5 tips to write powerful headlines that grab attention and drive traffic

Your headline is the first thing someone reads when they come across your blog and it's often the make or break of how well overall the blog performs.

Sure, if it's a good topic it might still do okay but ultimately, if your headlines aren't great you could be leaving money on the table.

Blogs can be a huge driver of traffic. If you're anything like me then you might be over having to keep up with the never-ending demands of social media and opting for something more robust, that you own, without having to do a ton more work.

Not only can your blogs drive traffic to the blog post but they can drive traffic to your site entirely and then to your opt-in pages and sales pages. Do not underestimate the power of a blog.

And the blog's power begins with your headline.

Here are 5 tips for writing powerful blog headlines that grab attention and drive traffic:

1. Headline Type

There are a few types of headlines that typically perform the best. The idea is to create something that is clear over clever. You want someone to read the title and say "Yes, that is exactly what I'm looking for."

Anything with a number in the title works best (and scores higher for SEO). For example, "5 Tips to Write Powerful Headlines that Grab Attention and Drive Traffic" or "10 Best Resources for Tired and Busy New Moms." People know what they're getting and they know they can just scroll down and find the bullet points if they're strapped for time.

Another is a "How-To" title. For example, "How To Create a Weekly Strategy to Increase Productivity and Master Your Day" or "How To Start An Exercise Routine When You Don't Feel Motivated." People typically open emails when they know they'll get something out of it. When they go to Google or Pinterest they often are looking for a specific answer to a problem.

2. Word Balance

The types of words you have in your title matter. There is a big difference between "How To Write Better Blogs With Higher Conversion" and "5 Tips To Write Powerful Headlines That Grab Attention and Drive Traffic."

Include a mix of common and uncommon words. Common words are typically smaller ones such as 'a', 'and', 'but' and uncommon words are 'here', 'life', 'make' and 'need.' All words that can be in any headline without giving too much away or being specific to the title.

You'll also want to include one or two power words or emotional words. Power words are typically the words that grab attention, they're commanding such as powerful, ambitious or invincible. Emotion words connect with people on a feeling level because they stir up emotions, it helps them connect that the blog is for them. These can be words like lost, profitable or unspeakable. 

3. Make it action-based

Other headlines that do well are ones that inspire action to be taken. If you spell out what action they should take right away they'll be intrigued to know the rest. Humans are creative creatures so you can use that to your advantage. For instance, "5 Tips To Start Working Out Now And Love It" or "7 Steps To Create A Powerful Summer Solstice Ritual."

4. Make it results-driven or benefits-focused

This can be similar to being action-based. Getting a result often implies action to be taken. Make sure you make it clear what they learn or get out of the blog post. As mentioned above, people search in search engines often looking for solutions to problems they have, or potential problems they have. If you spell out the result right from the start they'll be able to decide from 10 words if this article is for them. For example, "Revitalize Your Entrepreneurial Journey: 3 Effective Ways To Beat Burnout" or "The Power Of Proofreading: How To Increase Engagement and Boost Sales with Editing."

5. Use specific keywords

Ultimately, you'll need to pay attention to your site and blog's SEO. Even if the headline meets all the other elements and sounds really great people may not even find it if it doesn't have great SEO. One way to increase SEO is to use keywords.

There are some great programs that are able to scout Google and create a list fairly easily. Less work for you! Ensuring you're including keywords in every headline is important because if no one is searching the words in your headline it won't show up in searches.

Check out these keyword programs:

• Semrush
• WordStream
• Answer The Public
• ChatGPT
• Google Keyword Planner

One bonus tip that I have found handy is to get a headline analyzer. I use one called Coschedule and when I put in my starting title it analyzes it and gives it a headline score and an SEO score. From there it provides you with suggestions for how to improve or what you've done well and there is also an AI feature where you can request for ways to make improvements or an alternate way to write it.

Happy headline writing!

P.S. Looking for ways to improve your sales and your copywriting? Grab my free guide on how to use storytelling copywriting to skyrocket your sales!