Entice Readers with Headlines First, Great Content Second

So you already know you need to be posting on LinkedIn. Much like blogging, writing regularly on LinkedIn has the powerful benefit of showing other people that you’re a thought leader in your industry.

But if you’re writing content first and then coming up with an appropriate headline, you’re done before you even have a chance. It’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping it sticks.

In order for posts to be successful on LinkedIn, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Yes, great content is critical – you want to keep the reader’s attention once they’ve clicked through.

But way too many article writers are missing out on step one: writing an attention-grabbing headline. You don’t have any readers if the headline doesn’t grab attention in a busy social media feed.

Coming up with a good LinkedIn article headline after the fact is costing you readers, engagement, and business.
Think about your own feeds – cluttered, right? Constantly being updated as other people share information? Your readers are experiencing the same thing.

You have a limited period of time to make an impact and it’s noisier than ever before. You cannot think about the headline after the fact. Your headline must be amazing first and then your article should be written to meet the headline second.

Did you know that 90% of your time and effort should be put on the headline? It might seem like just a couple of words, but it can make or break whether anyone actually sees anything else you wrote. See the importance now?

When writing for LinkedIn, spend 90% of time on the headline and only 10% on the article itself.
Creating a headline is simple when you consider that most people love Buzzfeed and Upworthy style titles: lists with a promise or a strong emotional appeal. People love lists because there’s a finite amount of information and they’re curious about what made the cut.

Some great ideas to get you started with the right headline are these titles:

• 5 Ways to Accomplish X
• The Best Way to ____________
• These X Mistakes Are Costing You Business

Once you’ve come up with an amazing headline, there are a few tips that can help you get the most out of the article you write. Your headline helps to guide your article and the reader’s interest, so it has to be created first, but you should always follow through with a great blog. To really take things over the top with your writing strategy:

• Find or take a compelling photo
• Write 500-600 words and keep it concise
• Include calls to action in your conclusion

 

Action Steps

1. Think about your next potential article topic and it’s title.
2. Get ideas by looking at Google’s keyword planner.
3. Next, run your headline through the free Coschedule headline analyzer (Hint: you’re aiming for a 65 or better.)
4. Make tweaks until you’ve got a headline sure to convert.

 

Outcome

A headline that grabs attention and doesn’t cost you readers.
 

 
This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.