The document provides guidance on writing effective blog post headlines in 3 sentences or less that get attention and engage readers. It discusses the "three second rule" for headlines to grab attention, criteria for successful headlines such as getting attention and making a promise, and techniques like using clarity over cleverness, empathizing with the customer, being unexpected, posing questions, using humor, and incorporating visuals. Hands-on exercises are provided to help practice different headline strategies.
4. Before we start…
Two Pens likes to teach
interactively. That means we talk
and you respond. We throw out
headline prompts. You try them
out. Are you game?
5. RESPOND IN CHAT WITH IDEAS FOR
HEADLINES AND VISUALS.
WE’LL RESPOND.
6. Headline writing is not divine inspiration. It is
creativity in service to the CUSTOMER.
30. HANDS-ON EXERCISE:
1. Think of something that’s
unusual or unique about your
company or industry.
2. Write a headline that reveals
this surprising fact.
31.
32. 4. Pose a challenge by asking & answering a
question.
33. HANDS-ON EXERCISE:
1. Think of a question you could
pose.
2. Write a headline that the
reader has to answer.
34. 5. IMHO:
Weigh in or Report on Debate
Challenges by asking &
answering a question
Short post.
Promotes
enthusiasts & MVPs
44. HANDS-ON EXERCISE:
Help the Headline Tell A Story with an image.
Brainstorm 3-4 images that work with the
“Something Missing” Microsoft post.
POSTYOURVISUAL IDEA IN CHAT.
45. Why do these headlines work?
POST YOUR IDEAS IN CHAT.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54. WHAT MAKES A GREAT HEADLINE? ASK
THESE QUESTIONS.
1. Did it make you stop in your
tracks?
2. Did it tell you something you
didn’t know?
3. Did it promise something you
want?
55. THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING US.
HTTP:WWW.TWOPENS.COM
HTTP://WWW.SVCSEATTLE.COM
@twopens2 (Cynthia Hartwig)
@emilywarn (Emily Warn
Editor's Notes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUK12nCgrWs
Headlines are often all that people read to decide to stay… To grab people ’s attention they need to set tone, identify audience, tell people what they’re going, a promise the content has to keep
Headlines are often all that people read to decide to stay… To grab people ’s attention they need to set tone, identify audience, tell people what they’re going, a promise the content has to keep
09/18/13 Microsoft Office
Headlines are often all that people read to decide to stay… To grab people ’s attention they need to set tone, identify audience, tell people what they’re going, a promise the content has to keep
Headlines are often all that people read to decide to stay… To grab people ’s attention they need to set tone, identify audience, tell people what they’re going, a promise the content has to keep
Headlines are often all that people read to decide to stay… To grab people ’s attention they need to set tone, identify audience, tell people what they’re going, a promise the content has to keep
Headlines are often all that people read to decide to stay… To grab people ’s attention they need to set tone, identify audience, tell people what they’re going, a promise the content has to keep
Pokes fun at oneself while promising to deliver useful information to users at specific levels of expertise. Tone: Empathetic + humorous + humble Audience: Beginning & intermediate Excel users Learn: What a circular reference is Promise: Demystify a confusing error message 09/18/13 Microsoft Office
Pokes fun at oneself while promising to deliver useful information to users at specific levels of expertise. Tone: Empathetic + humorous + humble Audience: Beginning & intermediate Excel users Learn: What a circular reference is Promise: Demystify a confusing error message 09/18/13 Microsoft Office
Surprise subject (overtime the audience never knows what to expect from you, so checks back often) that identifies audience yet funny enough to reach beyond it. Uses word play Tone: Funny, smart, hip Audience: Grammarians, writers, and rap lovers Learn: A grammar tip from a rapper
Surprise subject (overtime the audience never knows what to expect from you, so checks back often) that identifies audience yet funny enough to reach beyond it. Uses word play Tone: Funny, smart, hip Audience: Grammarians, writers, and rap lovers Learn: A grammar tip from a rapper
Pokes fun at oneself while promising to deliver useful information to users at specific levels of expertise. Tone: Empathetic + humorous + humble Audience: Beginning & intermediate Excel users Learn: What a circular reference is Promise: Demystify a confusing error message 09/18/13 Microsoft Office
This marijuana headline works by reversal. It upends your expectation that the bill should pass because every body wants it, not The opposite.
Pokes fun at oneself while promising to deliver useful information to users at specific levels of expertise. Tone: Empathetic + humorous + humble Audience: Beginning & intermediate Excel users Learn: What a circular reference is Promise: Demystify a confusing error message 09/18/13 Microsoft Office
These help MS participate in the conversation continually happening in the blogosphere Makes fun of ourselves—let ’s people know we know what people think of us, but we beg to differ Or the MVPs beg to differ Shout out to them helps build their reputation Increases loyalty
Pokes fun at oneself while promising to deliver useful information to users at specific levels of expertise. Tone: Empathetic + humorous + humble Audience: Beginning & intermediate Excel users Learn: how fun the geeks are Promise: IT guys are human and here’s what they do to entertain themselves 09/18/13 Microsoft Office
Demonstrate in the headline the way to make yourself look foolish by using big words when A simple small one—stupid– works quicker and better. 09/18/13 Microsoft Office
A headline rarely stands alone. It needs visual to augment meaning and help the reader decide if they want to know more. Bland text (unless it’s a typographic treatment) is less appealing in our visually focused world. IMAGES MAKES HEADLINES STAND UP AND DO THEIR JOB. 09/18/13 Microsoft Office
You, the reader are asked to solve the puzzle piece.
See and say headline – OK headline repeat headlines visual shows a watermark Have a donkey for sale, and show the donkey Forgettable headline
See and say headline – OK headline repeat headlines visual shows a watermark Have a donkey for sale, and show the donkey Forgettable headline
Remember, the best visuals supply a missing piece of information when combined with the words. When the reader can barely see the mom and child photo because the desk top is so busy, they “get” instinctively that it’s time for a vacation. And the lazy copywriter doesn’t even have to say the word.
What ’s the role of this headline? . In this ad for Harley Davidson created by Momapropaganda, you the reader have to “get” that the six year old we’re looking at is a tattooed and bitchin’ Harley rider in the making
What other image could convey what ’s missing? Breakfast plate with bacon & toast but no egg
09/18/13 Microsoft Office
Word play and visual is required to make the joke.
Talk about the visual: it requires that you imagine a cat, thus engaging you. This example shows the power of engaging the viewer and asking them to figure out what would this person’s pet look like.
Talk about the visual: it requires that you imagine a cat, thus engaging you. Tbhis is the power of not having a visual and making the Viewer figure out what would this person’s pet look like.
Talk about the visual: it requires that you imagine the dog and what its owner should look like. The images are so right on, you can’t help but Look.
Word play and visual is required to make the joke.
A surprising reversal on the use of a quote from Google’s co-founder, Sergey Brin: this headline from BoingBoing relies on the surprise of having Brin talk about emasculation and because we respect him, we want to know why.
Promise with a listing of choices of what you could do in the next 2 weeks.
From the Two Pens blog at http://www.twopens.com A contrarian’s “how to” headline.
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