Your headline is what determines whether your reader will:
- Read past the first word of a post
- Open your email
- Pay attention to your sales page
- Give you another second of their time
That's a lot of responsibility!
It's also why copywriters and content marketers can spend more time on their headline than on writing their content.
However, there are headline formulas that have been proven to work again and again. We put a few of those into the infographic below.
There are 9 formulas in here, along with some tips for making sure they convert:
It's also helpful to keep a swipe file of the ones that stand out to you, and which have worked with your own content in the past.
I have a notebook in Evernote which is just for swipes of good headlines and copy. Then, when I'm stuck, I can take a glance through and find one for inspiration.
Another copywriting expert, Jason Fladlien, swears by his rule of just using 3 categories of headlines. He discussed that in his book Double Your Productivity in 48 Hours, in which he talked about limiting your choices in order to be more productive.
So, if you find all the swipes and formulas too overwhelming, try finding 3 types that work and then stick with those every time.
We talk a bit about headlines, but also copywriting tips and formulas in general in our customizable course on Copywriting 101.
If you'd like to create your own course on copywriting, grab a license to download and customize the full set of materials here:
==> Copywriting 101 for Small Businesses – Tips and Formulas for Writing Words that Convert
Do you have a favorite headline formula?
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