5 tips to help you write successful blog post headlines

So, your blog post is ready, you have spent enough time writing and rewriting it to perfection, now what? The headline. Seems simple enough but most times, not enough effort is dedicated to the headline as to the blog post itself.

The headline is the very first thing your -potential- readers see when scrolling through your blog post, it is what will grab and -keep- their attention and curiosity to continue reading the entire blog post.

At The Square, we’ve gathered five tips to give you a helping hand to write the best, most attention-grabbing headlines for your next blog post.

Let´s get right to it:

1. Keep it short — Simply put do not write long headlines, they should not exceed 60 characters. This will not only make it easier to grab your reader’s attention but also when sharing your blog posts on social media, keeping it short will guarantee that the whole title will be visible rather than it cutting off in the middle of the headline.

2. Focus on the “Why” — The headline should include the “why” of the blog post. Why should readers pay attention to this? Why is this blog post important and relevant? Give them a quick glimpse of why you will be adding value through the headline.

3. Keep things consistent — Make sure the tone of the headline matches the tone of the blog post. If it is a conversational post, match it with a conversational headline. If it is a formal post, match it with a formal headline. Simple!

4. Use numbers — According to research, headlines that include numbers get a much higher click rate! For example, if the blog post is about how to be a better PR Pro, instead of the “How to be a better PR Pro,” write “5 tips to be a better PR Pro” and there will be 12–25% more traffic guaranteed. See why we used numbers on our headline?

5. Do your research — When writing a blog post, making sure we use enough keywords of relevance to our audience and the topic we are writing about is crucial, the same thing applies to our headline!

Sounds simple enough? Next time you are writing a killer blog post, make sure to take as much time to find the perfect headline to accompany it. After all, why spend so much time and energy writing content if your title does not do it justice and does not grab the reader’s attention?