This tactic is so simple and obvious, it's probably illegal somewhere.
Every day, the web produces millions of pieces of content. Several thousand are almost certainly of interest to folks in your niche - those who might be reading your blog or sharing the content you produce. Creating unique stories requires creativity, research and time that many in the field don't have. But... writing the best piece, or even just a decent piece of content about an interesting topic and giving it a fantastic headline? Well, let's just say there's no such thing as a free lunch, but this one costs just pennies.
Here's how it works:
Step 1: Get Informed
- Follow the right accounts of Twitter for your niche (those that share a lot of good stuff)
- Set up some smart Google Alerts (particularly "news" and "blog" alerts)
- Subsrcibe to Google News' subsections if there's an appropriate one
- Use aggregation services like Reddit's subreddits, PopURLs, Topsy, StumbleUpon, Delicious, Metafilter, Alltop, etc.
E.g. The other day I found a research paper from Cambridge (via Reddit) on how negative thinking adversely impacts problem-solving ability.
Step 2: Choose the Best Pieces Each Day/Week
- Find stories that have high overlap with your audience's interests
- Don't exclude things that aren't "on topic!" Your goal isn't to only talk about your exact niche; it's to provide value to those who might be potential customers (big difference, probably deserving of its own blog post and illustration at some point)
E.g. That research paper had been written up in some small press pieces (as seen via this Google News query), but had yet to receive any major writeups, suggesting it's a perfect target.
Step 3: Rewrite the Headline Phenomenally Well
- Get two solid writers in a room and have them brainstorm 10 ideas and angles for the headline
- Have those two folks hash through and come up with the top three
- Share with a wider group and get feedback about which will earn a click
- OR if you have time, you can A/B test by sending an email to a small group with click tracking on each one and see which performs best (make sure to control for or randomize position in the email, as the first link often gets the click)
E.g. "Stay Away from Negative Thoughts to Improve Problem-Solving Ability" could be transformed into headlines like "Scientific research suggests haters really are harming your productivity," or "Is distraction a better problem-solving technique than deep thought?"
Step 4: Cover the Story from Your Angle
- Relate the story back to your audience, but cover it accurately and be sure to cite your sources (linking out to these folks can have positive benefits all its own from trackbacks, traffic driven, future reciprocity, etc)
- Include a graphic or image if at all possible (but stay far, far away from most stock imagery)
- If possible, gather input from folks in your field via social channels or email; a few well-placed quotes can help the reach get wider and creates incentivized sharers
E.g. If I were writing for the marketing world, I might take an angle focusing on what gets marketers stuck in ruts, provide suggestions for distraction and draw on some of my own experiences (like those frequent ideas in the shower moments).
Many folks will presume this only works for news-focused sites or news-focused content. False! You can relate news and events to nearly anything you desire and make it function with the brand and voice you're trying to craft. E.g. "How the Facebook IPO Will Change Commuting Patterns in the Bay Area," "Will Rising Sea Levels Affect Your Favorite Beach Getaway?" "Dental Implants May Be a Thing of the Past Thanks to Gene Therapy," "The Privatization of Space Flight Will Come at a Cost for Floridian Home Owners." I'm not suggesting any of these are particularly excellent, but hopefully you can imagine how to extend the concept of headline-writing into your field.
p.s. If you're looking for some headline advice, I particularly liked this piece on Why Gawker's Writing Better Headlines Than the Rest of the Web and this section on Copyblogger.
Oh - and don't miss Dan Shure's excellent "Are Your Titles Irresistably Click-Worthy & Viral?"
John Caples - one of the best copywriters ever - repeatedly said a good headline had at least one of these three elements:
1. Benefit-driven
2. Newsworthy
3. Curiosity
Of the three, benefit-driven has always been the most powerful. SEOMoz headlines usually follow this formula (especially Dr. Pete) and it works.
Newsworthy works well here, too - probably because your readers (self included) are dying to learn more about what's going on here.
A few other headline tips I've used as a copywriter:
Be specific. People may hate on so-called "list posts" but they work. Why? Because they provide a specific number in the headline.
Write your headline first. It helps shape your article in your mind. "7 Patriotic Ways To Celebrate 4th of July" is going to be very different than "7 Uncommon Ways to Celebrate 4th of July".
Use proven formulas at first. There are so many headline templates, you can create
Here are a few from Geraldine's blog (who used to be a copywriter, too) which are powerful and based on proven methods:
Here are ten popular templates to get you started:
#1. "Reasons Why _________"
Example: 7 Shocking Reasons Why SEOMoz Became The World's Leading SEO Software Company"
#2. "How To...Without..."
Example: How To Migrate Your Site Without Hurting Your SEO" (Note: If anyone knows how to do this, please share!)
#3. "The Secret to...."
Example: The Secret to Google-Proofing Your Business (Hint: It's Got Nothing to Do With SEO!)
#4. "Why Haven't You..."
Example: Why Haven't You Tried SEOMoz's New Features Yet?
#5. "The ______ Guide To...."
Example: The Machiavellian Guide to SEO - A Ruthless (But Effective) Approach to Link-Building
#6. "Are ______ Still Worth It?"
Example: Are Article Directories Still Worthwhile? (Note: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this too, since these sites DA is really high - is it worth it?)
#7. "Why ______ Is Wrong"
Example: "Why Rand Fishkin Is Wrong: 7 Blackhat Tactics That Really Work! (Note: I kid, I kid).
#8. "Don't Read This If..."
Example: "Don't Read This If You're Getting Too Much Search Traffic."
#9. "Common Mistakes..."
Example: 27 Common Mistakes New SEO Consultants Make (And How To Avoid Them)
#10. "Cheat Sheets" or "Blueprints"
Example: The Essential On-Page Blueprint For SEO Success" or "A Cheat Sheet for Guest Post Outreach"
This is really just the beginning - if you're interested in writing great headlines, check out these resources:
https://www.copyblogger.com/copywriting-101/
https://www.copyblogger.com/attention-headlines/
https://www.jeffsextonwrites.com/2012/03/how-trouble-taught-me-4-ways-to-write-better-headlines/
https://travelbloggeracademy.com/101-headlines-travel-blogs/ (disclosure: this is my blog)
Great post as usual, Rand, and say hi to Geraldine for me!
Cheers,
Adam
[edited for formatting - staff]
Wow great info there! Love the 10 popular templates. Thanks for taking the time to share these! (thumbs up for you)
Big thumb up for this post! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Adam!
Certainly a fantastic way to get you outside of the box!
For "Get Informed" I'd also add Flipboard for iPhone. I've been using it a lot,which has been a great source of a variety of feeds I'd otherwise not see.
Also, for some more headline writing tips, I'll just leave this here in case anyone wants to take a peak ;-)
About sources and tools helpful for collecting the best of what shared by those ones you follow on social qns blogs, i cannot but remind you all to (re)check my Curation Guide for SEOs here on SEOmoz.
Yup! Link
Certainly "Headsmacking" :-)
+1
Nice use of "headsmacking"! I would say that creative, unique and engaging headers will do more for the SEO than including the keywords would. Needs to be balanced, but just use the keywords in the content!
Rand, how do you dare to reveal secrets like this one? Jocking obviously. this is classic tactic of tbe News and TV industry, so that exists a specific professional figure whose job is creating beadlines.
by the way, my headline for your imaginary post would have been: Proved: negativity is a productivity sinker [STUDY]
Headlines today, are more important than ever since they are often the only thing we see from a post published on Twitter or Facebook..
But what I miss in the headline-conversation is that your headline is your promise! And you have to deliver with your content.
I would rather under-promise with my headline and over-deliver on my content, than vice versa.
Unfortunately do we see headlines that are WAY TOO big for their content everyday, which leads to mistrust of the source, because they cry wolf every time they have a new post/article.
Headlines are more than CTR's and RT's and should be crafted upon your content and not on "this headline might get a lot attention"...
Frederik,
Could not agree more with what you're saying. Before you begin repurposing the content however, it's important to get inside the mind of your audience. Whether it's enlightening, educational or just plain entertaining, figuring out what your audience wants is the very first step. After that, choosing the right article (and creating the subsequent headline) will come!
Great article Rand, and a great comment Frederik!
yeah, great comment, thats why i prefer reading the broadsheets to tabloids. if your site suits trashy stories then perhaps it doesn't matter so much, but if you want real content for your visitors then you need to back your headline up.
It's great to see I'm not the only one embracing honest and no-hype-headlines :)
Rand, Great simple but informational post.
I'm currently putting together guides and tips for our new team members, and this will fit in just perfect.
**I also wanted to comment since this will give me my 500th mozPoint! Yah!
I am not very good with headlines. I will try to work harder and make some CTR improvements.
Great advice!
Thanks!
oops, how about 501 mozpoints...
I think we can easily underestimate how much a wording change can impact people's perception and their likelihood of clicking through. People are easily encouraged to click through - equally can easily be put off as well.
Dealing with people will never be easy, but people are here to stay, so we have to consider how they react to every word we write ;-)
Great post Rand, I think that writing engaging titles is something that many people underestimate. Great to have a simple guide like this to follow. Thanks. (PS good luck to your wife and yourself, stay strong)
Great Advice!
You wrote detailed article about the headlines, I believe that many bloggers get the idea behind this informative post. "headsmacking"
Thanks
Seems you brought the fresh... :]
I really like this article it was very simple and to the point. It provides some actionable ideas we will begin putting it into practice. Phil I like the out side the box idea you had. Doing good deeds makes you feel good and yes when you do good things for people many times that good comes back to you. I think that being more productive is just a positive side effect.
Like the thought of sending test emails to small groups before choosing a headline for the mass emails.
I'm really a fan of Kickass Titles...be it a Press Release or blog post or an Email promotion. I think this post holds good for Emails as well. Better Email Title could help increase the audience attention inthe middle of their hectic email inbox and thereby conversions.
Hey Rand
I've been reading your posts and watching Whiteboard Friday for the last month and I have to tell you that I find them very entertaining and informative.
I know this may be a little off-topic but I'm looking to find out where one should focus their energy...Content Marketing, SEO, or both?
I haven't found a blog post focusing on this subject yet (maybe I haven't searched hard enough on the SEOMoz blog) and I think this could be a great subject for a Whiteboard Friday.
If you've already covered this subject I'd really appreciate a link to the content so I can feed my brain some information candy so to speak.
It's true. Headline is one of the most important part of any piece of content and it's SEO value is also very precious. Thank you Rand.
Thank you for sharing this with us, very informative - look forward to more I'm bookmarking this and will keep an eyse on it
Thanks again!
Whoa, what a coincidence. (Damn it, I totally feel like Keanu Reeves now.)
Just a couple of weeks ago I read a research study that basically said that doing good deeds makes you more productive. Inspired by the study I put together a quick site that lets people sign up for weekly emails with a good deed to accomplish. A bit of a wacky idea, but I think the wackiness (tied with a research study) has helped it do pretty well.
I wanted to share this to help us all think more outside of the box. You don't just have to write a blog post for content, you can also make a video, infographic, or even a website/app.
Hey Rand,
I think perhaps the headsmacking element of this post is the pure simplicity of your change in terminology.
As long as we think of those words at the top of the page as "Titles" there is a good chance they will be condemned to mediocrity...start thinking of them as "Headlines" and suddenly they are a thing of emotion, that screams to us from the sidewalk and begs us to read!
Perfect.
Sha
Breaking News!~
That's what the cable networks use.
I think I will try it. Breaking News (add current most tweeted topic relating to your thing)!
Since you started the "Headsmacking" series, I've always been drawing in by its headline, thinking "Hey there must be something really basic yet powerful in this article!"
It's just a matter of taking a fun/new look at a topic. How can you take a unique spin that no one else has? What do you have to say to compel someone to read your post? Not every headline is going to be gold, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying!
Google Alerts are a must and like you said we should not completely discard off-topics. I found that writing controversial headlines seem to get the best attention but this should not be abused though.
Love the idea of sending test emails to small groups before choosing a headline for the mass emails.
Hey, a quick tip even our hardcore SEO-resistant editors can digest. Thanks, Rand!
Great tip. At the end of the day it's comes down to having a captivating eye catching headline. Something that a web visitor will remember and engage.
Also, try not to use sarcasm or irony in your headline unless you know the audience will definitely get it.
It is a great post.
Well the headline of this one goes under the same pretext. "headsmacking tip" will generally draw my attention ;)
Don't forget to write V2 of "How my News Headlines Saved the World"
That's a great idea.
Just curious, is it more valuable to try a new "system" now and then when writing headlines or is it better to just stick with a system and perfect it? It almost sounds like for the average content creator (<3 articles a week) it would be wise to stick with one system and not have more options to distract you from just getting it done. Just thinking.
Hi Randfish-
Can you explin how aggregation services will help my search?
First of all I would like to thank you for choosing such an important point to emphasize on. Since it is the most Important thing discussed hundreds of times by many experts. Some Call it the Title of your News/Story/Page/Post or anything that you are going to write.
But describing it so nicely is the art that I think you are a master of. Many a times I have noticed that the most important or informative stories buried only due to lack of an appealing Headline.
Hats off to you
Regards
Sasha
Oh boy, priceless. Keep 'em coming Sasha.