The headlines below headlines all come from search engine marketing blogs. These headlines may not be “sexy” like what you might see fronting the gossip mags in the checkout line, but for the industry, these turned out to be some attention-getting headlines. In fact, while the headlines themselves didn’t win any awards, the articles that followed certainly did. The question becomes, would the articles have won awards if the headlines were less attractive? What if they read “Web Marketing Checklist,” “12 Search Engine Marketing Strategies,” “New Link Building Tactics,” “Recover Your Reputation,” or “Get Visitors to Convert to Leads.” None of these alternate headlines is particularly interesting, and are in no way as compelling than those actually used. The content may still be top-notch, and may still have gotten a good amount of click-thrus, but there is a far greater chance that the articles would be passed over by any reader skimming through dozens of headlines at a time. A boring headline will tell the reader that the content is boring, even if it isn’t. The headline already provided the first impression of what the reader can expect to read if they click through to the article. To get your audience to read your content, you need a solid pick-up line that is going to compel them to want to read it. You don’t have to go for sexy, but you do need headlines that give an indication for what’s in store, dressed in a way that is appealing and increases desire to know more. Asking someone if they want to sit in your old car will get an entirely different response than if you ask someone if you can take them for ride in your fully restored ’66 Dodge Charger. Think of the headline as the packaging. The stuff inside the package will only be seen if the package is appealing enough to get picked up and opened. Your blog post title–your pick-up line–is about presenting your content in a way that your audience want to see what more is there. Other posts in the “Go Blog Yourself” series
When writing a blog post the title of the post is your pick-up line. That’s your first opportunity to make a first impression. Deliver a poorly crafted pick-up line and there is a good chance your blog post sit there alone and unread. Craft a strong pick-up line and you at least have a shot of pulling them in to see what else you got going for you.
* Introduction: Writing Your Blog Post with Pen in Hand and SEO in Mind
* Step 1: Know Who’s Looking
* Step 2: Know What They Want to See
* Step 3: Have a Good Pick-Up Line
* Step 4: Reveal the Goods
* Step 5: Be Easy On The Eyes
* Step 6: Keep Them Interested
* Step 7: Give Them More Than They Came For
* Step 8: Do It Right and Do It Again
Blogging Blog Post Archives
Go Blog Yourself Step 3: Have a Good Pick-Up Line
Go Blog Yourself Step 2: Know What They Want To See
In Step 1 of the Go Blog Yourself series I discussed the need to know more about your audience. If you want to get someone’s attention you have to know more about those that will be looking. It does you no good to bring dinner to a desert social!
Once you know who’s eye’s you’ll be turning your way, the next step is to really hone in on they type of content that they will want. In the world of movies, it’s not hard to generate a male audience. Show a little T&A, add some guns and explosions and you’ve got a movie almost any guy will watch.
But the world isn’t made up of only men. This something that Hollywood understands when it comes to selling TV advertising. There are the 18-49 year old male demographic, but there are also teenage boys, tween girls, older women, older men, etc. Each one of these segments has their eye on something completely different.
Go Blog Yourself Step 1: Know Who's Looking
Most bloggers start by their blogs by writing about business or personal things hoping that they will attract an audience from their day to day musings. With each post they hope to pick up more and more readers who like what they have to say. For many, this works. Usually it’s because they are good writers or have a clever take on whatever topic they choose to opine about.
But for every beautiful woman who takes her top off at the beach and gets the drooly-mouthed stares of the men in the vicinity, there are dozens of fat, beer-bellied men that make the kids giggle as they walk buy and attracts the incredulous stares of those who just can’t turn away. The question is–if we relate these images to blogging–which are you?
Actually, the better question is, which audience do you want to attract. Some blogs are out there looking for the little-boy giggles. Others are trying to attract the same element that pays to go peek behind the curtain at the freak-show. If you’re a business blogger, looking to speak to other professionals, you may not even want to be the gorgeous woman taking her top off. The point here is, before you can really know who or what you’re going to be as a blogger, you need to know who your intended audience is.
Go Blog Yourself: Writing Your Blog Posts with Pen in Hand and SEO In Mind
As a general rule bloggers tend to be really full of themselves. Just as a person needs a certain amount of ego to run for political office, you have to think pretty highly of yourself to write a blog. On the most basic level, you have to think that someone actually cares what you have to say, otherwise you’d just keep your ramblings hidden away in a Word document on your computer’s hard drive. And perhaps people do care. After all, you’re reading this blog post right now. But the danger is that as more people begin reading what one has to say on their blog, the more highly one tends to think of him or herself.
But who am I to condemn? You’re reading my blog post and making me think more highly of myself. But I’ll share. You’re welcome to get in on some of the ego action with your comments below! See? It doesn’t always have to be all about me.
But just because an over-inflated ego causes you to believe people want to hear what you have to say doesn’t mean you don’t have some valuable or important to contribute to the worldwide discourse on your given topic. As a business owner, communication is key and there is no better way to start a dialogue with your target audience than to start a blog.
- "Our clients often tell us we're one in a million. Turns out we're really just one of a hundred thousand or so. But what they're really saying is that we get results that increase traffic, sales and ROI! Number one of a million? Yeah, that's where we put you when we velocitize your web marketing."
