A strong headline draws readers in, helps establish the tone of your post, and sets expectations for what’s inside. It’s also the first thing potential readers see when scanning search engine results or browsing social media, so it has a big impact on whether they click through to read your content.
The best headlines are concise and to the point, leveraging human psychology to attract attention. They’re also crafted to meet the needs of specific online platforms, leveraging keyphrase prominence and other tactics for maximum effectiveness.
Question headlines engage readers by addressing their curiosities or concerns. They often include an enticing offer or dare to encourage readers to take action.
List articles are popular because they promise scannable, organized content and can be easy to write. They also tend to perform well on Facebook, where a recent study found that headlines with 15 words or more get twice as many likes and shares as those with fewer words.
Explanatory headlines explain the topic of your article to help readers understand and appreciate its value. This can be as simple as explaining the difference between passive and active voice or as complicated as breaking down a complex legal issue for non-lawyers.
News headlines share the latest events or trends to immediately capture readers’ attention and interest them in reading your article. This can work especially well when it’s relevant or time-sensitive, such as the Master Lawyers Section’s recent article about unbundling legal services for millennial clients.