Melinda Kitto: Let's face it, there is a sea of crappy content online these days and
it's really easy for quality content to just get lost amongst the noise.
So if you want your content to stand out from the crowd, you need to know how to craft really
catchy headlines that stop that monotonous scroll and get the right people to sit up
and pay attention.
And in today's video, I'm going to share my best tips for crafting attention grabbing
headlines without spending hours at your computer watching that little blinking cursor of doom.
Plus, if you stay till the end of this video, I'm going to share
how you can get your hands on my secret headline writing formulas, which will have you pumping
out absolutely killer headlines that convert in literally minutes.
So if you want to get your hands on that, keep on watching.
For tips on how to nail your marketing message and how to describe
what you do, in juicy and compelling language that makes your dream clients sit upright
and say, "oh my God, that's exactly what I need", make sure that you subscribe and hit
that bell to be notified when I upload a new video every single week.
So let's dive right into these tips.
Tip number one when it comes to writing really catchy headlines is
to think about where your content is actually appearing and whose attention you actually
want to attract.
Because depending on which platform you prefer to share it on, you need
to use different tactics to make sure that your headline is going to catch attention.
So for example, if you like to post your blogs, your videos and your
live streams on a platform like Facebook or Instagram, your content is going to be appearing
in the newsfeed.
As opposed to if you prefer using platforms like Youtube or Pinterest where your content
is far more likely to appear in search.
So if you're trying to show up in search, you really need to make
sure that your headline or your title actually reflects what people would be typing into
a search function.
I mean, think about it, if you're typing into the search function, "how
to groom your dog"... when you see those search results come up, which are the headlines or
the titles that are likely to grab your attention?
Something that reflects what you are actually searching for right?
But it's a different playing field when it comes to the newsfeed.
Because if you think about how we behave when we're scrolling through a newsfeed, we're
literally just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, and we're waiting for something to catch our
attention and draw us in.
So you've got to think about what would actually catch your potential
client's attention as they're mindlessly scrolling through that newsfeed.
And it's usually one of three things.
And the first one is pretty simple....
Entertainment.
We click on headlines and titles that we think are going to be entertaining.
That's why if anybody ever posted a video of hilarious people slipping on ice, I'm going
to be clicking on that thing because that is going to entertain me all day long.
The second thing that catches our attention is something that sparks our
curiosity.
Something that makes me think, "oh, I wonder what that actually is.
Oh, I wonder what the answer to that question might be".
But the third is the most important, because even if it's entertaining,
even if it makes me curious...
If it is not relevant to me, then I'm not going to be clicking.
So particularly if you're trying to attract a particular type of client,
you want to make sure that your headline or your title is very relevant to what they would
be interested in, or the kind of information that they would want to know the answer to.
So I want you to really keep those things in mind when you are crafting those catchy
headlines.
Does your content need to be the thing that people click on when they're typing something
into search?
Or does it need to be the kind of thing that stops that mindless scroll and catches their
attention and makes them want to click?
And as a little bonus tip, I want you to really consider who are you
trying to attract?
Who do you want to actually click on your content.
Because I'm sure you already have at least some kind of warm audience who know who you
are.
Hopefully they like you and it wouldn't matter what your headline or your title actually
says, they would just see your name and they would click on that content because they already
know they're going to enjoy it.
But if you're wanting to attract a NEW audience to your content and
get the eyeballs of a more colder audience, people who have never heard of you before,
then your title has to do all the work.
You need to make sure that that headline is either stopping that scroll with something
relevant that makes me stop and pay attention or is the automatic answer that of course
I'm going to click on when I type it into search.
So I want to know where you prefer to share your content.
Comment below and let me know which platform you love to share your content on and therefore
whether your headline needs to interrupt the scroll or be found in search.
Tip number two when it comes to writing catchy headlines is to make
sure you are being clear, not clever.
This is a trap that so many content creators fall into.
Because we feel like in order for us to stand out, we need to be fancy or we need to be
funny or we need to be really clever, little quirky or we need to use some kind of unique
angle that makes us stand out from the crowd.
And look, to be honest, your little clever quirks might work great
for a warm audience who already know you and get you, but if you're trying to attract,
a colder audience...
If you want to attract new people into your community, you need to make sure that they
actually get what it is that you're trying to say and get how it's relevant for them.
The thing that you've got to remember is when you are fighting against
that scroll, you have literal milliseconds to catch people's attention and make them
understand that they want what you've got to offer.
If you're making me think too much, I just can't be bothered and I'm scrolling on by.
That's not because we're jerks.
It's just literally like you haven't caught my attention.
I'm going to use a really ridiculous example here...
But have you ever been to a networking meeting where somebody introduces themselves and they
give themselves some kind of really fancy title, like they're a "nocturnal transformational
therapeutic consultant".
And you're like, "oh, so what does that mean?"
And they go, "oh, well I'm a sleep consultant.
I help people sleep better."
It's like, "why didn't you just say that?"
And the exact same thing applies to your titles.
Don't make people think, don't make me go, "oh, what does that even mean?"
Because I don't care enough yet to bother to find out.
So you need to be really clear instead of being clever.
Otherwise I don't get it.
And I'm scrolling on by, because you missed your opportunity to grab my attention.
Tip number three here is to make sure that you are positioning your
thing as something that your potential peeps would either want or need.
As creatives, it can be really easy to get caught up in what WE want to communicate.
But you've really got to keep in mind what your potential client would actually want
to consume.
So let's use a little example here.
Let's say that you're a nutrition consultant and you have written an amazing blog piece
about the benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar, and so you put it out there into the world
with that headline, "The benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar".
That's great, but is that headline what you want to communicate or is it what your potential
clients would actually want to consume?
Unless I'm massively into diet and lifestyle and nutrition and all of
those kinds of things, I'm probably not going to be clicking on your content.
Unless you position that exact same topic as something that I would actually want to
consume.
So if you use a headline more along the lines of "Boost your weight
loss efforts by drinking this one thing every single day"... now I want to know.
Now you've positioned that as something that I actually really need to know the answer
to.
Now that exact same piece of content is going to get WAY more clicks because it speaks to
a problem that your potential people actually really want help with.
Tip number four when it comes to writing catchy headlines is to tackle
my immediate objection.
Now whenever you make a claim or a promise in your headline, my brain
is going to immediately throw out potential objections.
It's like a little "bullshit-ometer" goes beep beep beep beep...
I'm not sure I'm buying that.
So you could use a headline like "How to lose 10 pounds"... and my brain
is immediately going to say, "yeah, but I bet I'm going to have to live off Kale for
the next six months".
But if you use your headline to immediately address that objection, now
you've got me.
And the way that you can do that, is you can use "without" statements.
And what I mean by that, is you can say something like, "How to get the thing that you want,
without the thing that you don't want".
For example, "How to lose 10 pounds without ever setting foot in a gym".
So you're using your headline to tell me the outcome that I actually want, but you're saying
you can have that outcome WITHOUT having to do this thing that you don't want.
Another alternative that you can use is an "even if" statement.
And an "even if" statement addresses the immediate excuses that I'm going to throw up, which
will say, "oh, I can't do that because of this".
So you're going to frame this headline as "How to get this thing that
you want, EVEN IF you're worried that this thing will stop you".
For example, you could say something like, "How to launch your online
course, even if you don't have a big list".
Can you see how that immediately addresses the objection that I'm going to
throw up there?
"Oh look, I'd love to launch my course, but I don't have any kind of list".
"Well, I'm going to show you how to launch your course, even if you
don't have a big list".
Now you've got me.
I'm like, "oh, I didn't even know that was possible" and I'm going to be clicking on
your content to find out how to do that.
Now if you were to incorporate just those tips, you are going to see a massive
increase in views and clicks on your content.
But I want to make sure that you avoid that blinking cursor of doom that I mentioned earlier.
So to help make sure that you don't get stuck, I've put together a free
guide with 15 of my favourite formulas to craft killer headlines, literally in minutes.
Now formulas are great, but some people worry that if they're going to use a formula for
writing their headlines, that their content is going to end up sounding like everybody
else's.
So in this free guide, not only do you get those 15 formulas, but I'm actually going
to teach you exactly how to find your own unique, juicy and compelling language to put
into those formulas so that they don't just smash it out of the park and get way more
views and clicks, but that your content sounds perfectly unique to you.
So to get your hands on that free guide, click on the link in the description
of this video.
If you liked this video, make sure to subscribe, share it with your
friends and hit that like button so that I know to make more videos just like this one.
Now it's time for you to practice.
Comment below and tell us what you do, using one of those "without", or "even if" statements.
For example, I could tell you that "I help people to absolutely nail their marketing
message even if they think they totally suck at writing copy".
See what I did there?
And if you're one of the first people to comment, I'll actually jump
in and give you feedback as to how you can make that statement even juicier.
And make sure you stay tuned for next week's video where I'm going
to share my best tips for writing landing page copy that converts like crazy.
And when I say crazy, I'm talking upwards of 78% conversions from organic traffic.
That ain't normal, and so you're not gonna want to miss this one.
So stay tuned and I will see you in the next video.