Is anyone reading your content?
No matter how well crafted your white paper, case study, or product brief may be, an uninspired headline will doom it to obscurity. Not to mention squandering your time and money as a publisher. Readers won’t waste their time on content that doesn’t compel them. This means an inspiring, irresistible headline is Job One.
Good headlines do more than grab attention
Thinking like a headline writer at the outset is key to whether or not your content is ever read. It’s essential to strike an emotional appeal tailored to your readers’ personal interests — theirs, not yours. Great headlines get audiences to click through. You’ve got one shot at stopping a reader in their tracks. So make the most of your opportunity.
Subheads and graphics pull the reader through
Engaging your readers at each level of the story with crisp subheads is valuable for two reasons. First, it helps you organize your material into easily digestible chunks. Second, it enables the reader to better retain your message.
Clear, lively infographics highlight and underscore complex data for better reader comprehension. And they attract “skimmers” who need visual prompts before scrutinizing material.
Then tell them what you told them
Like a dominant chord in a blues song, readers want resolution. So give it to them with a crisp summary statement that reiterates your earlier refrain. After all, if you’ve gotten them this far they’re likely to investigate further.
How do you know the right readers are paying attention to your content? If you’re in doubt, what are you doing about it? How do you define the difference between content that is adequate and stuff that’s a must-read? How are you ensuring that you publish more of the latter?