Great headlines turn browsers into readers. They point readers to the rest of your words.
Online headline writers can learn from old school newspaper editors. They used headlines to draw readers to stories on a printed page. In competitive newspaper markets, front page headlines act as advertisements for the paper’s contents.
Headlines crunch meaning into a handful of words. You could scan an old-school newspaper reading only headlines and get a broad overview of the day’s big stories.
This applies online, but with important twists.
Don’t be too clever
Newspapers often service a small region or community. Readers share common knowledge, ideas, words and jokes. Headlines that work in one city might not work elsewhere. Outsiders may not understand clever jokes or word play.
Online sites draw readers from a wider area – maybe all over the world. Online headlines need broad appeal. There’s less room for ambiguity or jokes. You can’t assume background knowledge.
Search engine headlines
Most online readers use search engines to reach web sites. Your headlines should push your story nearer the top of search engine listings and make it stand out among its rivals. At the same time it must appeal to human readers – not robots.
Meet reader needs
Readers pick up newspapers for information, education or entertainment. They often go online looking for specific information. To reach them online headlines should say: “the information you are looking for is here”.
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