How to grab your reader's attention – and keep it!
Scour magazine racks and try an informal approach to help write the most effective headlines for your audience.
Picture your potential audience as a school of fish. Now picture yourself as the angler. What do you have to do to reel those fishies in?
First, you have to hook them. And to hook them, you need really fresh bait.
For us communicators, how well we craft a headline, for instance, will determine how many readers we attract. And if the overall writing style consistently delivers originality and informational nourishment – that is, fresh bait – our readers will indeed be hooked.
Let’s look at a couple of angles you can use to make your employees take your bait:
1. Write "killer" headlines
You have about two seconds to hook your readers. Two seconds, or they’re gone for good. Great headlines not only provide a glimpse into a story’s topic, they surprise, they entice, and often they delight. Moreover, they lure the reader into the story itself; they sell it for you. But headline writing is an art form. To many, it doesn't come easily; so, too often, headlines get the perfunctory treatment.
Great headlines not only provide a glimpse into a story’s topic, they surprise, they entice, and often they delight.
Consider this scenario: Your CEO (let's say he's called John Smith) issues a monthly e-mail to all employees. The subject line (e-mail’s headline equivalent) reads:
- A message from John Smith, or...
- CEO John Smith’s December message to all employees, or...
- Let’s celebrate a great year, says John Smith.
You could argue that all employees would read the CEO’s message, regardless. However, see how indifferent headlines, such as a and b, contrast with example c. The latter sets a positive tone, tells the audience immediately that the message may be worth their time, and has a community – an “us” – feel to it. Your readers will feel the CEO is truly talking to them.
Remember the impulse impact
If you want to hone your headline-writing skills, read good headlines. Check out magazine covers at your local supermarket’s check-out counter, for instance. Magazine publishers depend heavily on those impulse purchases, and it’s the headlines that make those sales happen.
Note their economy of words, the power of the words chosen – and how the writer has positioned them. “Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks!” “Britney pops paparazzi!” “Alien baby found in jungle!” They’re snappy, they’re sensational and they make you want to read more.
Also, learn from the best; look to the premier business journals for examples of catchy headlines. These recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal newspaper:
- How fewer flights at JFK could affect you
- Rugby’s rugged appeal is catching fashion’s eye
- The hidden risk of file-sharing
- Dump this house: Unloading your property in a slow market
2. Take the "lead" out of your lead
Your opening (or lead) paragraph should complement your headline, not repeat it. Otherwise, you’ve wasted your readers’ time. Furthermore, your lead's job is to make the reader stay with you.
If you want to hone your headline-writing skills, read good headlines.
Let’s go back to our e-mail example: Let’s celebrate a great year, says John Smith – and imagine you’re using it for a newsletter article. You’ve already alerted your reader that the news is good. Now what do you need to say? You write:
- CEO John Smith said that "XYZ Corporation", for example, had a great year in 2007 and that it’s time for all employees to celebrate that achievement; or...
- XYZ Corporation’s CEO is all smiles. Record-setting sales, four straight quarters of exceeding Wall Street’s expectations, and a healthy production pipeline have made John Smith one happy guy. “2007 has been stellar,” says John. “I’ve never seen anything like it, and it boils down to our dedicated employees.”
Option a is redundant, whereas option b adds color; it tells your readers why the year was great and why John is feeling festive. It also helps them internalize the company’s success. In short, they’re hooked.
Consider an informal approach
In addition, there are other tricks to help your reader feel talked to as opposed to talked at, which makes them more inclined to read on. Referring to people in your story by first name after first mention gives an informal touch and makes them seem more real to the reader.
Present tense imparts an in-the-moment impression, enabling the reader to hear the subject’s voice: John says vs. John said.
As you explore various ways to bait your hook, you may find that seeking out good writing will inspire you to improve your own. And you may find that you no longer have to trawl for readers. They'll be swimming to you.
Other recommendations:
TOP TIPS: Preparing managers to communicate bad news