In a world where we are constantly reminded ‘Content is King’ it’s remarkable how large chunks of online content still remain unread because of poorly thought out headlines.
The importance of the headline, title, strap (whatever you prefer to call it) is often forgotten. Whether it’s a blog, video, feature or case study, without the right tag it will be lost in cyber space forever.
I would go so far to say that your content will remain unread unless you follow at least one of these rules:
1. Be controversial
Be controversial in a blog post. Spark debate. Say something different – and make that something interesting.
2. Be factual
We are fact obsessed, whether it’s the most recent infographic, an interesting percentage or a full blown report we click. This is because we are curious and want to know how we, or our brand, compares to others.
If you don’t believe me, here’s a great fact to back it up: The most popular news stories on the B2B Marketing website over the last three months (at least) have been based around a dramatic percentage or fact.
3. Explain ‘how to’
The internet is a platform that allows us to constantly learn new things. If content promises to teach us something new (on a topic we are already interested in) it’s more than likely we are going to click. These ‘How to guides’ usually work best if they are written as ‘five easy steps’.
4. Be relevant
If you can tailor your content to topical discussions, news or just the weather it’s more than likely it will be clicked. For example, we all are probably sick by now with brands getting on the royal baby bandwagon, but by creating relevant content on the subject (infographics for example) they drove a abundance of traffic to their content that would have been otherwise missed.
So, now we’ve driven traffic to your content it’s just up to you to make sure they have an enjoyable experience – and want to return.