Whether it’s a newspaper front page or a blog post title, a headline is the most important piece of writing you will do that day. It arrests the attention of casual readers, tells them what they can expect from the article, and, if done right, can make them jump to click to read it. It is arguably more important than the lede, and it takes more concentration to get right than most writers give it credit for.
One of the simplest tricks to catch a reader’s eye is to use a power word in your headline. Words like stronger, faster, tastier, unstoppable and the like have been proven to increase readership and click-through rates. The key is to choose a word that is descriptive and evokes a strong response in the reader, but don’t bust out the thesaurus to come up with something overly fancy or long-winded.
The next best trick is to spark an emotional response in the reader. Writers who can do this will see their articles retweeted and shared far more than others who don’t. Riding the wave of controversy is a classic way to catch a reader’s attention, as well as using emotional trigger words in your headline.
Using numerals in your headlines can also help them stand out, particularly when they’re followed by an exclamation point. Lastly, a good headline should be written in present tense. This is because people are used to seeing news in this form, and it will seem more urgent.