When was the last time you saw a headline that was impossible to resist? A headline that appealed to you in a way that would have caused you physical pain had you not clicked it?
Some headlines are so good that we succumb to their promises without resistance. They trigger something deep within us that we cannot explain. Only one thing is clear: if we don't click it, the day is done. Completely in the bucket.
A good headline can multiply your traffic. And I'll be honest: what's behind them is beside the point for now. The headline turns the viewer into a visitor. But I'm certainly not telling you anything new when I say that the content should hold what the headline whispers into the brain of the target audience in a sweet voice. Otherwise the bounce rate on your blog or website will increase faster than you would like it to.
The headline is often the first contact, with you and your product. In many contexts, it is the only chance to make a good and effective impression. It must fit like a tailor made suit.
Basic principles
The Hubspot Inc Company. Together with Outbrain, analyzed over 3.3 million headlines. Exciting things were unearthed in the process. Even though the results are based on headlines in English, they tell us a lot about what works and what doesn't.
A distinction was made between different headline targets. On the one hand, we looked at the click-through rate (CTR), and on the other hand, we looked at engagement and conversions.
CTR Booster
The use of certain words, phrases and standards significantly increases the click-through rate. Here are three CTR boosters that Hubspot has clearly identified as effective:
- The word "photo" together with "the, the". As in: "Amazing photos of people who have no fashion sense".
- More specific terms in parentheses further specifying the content being promoted by the headline. For example [Infographic].
- Headlines with a length of 81 to 100 characters.
CTR & Commitment Brakes
Much of what is often used in headlines makes them true CTR-breakers. I admit that even I was surprised to find some of these among those that Hubspot and Outbrain branded as counterproductive. An overview of CTR & engagement brakes:
- The words resp. Phrases "easy," "how to," "credit," "cure," "magical," "free," "simple," "tip," "trick," "amazing" and "secret".
- Positive superlatives like "best" and "always".
Engagement Booster
What happens after clicking on the headline? If the visitor stays on the page? Does it do what we want it to do there? These tips help increase engagement:
- More specific content provisions used in the headline, such as [infographic].
- The use of the words "incredible" and / or "photo" in the headline.
Conversion booster
What you are ultimately interested in will be the conversion. A purchase, a subscription (registration), a rating or a comment. The probability of this increases with these measures:
- More specific provisions of the content used in the headline, such as [infographic]
- The use of the words "need" or "needing".
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