Catchy headlines appeal to your imagination. Imagination ignites expectations. Expectations call for being fulfilled… What if you expect to get what the headline promises to deliver and, suddenly, do not find this in the post. It is always important to deliver on reader’s expectations of the headline. Your headline should serve as an outline for the post. Therefore, the following 5 blogging tricks will help your article always match expectations.

1. Catchy Headlines: Consequences, not Methods

Intrigue… It is what makes readers absorbed into reading the whole story from its title to the end. It is what you should do with your headline.

And focusing on consequences, instead of methods to come to these, is the best way to provide suspense. Look at the example below:

“How to Use SEO to Increase the Number of Visitors.”

This headline focuses on the method to increase the number of website visitors. The method is search engine optimization (SEO). However, it clearly states what the post is about and has no intrigue.

Those readers who are pretty well-versed with the SEO basics and are searching for increasing the number of visitors using other ways are logically unlikely to click for further reading.

Thus, you can paraphrase the headline above as follows:

“How to Get 1,000 Blog Visitors per Month in no Time.”

“Decoding the Mysteries of Attracting Site Readers.”

“1 Technique – 1,000 Page Views.”

In other words, focus on effects, not causes. However, in the post, always deliver on the expectations to achieve these effects. Aways provide causes.

2. Magical Numbers

Use numbers instead of words. Many bloggers call for the use of numbers, but why do these numbers work? The answer is pretty simple. Numbers, figures, data, and statistics appeal to our reasoning (logos) and serve as a tool to persuade the person to read your article.

The best choice is numbers from 3 to 15, as 2 methods to achieve desired effects may be not enough. Everyone likes to have a choice from alternatives. However, there are few persons who will read 300 methods to promote their blog, 57 ways to get more readers, or 500 free templates to download for Pinterest. Usually, the first 3-15 techniques are effective, while the rest are just possible trials.

For example:

“5 Ways to Be More Productive with Less Effort.”

“Managing Time: 10 Techniques Successful People Use.”

3. Punctuation Leads to the Best Headline Presentation

Use a colon, hyphen, or a comma (before ‘but’). What can you achieve with this technique?

First of all, it helps to visually separate the headine into 2 parts: primary with a keyword and secondary with supporting, attention-grabbing information:

“Managing Time: 10 Techniques Successful People Use.”

In this example, “managing time” is a keyword, while “10 Techniques Successful People Use” is a catchy headline component that increases clickability why people should learn about managing time.

Use a comma and ‘but’ when you want to add contrast and give a solution to the problem:

“10% of Blogs Fail to Grow Their Audience, But You Can Do This.”

A hyphen helps to present a keyword and an outcome:

“Reaching Readers – Unlocking SEO Secrets.”

4. Strong vs. Weak Words in Catchy Headlines

Use strong words instead of weak ones. However, do not use metaphors, as the headline should be easy to understand. The reader should not try to solve a puzzle to know what the post is about. Just find the middle ground.

For example,

5. Adjectives and the Best-Ever Methods

Adjectives can be powerful words to impart the value of your content. What can serve this purpose is when you describe time (instant, in no time, immediate, etc.) and effects (easy, new, useful, essential, the best, top, incredible, effective, etc.).

Points to note:

• Present effects, not causes,
• Use numbers,
• Choose strong words,
• A colon, hyphen, and a comma is the best choice from punctuation marks,
• Adjectives are powerful.

What types of headlines work for you or make you click to read the article?