During last week’s Editorial call here at Copyblogger, we had a lively discussion about ham.
But that’s not the H-word I’m going to talk about today.
More commonly, we analyze headlines.
There’s nothing more disappointing than a unique, thoughtful, and helpful piece of content that has a headline that doesn’t do it justice.
Great content needs a title that effortlessly captivates the attention of the writer’s ideal reader.
I sometimes like using questions in headlines, but there’s one type of question in a headline that’s guaranteed to be ignored.
Avoid “yes� or “no�
If someone scanning headlines can easily answer “yes� or “no� to the question you pose in your headline, they won’t click on your article.
They won’t read any further because you aren’t helping them — or more accurately, you’re not giving the impression that your article will help them. The content might very well be groundbreaking and useful, but the headline does not communicate that.
For example, if you run a home gardening business, you wouldn’t want to write a blog post that asks:
“Does Your Lawn Need Fertilizer?”
You wouldn’t even want to ask:
“Are Your Weeds Out of Control?”
Those questions have the potential to attract ideal customers who need their lawns fertilized or have weed problems in their yards, respectively, but those questions don’t demonstrate you’re a likable expert who has something to teach your reader.
And, perhaps more importantly, they’re too similar to what a competitor would write.
Instead, you could try these:
“Are You Making This Common Fertilizer Mistake that Shortens the Lifespan of Your Grass?”
“What’s the Secret to Keeping Your Weeds at Bay (Year After Year)?”
When you’re building your audience, especially in the beginning, you have to provide crystal-clear value when you invite people to your digital home.
No reward, no relationship
To build relationships with content marketing, you have to publish something worthwhile and people have to consume what you offer.
But we have so many content options.
If we can “get awayâ€? with not reading something because we think we already know what it’s going to talk about, we will. When your audience can answer “yes” or “no,” there’s very little room for a relationship to grow.
I don’t think we have limited attention spans; I think our tolerance for average is limited.
We have the luxury of looking for exactly what we’re after. We don’t have to waste our time on anything mediocre, generic, or boring.
If that’s the way a reader views your headline, she is going to skip checking out your content.
Yet, we’ll spend time exploring topics we care about, no matter how busy we are.
Content that educates and entertains tends to seem short, regardless of its actual length.
So when you write a question in a headline:
Intrigue your audience with your proposal. Make them feel certain they’ll connect with your writing style and gain knowledge, rather than make them feel certain they already know what you’re going to say.
Try this headline exercise
Thanks to digital publishing, we can update our old content.
Go back to any question headlines you’ve published that someone could easily answer “yes� or “no� to and try a different approach.
Use this opportunity to make other sharp improvements to the content.
Then re-promote it to your audience and monitor your new engagement.
Headlines that stand the test of time
Going forward, craft headlines that will stand the test of time.
The ones that will be viewed as educational and entertaining now and into the future.
If you can do that, watch out, you might get what you’re after.
Reader Comments (12)
Michael LaRocca, Business Editor says
Thank you for saying this! When I was quite young, I would read a whole bunch of mediocre or worse writing just waiting to get to the good part. That served me well given some of the assigned reading my teachers gave me. But I’m old now. If it’s not all “the good part,” I’ll read something else. We have sooooooo many choices. The headline needs to be the good part, the intro needs to be the good part, and all of it needs to be the good part.
Stefanie Flaxman says
Very true, Michael!
Jane Rucker says
What a great post on a very important topic! Although I’ve been working with writers and authors for nearly 15 years, I’ve only been online for about a year and a half. It’s time I take a deeper look at reworking some of my earlier content and presenting it once again. This post gives me some great ideas for how to take on that project! Thanks so much!
Stefanie Flaxman says
I love hearing that, Jane!
Chris Jones says
This is a great post! Question headlines can be so effective when done correctly. Excellent tips.
Ryan Biddulph says
Digging deeper than a yes or no answer inspires readers to find the benefit of your question. Anybody can do a quick yes-no. Requires no thought really, or little thought at best. Unless you have a big, loyal tribe, your yes-no headlines will be ignored. Dig deeper and question something leading to a benefit buried in the post. Super advice Stefanie.
Stefanie Flaxman says
That’s a great way to sum it up, Ryan. 🙂
Brandon Wood says
So much of this is tied up in sales technique as well. To your first point, if you’re asking a potential client a “yes” or “no” question, you’re not getting them invested in the conversation and therefore, not thinking about potential problems (and the value that your business can bring to it). You want nice, open questions that require thought and insight. Great article!
Stefanie Flaxman says
Exactly! Especially because the line between marketing and sales is a lot more blurred than it used to be.
Sonia talked about that here:
https://www.copyblogger.com/marketing-and-selling/
Connor says
Great post!
Question headlines are a great way to open the discussion with your reader. You might propose a new angle on a subject that they have previously overlooked – thereby driving the conversation forwards on that particular subject.
I have been looking into the effectiveness of using closed vs open questions and it is striking how quickly you can funnel someone away from your content simply by allowing them to answer ‘No’ to the question you have asked.
Starting the conversation with a thought provoking open question can have a real positive impact on the user experience as they read through your content!
Stefanie Flaxman says
Right on, Connor! That’s exactly what I wanted to highlight — how thoughtful you need to be when you open the discussion.
Brandy Werczynski says
“I don’t think we have limited attention spans; I think our tolerance for average is limited.”
I tend to agree with that statement. We’re inundated with content daily, and after a while people learn to naturally weed out content that holds no value. Business, pleasure, or personal.
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