https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0FApT99RbefVjAxeEZKZktwUkU/edit?usp=sharing
But it’s exactly due to the crazy busy lives we lead that prompts us to seek out
tips, tricks, and methods to make things better, easier, and ultimately happier
for ourselves. Focusing on the “better, easier, and happier” is the key to great
“how to” headlines and content.
Double the Benefits, Double the Power
Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.
The how-to headline appeals to the need most of us have to improve
ourselves or our lives in some way. The secret here is to focus on a need or
want and promise to fulfill that need or want. Be careful, though. The how-to
must highlight the benefit or final result, not the process itself.
We want to feel a sense of power over our world.
Therefore, we seek out the secrets, tips, hints, laws, rules, and systems that
promise to help us gain control and make sense of things. Notice how these
headlines promise information that does just this.
• THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO LIVE LONGER.
• FREE. The best kept secrets in America.
• Free brochure shows you how to end your money worries for good.
What’s the Reward for Reading?
The first thing to keep in mind is that a headline is a promise. It promises some
kind of benefit or reward in exchange for attention. That reward could range
from an amusing diversion to the solution to a pressing problem.
A good way to make sure your headlines always offer a compelling reward
is to refer back to the 4-U approach taught by AWAI (The American Writers &
Artists).
Your headlines must:
• Be USEFUL to the reader,
• Provide him with a sense of URGENCY,
• Convey the idea that the main benefit is somehow UNIQUE; and
• Do all of the above in an ULTRA-SPECIFIC way.
Valuable Content Rules
It’s clear from observation that people will retweet based on the headline
alone, before even clicking through to the content.
But keep in mind, your followers may retweet based on a headline alone, but
only because they trust you. Your past performance and editorial judgment in
selecting (and producing) quality content is what leads to that trust.
Quality content is still the essential ingredient, but make sure people actually
appreciate the content you share. Becoming a better headline writer will make
that happen for you.
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But it’s exactly due to the crazy busy lives we lead that prompts us to seek out
tips, tricks, and methods to make things better, easier, and ultimately happier
for ourselves. Focusing on the “better, easier, and happier” is the key to great
“how to” headlines and content.
Double the Benefits, Double the Power
Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.
The how-to headline appeals to the need most of us have to improve
ourselves or our lives in some way. The secret here is to focus on a need or
want and promise to fulfill that need or want. Be careful, though. The how-to
must highlight the benefit or final result, not the process itself.
We want to feel a sense of power over our world.
Therefore, we seek out the secrets, tips, hints, laws, rules, and systems that
promise to help us gain control and make sense of things. Notice how these
headlines promise information that does just this.
• THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO LIVE LONGER.
• FREE. The best kept secrets in America.
• Free brochure shows you how to end your money worries for good.
What’s the Reward for Reading?
The first thing to keep in mind is that a headline is a promise. It promises some
kind of benefit or reward in exchange for attention. That reward could range
from an amusing diversion to the solution to a pressing problem.
A good way to make sure your headlines always offer a compelling reward
is to refer back to the 4-U approach taught by AWAI (The American Writers &
Artists).
Your headlines must:
• Be USEFUL to the reader,
• Provide him with a sense of URGENCY,
• Convey the idea that the main benefit is somehow UNIQUE; and
• Do all of the above in an ULTRA-SPECIFIC way.
Valuable Content Rules
It’s clear from observation that people will retweet based on the headline
alone, before even clicking through to the content.
But keep in mind, your followers may retweet based on a headline alone, but
only because they trust you. Your past performance and editorial judgment in
selecting (and producing) quality content is what leads to that trust.
Quality content is still the essential ingredient, but make sure people actually
appreciate the content you share. Becoming a better headline writer will make
that happen for you.
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