Imagine that you conduct a search on Google—perhaps for information on traveling to Iceland, a beginner’s tutorial for learning how to knit, or a healthier version of chicken alfredo. The query returns hundreds of thousands of results. Even though the search engine lists the most relevant results first, you will still need to look through them to determine which will provide the results you need. Your eyes scroll down the list, and you see one that catches your eye.
But why did it catch your eye?
It was a well-written headline.
All About the Headline
A headline is one of the most basic (and fundamental) elements of a news story, article, or advertisement. In a fast-moving world, consumers need to gauge whether or not they are interested in your content. If the headline doesn’t immediately pique their interest, they’re moving on. But well-written headlines engage the reader in seconds and make them want to read the story in full.
When it comes to traditional newspapers, the bigger the headline (in terms of font size), the more important the story is compared to others. You will still see this practice employed on some digital sites as well.
In the example above, the article “Trump: Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen is out” is the largest headline of the main three shown on the homepage. It is a breaking news story, which gives it precedence over the other stories.
Sometimes, an article will have a second headline, which is also known as a subhead. This headline is smaller in size than the main headline, and it is meant to provide additional information and support the main headline.
Let’s look a bit closer at what great headlines do for their articles.
In the example above, the article “Trump: Homeland Security Secretary Nielsen is out” is the largest headline of the main three shown on the homepage. It is a breaking news story, which gives it precedence over the other stories.
Sometimes, an article will have a second headline, which is also known as a subhead. This headline is smaller in size than the main headline, and it is meant to provide additional information and support the main headline.
Let’s look a bit closer at what great headlines do for their articles.
What Great Headlines Accomplish
We know that a well-written headline is what is needed to capture your reader’s attention. But you want to do it in a way that is correct and truthful. What we mean is:
- It needs to be accurate. Don’t falsify the headline just to get readers interested. When they click on the article and discover that the headline doesn’t accurately reflect the content of the article, they will become frustrated and view your site in a negative manner. Continuing such a practice will drive your audience away from the site.
You’ve likely heard of or have read a click-bait article. Click bait’s headlines are usually intentionally misleading or provide little insight as to the content of the article. Correctly implying the contents of the article is just as important.
- It is quickly understood. Do not make the headline overly clever or so confusing that your readers cannot understand it upon reading it for the first time. You never want your readers to feel stupid or that your article is “too intelligent” for them (unless your brand is meant to come off as a condescending know-it-all).
- It is written correctly. Few things make a reader distrustful right off the bat than a poorly written headline. Would you trust the contents of—or want to read—an article with the headline, “The top Too Things Your Doing Wrong When Losing Wait”?
- It sets the article’s tone. Similar to how the headline needs to accurately reflect the content of the article, the headline should also set the tone. Does the article address a serious topic? Is it a light-hearted, feel-good story? A do-it-yourself article?
For being only about 60 to 100 characters—or 16 to 18 words—long, a headline has a lot of responsibility. That’s why you need to take care when writing headlines for all of your articles.
How to Write Great Headlines
Sometimes a great headline will break into our minds like a ray of sunshine peeking past the clouds.
But most of the time we have to stare at a blank screen until words start to form.
When writing headlines, keep these points in mind:
Write your headline after you finish your article.
You can’t exactly summarize something that isn’t yet written. While you think you may have something great in terms of a headline (and you might so keep it in your back pocket), you will not truly know until you’ve written everything you’ve wanted to say and edited it a few times. Think of the headline as the icing on the cake: You can’t put it on top until the cake has fully cooled.
Remember the basics.
Any article needs to address the most important details: The “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how” of the story or article. Think about your article in terms of these details and determine which detail is the primary in the article. A murder case, for example, will focus on the “who” and “what” (and possibly where). The when, why, and how are important, and while the article will eventually address these details, they are not the most important.
Be specific when possible.
If you have data to present, including one of the main statistics in the headline could be exactly what is needed to grab their attention.
Don’t give too much away.
Your headline should offer enough information to entice the reader to read the article but not so much that the headline tells them everything they need to know. It’s like watching a movie trailer that gives away all the plot points.
Avoid passive voice.
Whenever possible, avoid using passive voice. Active voice makes the writing stronger. Use short action verbs in the headline. When it comes to verbs, select one that precisely summarizes the action (versus using a close synonym).
Do try to be excessively creative.
If you’re trying to be cute or clever, don’t. If it doesn’t come naturally, don’t force it. Your audience can tell when the headline (and you) are trying too hard, and it will detract from the content.
Use your emotions.
Tugging at your readers’ heartstrings is a guaranteed way to get their attention. If it’s appropriate, consider the emotion(s) that your article stirs up in readers.
Use the TACT Test
Now you’ve written a pretty solid headline—but you’re not done yet. Use the TACT Test, or the Taste, Attractiveness, Clarity, and Truth test. According to Columbia University, the TACT Test is as follows:
Taste—Is the headline written in good taste?
How your audience interprets your headline is important. You don’t want them to be offended because they read the headline the wrong way. Offending the reader will isolate them.
Attractiveness—Does it capture the reader’s attention?
A headline that doesn’t immediately engage the reader isn’t doing its job. It needs to be accurate and stimulate their mental taste buds, enticing them to click or scroll to read the full article.
Clarity—How well does it summarize the article?
An unclear headline is essentially a nail in the coffin: If your readers cannot make sense of what the headline is saying, then why would they bother to read the rest of the article (which may make just as much sense). The headline needs to be easily understood but also succinctly explain the article.
Truth—Does it tell the truth?
Throughout this article, we’ve reiterated how important accuracy is when it comes to article headlines (and content in general) because, like all relationships, trust is important in building your relationship with your audience. If you’re flat out lying to them, they will find out eventually—and they will turn away from your site.
Now, one by one, answer “Yes” or “No” to each question. If you answer “No” to even one question, you need to re-write your headline. Once you do, repeat the test—and do it again and again, if necessary, until you answer “Yes” to all four questions.
Start Writing Better Headlines
As readers, we don’t know the time or effort the writer put into crafting the perfect headline for their article. What we do know is that it captured our attention and made us want to read the article.
Writing great headlines can be something of an art; some people just naturally excel, somehow finding the right combination of words to summarize the story. But as with everything, practice makes perfect. So even if you find you can’t write great headlines right away, by continuing to keep the aforementioned points in mind, it will start to become second nature.
Finally, remember to always apply the TACT Test to each headline you write—even those that are “final.” Do not let any article get published without first applying the TACT Test. Whether your article is read or not is largely dependent on the headline that was written for it.
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