How To Fast Track Your Article Marketing Program: Headline Secrets

How To Fast Track Your Article Marketing Program: Headline Secrets

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It doesn't really matter how good you think your article is if it will never be published. There are no guarantees that it ever will. There are, however, certain things you as a writer may do to increase the likelihood a publisher will use your piece.

Catch The Eye Of Publishers With Your Headline

Headlines, or subject lines, are the most important feature of any article or piece of copywriting. "First impressions are lasting impressions," the old saying goes and that goes double for headlines. Thousands of articles are passed over every day because they simply don't catch the publisher's eye. Short, non-descriptive headlines are almost a sure-fire method of getting an article ignored.

The most successful headlines traditionally do two things:

* They cite a major benefit readers get by reading the article
* They pique curiosity in the reader to continue reading

The Ultimate Benefit

Before writing a headline, take a few minutes to brainstorm all the benefits your product or service provides. There will usually be one or two that outweigh the rest. Pick the one with the greatest benefit to your audience and use it in your headline. If it's a keyword, that's even better.

Give Them Quick and Easy

People on the search for a solution to their problem want answers that work fast with little effort on their part. They just want the problem solved so they can move on to other things. Use this to your advantage in your headlines. Make your grand benefit quick, easy and attainable.

Here are some ideas that convey that message:

* Quick and Easy Methods To XYZ
* Simple 7 Step Solution For XYZ
* Cure XYZ In XX Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Etc
* Learn How To XYZ In Less Than XX Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Etc
* 10 Quick and Easy Ways To XYZ

You achieve curiosity, divulge a benefit and tell them it's quick and easy to get relief from their predicament. Needless to say, you can't accomplish this very well with just two or three words. A headline of 50-75 characters should be a good target to aim for.

Borrow Ideas From Other Successful Headlines

Use care here not to plagiarize by copying word-for-word, but it's perfectly acceptable to use the same concepts. A good example of this may be seen in similar headlines by Wheaties and Barron's Financial Magazine:

* Wheaties: Breakfast of Champions
* Barron's: Breakfast of Millionaires

You get the idea. A great source of ideas for headlines is no farther than the checkout aisle at your local grocery store. Check out the headlines in the magazine rack instead of checking out the cashier for once. The publishers make their living by catching passing eyes with their headlines not with content in the publication.

Use Authority To Garner Attention

This is another standard method of producing enticing headlines. I mean, if 8 out 10 doctors recommend doing XYZ to live longer, who wouldn't be interested in that? Who has more authority than a doctor? Or lawyer? Or Indian chief? Here are some typical examples:

* Law Enforcement Professionals Recommend Doing ABC to Prevent XYZ
* NASA Engineers Applaud The Use Of ABC As A Bold New Solution For XYZ

A twist on this one is to use fear or threat of harm. No, I don't mean to offer to break their knee caps, but it doesn't hurt to remind them their competition wouldn't mind:

* 10 Things Your Competitor Hopes You Never Learn About XYZ
* 5 Secrets About Women Your Buddies Will Never Tell You About

Problem/Solution

This one is pretty self explanatory. Name the problem and offer the solution (or the promise of it) in your headline.

* Cure Acne Today With This Common Berry
* Lose Weight Fast With This Simple 10-Step Program

Combinations

Depending on how clever you are and dedicated to purpose, you may use any or all of these techniques in a given headline. Just remember, you are not writing a paragraph but a headline instead.

There are many other little tricks of the trade we could cover given time. There are many resources available both online and off about writing killer headlines. Learn them, love them, and live them if you want to be a successful article marketer. Learn to think outside the box; it gets lonely out here.

About the Author:
Brad McGovern is the Marketing Manager at
Article Marketer, and offers advice and news of note to article marketers. Learn more about writing good content here!



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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