Catchy Headlines.
Writing a book, a blog, a social post or even an email… a catchy headline is what grabs attention, makes it clear what you are going to talk about. And in this crazy digital world it can mean the difference between your email being opened or your blog being read. And even more disturbing it can make all the difference to Google rankings!
So how do you write a catchy headline? How do you write something that makes it clear what you are going to talk about, but also has enough oomph to interest, intrigue and engage your audience.
If we are trying to compete with the piles of emails you receive in your fully jammed gmail account (I’ve just realised I have over 20,000 unread emails sitting in the promotions tab of my personal gmail account?!), which already helpfully sorts your ‘important’, ‘social’ and ‘promotions’, it can truly be an uphill battle.
But those headlines, subject lines and attention grabbing catchy phrases become very important. Recently I’ve been hearing the rise of eDM’s is set for sure, as people move away from engaging with social posts as much, as it ‘feels like shouting to the masses’, where as an eDM from a trusted source, that you have optioned to subscribe to is far more likely to hit it’s target.
In saying that, you still need to be relevant, educational, informative and engaging to get your readers reading.
Headlines for blogs and web based content need to be relevant, not too ambiguous or vague. Google likes a good straight forward H1 headline that really tells them what the blog, or page will be talking about. But, it can be a little more fun, to have something catchy, that rhymes or alliteration even. Something that goes beyond straight forward.
It’s all dependent on what your purpose is of course and what you might like your reader to get from the blog or page. Be too ‘clever’ and they may never open it, but be so boring and straightforward you lose all creativity. Of course if you are in a professional style business (banks, lawyers or insurance) there is a time and place for ‘fun’ and ‘creativity’. The style of content and its purpose will dictate the tone. There is room in an eDM for a more personal tone, but on the company website an air of professionalism is vital to portray confidence, reliability and trust.
So… eDM cut through. Be personal, without being creepy. Use your readers name if you can. Start with a sentence that clearly and quickly states who you are and what you want them to get from the latest eDM. I’ve seen more and more the use of emoji’s in the subject lines of eDM’s and newsletters. Cute? Yes. Eye-catching? For sure. Over-played? Can totally be over-played. And remember my 20,000 unread eDMs and newsletters sitting in my gmail promotions tab? I do occasionally scan through the first couple of pages, just to see if there’s something I want to look at. And the emojis (especially the rocket) do stand out and catch my eye.
I promise I’m deleting the 19,900 eDMs and newsletters I’ve not read over the lasts 3 years! I can’t believe it’s got quite so out of hand.
In summary?
Catchy headlines in your website content, blogs and online are all good. Just make sure you can talk to Google, make it clear what you are talking about and not mislead.
eDMs are a great opportunity to talk directly to an engaged audience. Don’t blow it. Be personal, direct and maybe a little quirky, clever or funny. Start a conversation. And definitely don’t YELL!
Good luck with all things headline based. Remember if you want any help writing content for websites, blogs, eDM’s or newsletters. I’m your girl.
Jess x