Creating Great Headlines: 5 Steps To Hypnotize Your Readers

In my last post, we talked about the five critical elements of a great headline. If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out.

As you probably already know, having a powerful headline or title is important. You only have a few seconds to get your reader’s attention.

A strong headline hooks your reader and compels them to continue reading. On the other hand, a poor one makes them click away. And once they’re gone, they’re gone forever…

My 5-Step Formula for Creating Great Headlines

To create great headlines you have to:

Step 1. Figure out your target audience.

What does your audience want? What are their deep desires? What are they struggling with? The more you know about your target audience, the better you can tailor your message to them.

Step 2: Decide on the benefits.

How can you help readers makes their lives better? What benefits or solutions can you offer them? Readers don’t care about how great your product is. The only thing they care about is how you can help them. By appealing to their needs, readers will be more likely to listen to what you have to say.

Step 3. Think of any possible objections.

What are the possible objections readers might have that will prevent them from taking action? Do they not have enough time? Do they not have enough money to buy your product? Do they believe they don’t have enough experience? If possible, include the biggest objection in your headline.

Step 4. Come up with at least 10 different headlines or title variations.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking your first headline is your best. Push yourself a bit. Write a few more and you’ll be surprised at how many great headlines you’ll come up with for your sales letter or blog post.

Step 5. Add emotional or sensory words.

Emotional words for headlines help to captivate your readers and draw them in. They add personality to your content and bring your words to life. Sensory words make your readers see, hear, smell, taste, or feel what you’ve written. The more you can engage your readers, the more you can inspire them to take action.

Some examples of emotional words for headlines include dazzling, gloomy, irresistible, and staggering, to name a few.

Sensory words include delicious, sweet, bright, dark, deafening, etc.

“How to write copy” is ok but “How to write irresistible copy” is better.

Start paying attention to how other writers include sensory words in their writings. How do they make you feel? What images do they bring up? Start making a list of the sensory words that you find.

How To Master Headline Writing

Follow these tips if you really want to master headline writing:

1. Create a swipe file of headlines you like.

A swipe file is basically a list of your favorite creative titles and headlines. Collect as many of them as you can and start dissecting them. What makes them attractive? What grabs your attention? What arouses your curiosity?

2. Create a swipe file of sensory or emotional words.

Do the same thing with your favorite sensory words. These are powerful words that can turn a good headline into a great one.

3. Practice writing at least 10 headlines every day.

Do this every day and I guarantee you’ll be a headline-writing guru in no time. Before you finalize your sales letter or blog post, double-check your headline.

Ask yourself is it specific? Have you given your readers a benefit or tip? Have you included an emotional or sensory word? Can you create some urgency to compel readers to take action?

By asking these questions, you’re giving yourself the best chance of hooking your readers and getting them to read your copy.

I’ll often start off with a “how to ________” headline as a template and then write a bunch of different ones once I’m done writing my post. Then I’ll leave it overnight and come back to it the next morning. This gives me time to reflect and come up with more ideas so I can create the best headline possible.

Did you find this post useful? What are your favorite creative titles or headlines?

Also, if you are looking for help with creating headlines for your website or blog post, I offer professional blog post writing services. I’ll work with you to grow your brand and boost your SEO.