Is your headline or subject line one which would stop people in their tracks? And does the content justify the promise?
A good headline or a subject line is a compelling invitation that stopping here and paying attention for long enough will offer value in return. It doesn’t need to explain everything or be profound — just spark curiosity, recognition, or tension. The reader needs to think: I need to see where this goes.
In a world of deluged with video, the job of text headlines and subject lines has got harder. They depend entirely on their language, rhythm, curiosity, and emotional or intellectual pull to earn that click. This exposes how well we really know our audience — we either strike the right chord or we don’t. But when they work, they really work. Every day, I skim down one particular feed of potentially interesting articles to read. Time and time again, when I stop for a moment, the headline is from the same source. I’d love to have that writer’s talent.
One effective approach is to create tension or contradiction, leading with something unexpected or slightly uncomfortable that the brain can’t help but want to resolve. Another is to use familiar moments that trigger instant recognition. There are hundreds of lists of ideas if you want to research further.
What we must not do, however, is engage in the sort of ‘clickbait’ which local newspaper websites love and which everyone now ignores. We need to match the promise to the payoff, or we’ll quickly irritate customers. So ask these questions:
Is our headline or subject line one which would stop people in their tracks? And does the content justify the promise? The first is a target, the second is essential.