There is an old adage in writing that goes:
When the tension is lost, the audience’s attention is lost.
Authors are advised to withhold information in their works so the audience will keep reading until the very end.
Anytime you’ve kept reading another chapter, it is because the author maintained tension in the story.
Headlines on your business or community website should be designed with this adage in mind (for additional guidance, see the Online Lead Generation Guide and the free eBook below).
The same advice also applies to public speakers to keep live audiences engaged in presentations – whether they are trying to persuade or enable the audience.
That’s why good speeches often begin with titles such as “3 Reasons to…” or “4 Steps to…”
Nobody likes tension in their lives and humans strive every day to release tension by discovering answers and solving problems.
Your free email offer (i.e. lead magnet) and blog post headlines should also be titled with this advice in mind.
Otherwise, the audience’s attention is lost the moment they see a free email offer that creates no tension.
Additional Resource to Help You Create a Winning Title for Your Free Email Offer
This additional resource is available to you free of charge with permission from Copyblogger (Rainmaker Digital, LLC).
Title: How to Write Magnetic Headlines
eBook Length: 56 Pages
View / Download: How to Write Magnetic Headlines
eBook Summary © 2016 Rainmaker Digital, LLC:
Your headline is the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader.
Without a compelling promise that turns a browser of your content into a reader of your content, the rest of your words may as well not even exist. So, from a copywriting and content marketing standpoint, writing great headlines is a critical skill. Here are some interesting statistics:
On average, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest. This is the secret to the power of your headline, and why it so highly determines the effectiveness of the entire piece. Remember, every element of compelling copy has just one purpose — to get the next sentence read.
And then the sentence after that, and so on, all the way down to your call to action. So it’s fairly obvious that if people stop at the headline, you’re already dead in the water.
The better your headline, the better your odds of beating the averages and getting what you’ve written read by a larger percentage of people.
This ebook will provide you with concrete guidance that’ll have you writing better headlines in no time.
Other Resources for Your Free Email Offer
- Lead Magnet Guide (5 essential characteristics of a lead magnet)
- Lead Magnet Survey (share your own opinion about email sign up incentives and discover what other entrepreneurs recommend)
- Lead Magnet Project (an interactive online project for professionals building relevant email lists)
- Lead Magnet Examples (Graceful Resources email subscribers can add their own web address for free)
- Recommended Website and Email Software Resources (you’ll also discover why these resources are recommended)
Cheering for your online success – one project step at a time!
Brent