While the actual content you write must be of the highest quality and must hold the interest of your readers, in order to get them to actually read all the way through you must learn to use compelling images and snappy headlines to “hook” your reader. Images draw readers into the story, helping connect them to your words while the headlines give your readers a quick overview of what your content holds.
The Goal of Your Headlines
Because of the very few seconds a reader spends determining whether they will continue to read your content or will click away to a more informative one, you have little opportunity to make a favorable impression. Without the kind of jazzy headline that turns a casual browser into a solid reader, the remainder of your article might as well be invisible. While a headline’s first job is certainly to grab attention, a truly great headline will also communicate what your entire article is about to your potential readers.
Even better, aside from being attention-grabbing and informative, the very best headline makes a promise of benefit or reward for the reader. In other words, your title says to your reader—“If you take your valuable time and read this article all the way through, I promise you will get the answer to that nagging problem.” Wrapping all of these things into a few small words can seem next to impossible.
Different Types of Headlines
A direct headline goes right to the meat of the story with little attempt at cleverness. This type of headline is most often used for sites which are selling a product. If you have a website which sells homemade vanilla extract, then a direct—and effective—headline could read “Gourmet Vanilla Extract—30% off.” On the other end, the indirect headline is a bit more subtle and is meant to create a question in the minds of the readers which will be answered by the ensuing article. News headlines are used for product announcements or a content scoop.
The headline which may work the best is known as the “How-to” headline and, obviously, starts off with “How to…,” explaining how to in the article. A question headline asks the reader a question they are able to relate to such as “Does Your Husband Ever Fold the Laundry?” Finally, there is the testimonial headline which can be extremely effective as it presents outside proof that what the reader is about to read will be extremely valuable to them.
Using Pictures to Individualize Your Web Content
The human brain will more easily remember images than words, therefore if you include a compelling photo along with an interesting, well-written article, your readers can recall the photo, then the words will also come back to them. A great photo is an excellent way to get your readers to pause at your article, and may even entice them to go ahead and read all the way through. This means the photo must be relevant to your subject and must be persuasive. If you are writing for yourself, then on the days you are feeling less-than creative—or even downright lazy—adding a great photograph can give the illusion of a longer blog.
We all have those days when creativity seems very far away, and in some cases finding the perfect photo to illustrate your blog may even spark your own mind, giving you new ideas for the accompanying article. Photos and images are also really good ways to break up big chunks of text. When readers see a long, unending stream of words, they often click away without even scanning to see if that text answers their question. A well-placed image can draw their eye into the story, making it more likely they will read it through. In the end, both images and headlines can be the most important aspects to your page simply because they convince readers to read your words.
Tags: Lawyer Website Content
