Headlines 101: how to write them and why they matter

writers room newsletter

Hello!

Welcome to the brand new BDN blog newsletter, the Writers Room, where we can talk shop and improve our blogging practices from writing strategies to headlines to boosting readership and everything in between!

Got some coffee brewing? Great. Let’s get started.

Headlines 101

Creating a solid headline is an art form that most new bloggers are not well versed in. Here at the BDN blog network, we focus a great deal of time on headlines because it can make or break a blog post. Readers spend an average of .2 seconds on a headline and if it doesn’t grab the reader then it will not get a click, which is bad news for bloggers.

Here are a few tips to improve your headlines:

  1. Do not capitalize every word in the headline, in fact, think of your headline as a sentence that is subject to grammar and spelling rules.
  2. Use POWER words to grab your reader’s attention, but…
  3. Avoid click-bait power words such as “shocking” or “you’re doing this wrong” or “this one weird trick” or “you won’t believe” etc.
  4. Use the Headline Analyzer by Co-Scheduler.
  5. Write a bold and clear headline that tells the reader exactly what the post is about without giving a spoiler to the reader.

Here are the best headlines from the BDN Blog Network from last week:

Surviving freshman year: 5 tips to help prepare your child for the first year of college by Crystal Sands of the BDN blog, Pajamas, Books, and Chickens

Together is Better: How to make art with new Mainers to build community by Kate Beever of Creative Health

The Next Economic Collapse: What Will Disappear From Store Shelves First? by Stephanie Reiser of Homesteading Now

Fabulous blog resource you should know about

Have you heard of Canva? No? OMG, you guys, it is AMAZING. You can create polished, professional images, memes, Facebook covers, you name it in a few easy steps. Here is a link to the Canva site.

And here is a great YouTube tutorial on how to use Canva for newbies:

Announcements

As you may have noticed, the blog network has updated the BDN Blogs logo, which you should see in the upper left-hand corner of your header. The logo cannot be moved, which for some may prove to be a design problem. If you think you want to change your header image make sure you set your image to be 1600 x 230 pixels.

Happy blogging!