Journalist Starshine Roshell explains some of the top reasons that readers are drawn to headlines. Learn why the best way to attract readers’ attention to your blog or article is to write headlines that show how your story is relevant to them—how it’s going to benefit them directly. This tutorial offers lots of examples.
- [Voiceover] Tell me something.…When's the last time you stopped to read a story…with a headline that was completely irrelevant to your life?…I'm guessing it's been a while.…Throughout this course, I'm gonna give you…lots of tips for making your headlines more appealing,…engaging, and irresistible.…But when it comes down to it,…there's really only one reason…people stop to read a headline:…they believe there's something in it for them.…It might be something that will help them…solve a problem, like How to Tell…If You've Been Exposed to Lead.…
Or it might be something to inform them…about an issue they care about:…Weekend Roadwork Expected to Cause Carmageddon.…It might be to confirm or challenge…an assumption they have: Why Hollywood…is Still Getting 3D Movies Wrong.…Or teach them something valuable:…Everything You Need to Know About…Tomorrow's Solar Eclipse.…It might be tips on getting ahead at work:…17 Bad Habits That Could Cost You a Promotion.…Or deep background to make them look smart…to a date they're hoping to impress:…
Author
Starshine Roshell
Released
6/23/2016How do you sum up an entire story in a few words? Starshine shows you how to preview a story, pull out the relevant benefits, and pack them into a pithy headline. Find out how to use style to engage your readers—writing with vibrant, active language, being truthful, and telling readers what they need to know in a timely way. She also stresses the importance of mechanics, showing you how to correctly and effectively use punctuation and capitalization in headlines. Plus, get details on when to write subheads, how to employ keywords for SEO, and the background on headline trends, all with loads of examples along the way.
- Construct attention-grabbing headlines.
- List the four Us of great headlines.
- Name three problems that arise from using long headlines.
- Explain how to use active verbs to enhance a headline.
- Identify trends that are helpful in creating fresh headlines.
- Use proper mechanics to craft grammatically correct headlines.
- Compose a subhead to share additional critical details.
- Summarize the benefits of using strong keywords in headlines.
Skill Level Beginner
Duration
Views
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Introduction
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Welcome1m 9s
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1. Content
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Grab the readers' attention1m 52s
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Make headlines concise2m 16s
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2. Style
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Make headlines engaging2m 32s
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Trends in writing headlines3m 51s
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3. Mechanics
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Capitalization in headlines2m 43s
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How to use subheads3m 21s
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Conclusion
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Next steps1m 49s
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Video: Grab the readers' attention