So, you’ve just came up with a great idea for an article for your website or blog and you’re convinced everyone is going to love it. Thing is, you can’t think of a good title or headline to grab your readers’ attention. So, where can you go for inspiration?
According to Dave Navarro in his article The 10 Essential Ingredients of Successful Sales Pages, you’re making life harder than necessary if you’re not cultivating what he refers to as a ‘headline swipe file’. It’s a file full of places you can go to check out killer headlines and find inspiration. His favourites? Here they are:
www.digg.com – Full of some of the most talked about stories on the internet at any given time, the Digg is chock full of excellent titles and headlines that draw you in to read more.
Magazine covers
Magazine writers are paid big money to create headlines that make those mags fly off the shelves – even more so these days when digital platforms are giving printed publications a real run for their money. A trip to the newsagent, supermarket or library can give you endless ideas – and not just for great headings, but for blog and article ideas, too.
Your very own inbox
No doubt you’ve subscribed to more than a few newsletters, and every now and again there’ll be a heading that will intrigue you sufficiently to open it up and read on. And that’s exactly the type of article that should go straight to your swipe file for future heading inspiration.
That link to the left
Blogs such as copyblogger have loads of links about writing better blogs or articles and they always have heaps of useful links to writing guides such as 9 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy. It’s a great article and well worthwhile to keep as a handy reference tool.
Navarro’s article ends by inviting readers to comment with their own recommendations for great headline inspiration. Suggestions included Google Reader, Twitter, listening to news bulletins, and the contents pages of industry-related books. Others pointed out that there’s inspiration to be found everywhere if we simply keep our eyes and ears open; for example, listening to commuters’ comments during the ride home. Or what about the compelling opening lines of a good book or perhaps adapting lines from your favourite movie ever? Give it a go!
For help with copywriting, proofreading or editing any of your business documents, contact Proof Communications on 02 8036 5532 or 0411 123 216 or head to the contact page.
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