Finally, after hours of research and writing, it’s finally done. It looks pretty much like your best article so far and you’re planning to get the max out of it. And by getting the max of it we mean promoting it as much as possible.

Yes, you content might be just perfect, but what can you tell us about your headline? Is it clickable?

There’s no secret that social media is one of the most powerful promotion tools nowadays. No matter that we’re talking about Facebook, Twitter, Google+ (yeah, it still exists), it can be the perfect place to post your article and wait for the results. Still, these results will come if two essential conditions are met:

-the content is top notch

-it has a great headline

While the first one is a no-brainer, since the actual content is what makes an article great, the headline is what makes people click on what you’re posting.

How many time did you end up clicking on a relatively stupid article, like “You won’t believe what this guy filmed with a drone”, just because the title made you curious? Don’t worry, we’ve done it as well. A great headline, alongside a suitable image, works as a magnet for potential readers.

Still, today we’re not talking about this type of clickbait headlines, which usually take you to a pretty boring article, based on a random YouTube video, but about social media headlines that make people click them!

There were a lot of studies about this and it the end it turned out that a lot of people click on headlines that trigger specific emotions within them. Considering this, the folks over Buffer App have identified 8 types of headline strategies and we tried to add some headline examples for each one:

1. Surprise – “This is one of the best articles you’ll read”
2. Question – “Do you want to know how to write the perfect social media headline?”
3. Curiosity gap – “12 headline writing tricks used by experts. Number 7 is the best!”
4. Negative – “Never write bad social media headlines again”
5. How to – “How to write the perfect article”
6. Numbers – “10 tips to write the perfect headline”
7. Audience referencing – “For those claiming that writing social media headlines is hard”
8. Specificity – “A quick 3-step guide to writing the perfect social media headline”

Here is the secret formula for your headline!

But what if none of these types are suitable for what you’re trying to transmit? Don’t worry, as, unlike other situations, when it comes to writing social media headlines that people will actually click, there is a magic formula!

Ladies and gentlemen, here it goes: Number + Adjective + Keyword + Rationale + Promise. Simple as that. As an example: 23 Great Social Media Headlines That Will Make Users Click on Them.

Of course, you shouldn’t rely just to this formula every time, even though in most cases it’s pretty efficient. Once again, you need to adapt your headline to the content of your article.

Some time ago, Google released an algorithm update called Hummingbird. This update made “how to” articles have a better position in searches, in order to deliver a better user experience. Basically, articles who answer questions have more chances to obtain a better rank in Google.

The same goes for social media headlines. If your headline makes users believe that the article will answer their question(s) or teach them something they don’t know, get ready for tons of clicks. And starting from this idea, you can develop some great titles. These are just a few structures you can use as a start:

[Do something] like [somebody] – Well, who doesn’t to do something better? If you use the power of example, users will be interested. Ex: Write social media headlines like online marketing guru Neil Patel

Who else wants to [action] – Same thing. You’re teaching them to do/make/create something. Ex: Who else wants to write the best social media headlines on the Web?

The Secret of [something]/ Less known ways to [something]  – Yeah, it’s that easy. Ex: Less known ways to write the best social media headline that attract clicks

Here’s the easiest way to [something] – A different way of saying “How to”. Ex: Here’s the easiest way to write the best social media headline

What everybody should know about [something]/[someone] – It attracts the reader and makes him or her see if the information from the article is already known. Ex: What everybody should know about writing the perfect social media headline.

Go on, use these structures and see what you can make!

 

As you can see, it’s pretty easy to write some excellent social media articles that can make people click on them. What are your thoughts on this? Which type of title is your favorite? Also, if you have any other great ideas, feel free to share them with everybody, using the comments section below!

 

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Sources:

https://blog.bufferapp.com/headline-strategies-psychology
https://blog.bufferapp.com/headline-formulas