What's in a headline?
The art of writing seducing headlines seems to have been forgotten by the web writers. Since web is an informative medium that does not mean you cannot have catchy headlines for its content. Headlines these days seem to have jumped right out of boring school books chapter names, they are dull and uninteresting. For instance the other day I was reading an article on different types of lenses and the headline read 'different type of lenses', how boring can it get? A catchy headline like 'myriad eyes of the camera' could have made it more intriguing and seduced the reader to scroll through the article. A headline is supposed to grab a reader's attention and convince him that the content is worth investing his time in. Here are a few conventional tips that can help you write some interesting headlines -September 02, 2008
Use puns - Puns can make your headlines witty and interesting. For instance, look at this "I rest my case" can be an exciting headline for a mobile case review.
Playing with a pun can make it memorable and give an insight into writer's writing style and the reader would be stimulated to read the body copy.
Use questions - You can ask questions in your headline that can give a view of your content and its topic. For instance the headline of this article reads "what's in a headline", now that gives you a clue that this article is about headlines. Most people are out to find answers on the net, whether its about latest products or services. It would hence it makes their search easy and precise if your headline asks a question that they are out to find answers for.
Reveal facts - Certain interesting facts and figures also make for an excellent ingredient for a good headline. If your headline reads something like "80% Indian women prefer clean shaven men", then you will surely earn 100% readership from men who are out to find out what women want.
Controversies attract attention - If you give a headline saying "there is nothing fair about fairness creams" then everyone would want to read and explore how you reason this opinion of yours. Controversies make your headlines spicier and pepped up.
Use case studies - Using famous cases that have happened in the past can also generate a lot of interest in the readers as they will be eager to know as to how the case has been repeated. For example if you give headline "9/11 for Pakistan" for the recent blast at Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, then you are informing the reader that something as disastrous as the 9/11 attack on twin towers, USA has now taken place in Pakistan.