If you write online, this is a must-watch video.
Nicholas Cole is interviewed on the Copyblogger Academy.
Big Ideas:
The headline needs to tell what it is, who is it for, how they should feel, and what’s the outcome.
Breakdown of a good heading:
► How Many? If no number is mentioned, it is one.
► What is it? Reasons? Mistakes? Habits?
► Who? Name the audience.
► How do I feel about this?
► The outcome. What are you giving the reader?
Clarity makes good titles work. You want polarity. It’s for me or it’s not for me. Don’t be vague or in the middle.
Proven Headline Formats
► Big Numbers
► Dollar signs
► Credible names – influencers and celebrities
► This just happened – breaking news
► Question/Answer – ask the question and hint at the answer
► Success story – hero’s journey
► Things that shouldn’t go together
Readers don’t read first, they skim.
► Write for skimming first
► Make visually pleasing subheadings
► Alternate single sentences with paragraphs
Rhythm and cadence
Alternate 1 3 1 all the way through.
► Open with one sentence.
► Have 3 thoughts
► Finish with 1 sentence
I’m trying Cole’s writing format in the next link. What do you think?