We’ve talked before about how important your headlines are – whether it’s email subject lines, newsletter headlines, or blog post titles.
You only have a few minutes to capture your reader’s attention before it’s drawn elsewhere. (Squirrel!)
That means you should actually be spending more time on your headlines than you do the actual content itself (because most likely, it’s not getting read anyway – sorry).
But sometimes there is just too much going on to come up with 25 different headlines like the folks at Upworthy do before publishing content.
That’s when you steal – or “become inspired” if that sounds better to your moral compass.
Take a look at places like Cosmopolitan, Men’s Health, Buzzfeed, Maire Claire, People, GQ or Family Circle. The people behind these headlines spend a ton of time crafting them and they know what to say to get noticed.
You will, of course, have to steer clear of the more salacious titles, or make some serious word substitutions, but you’ll still have plenty of headlines you can tweak to make them work for you.
Try these:
[Number] Miracles You’ve Created for _________ This YearHow Your Support Changed _________ into ___________
Why We Can’t _______ Without You
[Number] Little _______ That Will ___________The Simplest Way to __________
If I’d Only Known: Lessons from __________
How to ________ When You Really Want to _________
A Crazy-Easy Way to __________
#1 Daily Habit That Makes You __________
[Number] Unexpected Ways to __________Quiz! Should You ________ Your _________?
Confession time: Have you stolen a headline before? Where do you get your inspiration? Share in the comments below.
