Headlines count. Whether it is for a landing page, blog post or for ad copy, headlines as an opener, is the factor that often determines if a piece of content is read. With fickle-minded internet users, studies show that the majority of readers don’t make it past scanning your headline. It is the first thing people see. It ought to be the best it can be.

What makes the perfect copy for a headline? How many words is ideal? What kind of words should you use?

Below are some guidelines:

1> Headline length: Shorter is better

Different studies show that the less words used for headline, the better it will be drawing them in. The maximum character count should be not more than 65 characters. If you want to create a headline, make sure that you do not use more than 6 words.

What is a good number?
People tend to scan the first 3 words and remember the last 3 words. A punchy 6-word character headline will be read and will be remembered.

2> Make them own it: Yours and Your

Possessive nouns like ‘Your’ and ‘Yours’ make people instantly ‘own’ the situation or the topic. Using them on headlines, allows users seem like they are already part of the conversation. It not only grabs the reader’s attention but also personalizes the context.

3> Keep it interesting: Use Descriptive words

Don’t just use the usual adjectives like ‘good’, ‘great’, or ‘smart’. Make use of your thesaurus and find adjectives that are interesting like ‘absolute’, ‘unique’ and others. New and interesting words can help distinguish your copy from others.

4> Opposites Attract: Be ‘Negative’

Negative words like “stop”, “don’t” and “never” very powerful. People have a tendency to notice warning signs. Thus, if you used appropriately, it can lead to not only to more interaction and also more shares. This can be very effective especially If the headline matches the content.

5> Use ‘Numbers: 3 instead of Three

Use digits instead of words for numbers. For instance, instead of writing ‘five’, we used ‘5’ for this article. Digits are easier to read. Moreover, people often look for something easy to scan. A numbered list fulfills the need for reading efficiently.

Headlines: Content Deal Makers and Breakers

Headlines can determine the success of your content marketing campaigns. They need to be able to be interesting enough to pique the interests of your readers while being relevant. If you want to be able to generate traffic and share with them, it is important that one spends enough time writing the headline as much as they do developing the content.

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