How To Write Awesome Headlines

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  • + miie9235 miie9235 4 months ago
    I had been searching for someone to prove this point about headlines for a little while, actually I have been searching since last Sunday, as, as you know, a lot of posts or should I say all posts except the ones on: Spice Girls - Headlines (Friendship Never Ends), are promoting the opposite position, so I’m glad I found this.
  • + guestc9c89082 guestc9c89082 7 months ago
    What a waste of time. Why couldn’t this have just been in text so I could skim through it in 10 seconds and see that it wasn’t worth my time?
  • + mediaczar Mat Morrison 2 years ago
    Slide 2: The mail from France and Flanders took a long time to arrive, I see. Good to see that the Christmas post was hellish back then, as well.
  • + TomWhitwell TomWhitwell 2 years ago
    Yes, I’d click on it if I saw it - I suppose that point was really about SEO - that headline probably wouldn’t rank for any of those keywords - because it’s just randomly using buzzy words.
  • + guest78b8cf guest78b8cf 2 years ago
    I would have clicked the Brittney Spears story. I mean, it was pretty incredible, wasn’t it?
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How To Write Awesome Headlines - Presentation Transcript

  1. Tom Whitwell Assistant Editor, Online The Times + MusicThing.co.uk for your music gear geek needs How to write awesome headlines. (So people read your stuff)
  2. The first ever headline in The Times (January 1 st , 1785)
  3. They were rubbish at selling stories
  4. Headlines smaller than body copy. Sure about that?
  5. Really big stories got proper headlines
  6. Rubbish at SEO: No mention of Jack the Ripper
  7. 1929: Real headlines
  8. 1945: Front page is only small ads…
  9. … even when there’s a really big story
  10. 1966: Far out! Headlines on the front
  11. 1967: Headlines get ‘clever’. The decline into decadence begins.
  12. 1983: Weak puns ahoy!
  13. Magazine headlines: What? What does that even mean? Oh. OK.
  14. 2000: Yes, yes, very clever.
  15. Then, suddenly, the internet.
  16. 1. Headlines were separated from stories
  17. 2. We found out what was really working
  18. Headlines is serious business.
    • Newspapers don’t know who’s reading which articles.
    • On the web, we know.
    • The difference between a good headline and a weak headline isn’t 5% or 10%, it’s 10x, 20x or more.
    Yeah, but, it’s only the headline.
  19. Yeah, but, it’s only the headline.
  20. Yeah, but, it’s only the headline.
    • It’s not easy. Britney Spears nude having sex on Viagra while playing Runescape will not ‘get loads of clicks’
    • It’s subtle
    • It’s working out what the story is, what your reader will respond to, and how to squeeze all the goodness into 68 characters
    What makes people click?
    • Be specific. Why exactly should I read your story, not that other one?
    • Tell the whole story in the headline
    • Don’t try to be clever
    • Don’t try to be funny
    • Play to your niche. Don’t over simplify or patronise in the headline.
    What makes people click?
    • Quick wins:
      • Lists = force you to do research and explain your points properly
      • Quotes = Often the most interesting bit in the story
      • Numbers = Often the most interesting bit in the story
      • Names = Most likely who the story is about
    What makes people click?
    • Don’t worry about ‘being boring’.
      • If your story is boring, no amount of headline jazz will help.
      • If your story is interesting, tell it in the headline.
    • Write the headline first. Really. Always.
    • Great story which you can’t explain in the headline = crap story
    What makes people click?
    • Work at it. Spend 20 minutes on the headline. Do research to get the words right. Don’t publish until you’ve got a killer headline. Remember: 20x more traffic!
    • If you get stuck, tell someone the story. The way they react will tell you what should be in the headline.
    What makes people click?
    • You’re not actually writing the headline.
    • You’re finding out what your story is really about.
    What makes people click?
  21. I’m done. Sorry for ranting.

+ TomWhitwellTomWhitwell, 2 years ago

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