your various channels. Look at your posts across your social media channels to see what’s created the most engagement, or which posts have produced the highest clickthrough rates. Look at your data and use it to help guide your content creation.
As you’re creating your perfect headline, here are some recent blogs to help you out:
– Internal Communications During A Crisis
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– Tips For Nailing Media Relations
– Creating The Best Media Hook
– Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Effective
– Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat.
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
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