What do you do if your headlines and subject lines fail to captivate readers?

Make sure to pull readers in with punchy words that cut right to the chase, and talk like a "normal" person - it sounds corny and perhaps even common sense, but there are so many headline writers who try too hard to convey as much detail as possible, and in the process lose about half the people they're trying to bring into a story.

Are they too long - ideally 6-8 words in headlines? Do they include numbers/quick stat? Rewrite to make sure in encapsulated the article, but is intriguing - including numbers often helps as does starting with “how xyz did xyz”

Headlines should: Amuse (make your audience smile), Educate (teach them something they didn't know), or Inspire (live your best life). The most captivating headlines do all three.

When I was writing news headlines the most effective made people feel an emotion ahead of reading the article and followed through with relevance. Popular culture references, humour, word play, are all great approaches but they have to be original takes. If you offer a fresh perspective on something that has been regurgitated a thousand times before you will always be ahead of the pack. Train your brain to think outside the box.

X vs Y approach… A/B test your headlines/ subject lines. One fails to get results? No problem. Add one more. Test both. See which performs better. Then test that with another one against it. Keep optimizing your lines as per results. It’s always about relative performance, not absolute.

If the headline or subject line fails to attract readers, that means you're not aligning with the pain points of your targeted audience. They should feel emotionally connected to it. That's why we call it copy. From the first to the last line, your copy should trigger emotional action. My advice is to add personalized subject lines, like, "Hey [Name], hope you're doing well." Adding names to the subject line works really well.

Subject line click bait isn’t always easy to achieve on a consistent basis, but my experience has been that this copy is crucial to bolstering open rates. The numbers don’t lie. A few contributors here have mentioned A/B testing. Do it often and don’t be afraid to experiment..always considering the overall voice of the brand.

Make your work readable. It’s so important to be easy to read - and yet so many people overlook readability. Have a look at our annual Readability Report analysis if you want to know more.

Analyze the metrics of your articles. Which headlines have done great? Which headlines haven't done well? This will give you insight into how to improve.

If your headlines are not that captive for your target audience ✅Do a research ✅Change words and phrases ✅Try adding vulnerable points ✅A short summarized and noticeable heading takes time but once you're an expert there's no way going back 🙇🏻 🥂Remember headlines are the backbone. Never undervalue it and take your time 🩷

If you see that your headline is not giving you the head-turns you were hoping for, I believe there is a fundamental pain point or insight you might have missed. Go back to your research, find the insights that really drive the headline, and use the pain points that directly relate back to the consumer.

The primary purpose of a headline is to earn attention and make people stop in their tracks. Social media posts have around 1.5 seconds to make an impact. Whether it’s a clever pun, a weird one, or even a typo, anything goes. You can also use typography, graphics and colours to your advantage. Words are also an image.

One thing I've found helpful is to try different keywords in the title that mean the same thing. Some words are more impactful than others or create a melodic read instead of landing blandly. You want readers to want to step into the article, which sometimes means a careful eye on the window dressing.

When addressing today’s culture, I feel the blend of creativity and analysis of data is important. Paying attention to how your audience responds and being able to pivot is an amazing advantage, that wasn’t readily available when I first started in the marketing space. That bled of art and science is why I love digital marketing.

The medium is the message—for our brand, I write a different style of headline for a print magazine piece (original and voicey) than I would for a digital story (casual, can't-not-click) or Instagram post (conversational). All three are expressions of our brand that are tailored to the audience.

This is probably the most important part of your post, be authentically you. If you follow the "gurus" advice you become their clone and your readers will know you are being fake. By all means get advice from experts but make sure you write in your own voice.

You brands personality and voice should be distinctive and engaging from the first line of your copy or content. Understanding the brand archetype combination at the heart of your brand helps you to further hone your comms. An engaging hook will help to turn the right heads. You need to speak to the curious mind and aching heart of your audience.

Write headlines that don’t make any sense before reading the copy. After the copy they should make perfect sense. Go crazy, the headline is your ad space.

One of my favourite examples of the importance of distinct voice was found in a study I read years ago on EDM opening copy. Unlike every other industry - where personalised EDM greetings were clearly favoured by recipients - users actually wanted LESS personalisation from law brand emails. Again - this is an old study I'd no longer rely on - but there was a heavy skew towards greetings that omitted recipients' names. I was very sceptical but, after several a/b tests, found it to be correct. Open rates were my new best mates. In trying to be a 'friendly' brand, we can risk losing a tone audiences want, trust and respect. Stay on top of generic studies, track where your industry's an outlier and exploit that in your brand voice!

Seeking feedback is crucial for improving your writing skills, including reflective writing. Here are some tips for seeking feedback effectively: 1. Be open-minded: Approach feedback with an open mind, understanding that it's meant to help you improve, not criticize your work. 2. Ask specific questions: Instead of just asking for general feedback, ask specific questions about areas you're unsure about or want to improve. 3. Seek feedback from different sources: Get feedback from a variety of people, such as peers, mentors, or instructors, to gain diverse perspectives. 4. Consider the feedback: Take the time to carefully consider the feedback you receive and how you can incorporate it into your writing.

Start by reaching out to a small group within your target audience. That means, present multiple headline options and ask for their reactions. Also use headline analyzer relevant to your niche. This feedback can yield a wide range of insights, because you get to see how different people interpret the same words and what elements draw them in. Another effective method is leveraging email A/B testing, where different segments of your audience receive different subject lines. The feedback, in this case, is in the form of open rates and engagement metrics. Following up with a survey to those who opened the email can provide additional qualitative insights. Lastly, sometimes seek feedback from colleagues or industry peers.

Getting the opinion of your ideal humans about the resonance of your copy is one smart move. Don’t assume you’re speaking to their needs and desires without asking them what matters most to them. The lines/messaging that are most likely to land will largely be determined by copy clarity and your ability to convince and compel your audience to act.

When your headlines and subject lines fails to captivate audiences then it shows that you need to get feedback: -Ask for feedback from colleagues, peers, or even your target audience. -Feedbacks provide valuable insights on how to improve your headlines and subject lines.

Opening the comment section on your blogs or any other social media helps in getting feedback from your audience. Feedback whether good or bad it helps in improving your content.

Each iteration should be an opportunity to refine and enhance the connection your words make with the reader. And here's some ways you can do that: 1. Start with a broad set of ideas: Generate a wide range of headlines for a single piece of content, experimenting with different angles, formats, and emotional appeals. This diversity is key to uncovering unexpected gems. 2. Apply feedback and data: With each round of feedback or new set of performance data, revisit the headlines to see if a particular style is outperforming others. 3. Reflect and refine: After each test, reflect on what worked, what didn't, and why. This will deepen your understanding of the audience's evolving preferences and the competitive landscape.

Headline writing requires feedback and rigorous honing. Gathering target audience feedback makes sense. Reading them out loud can help. Trialing different approaches is great. But, above all, you want to stop time scarce readers in their tracks. How? Push for the intrigue, provoke thought, hammer home a fact, shock, entertain…but above all…make them want to read on!

Write out a number of different headlines for a piece. Read them out loud Give them to someone else and ask for their honest opinion of them

Do your research and make things specific to the person you are reaching out to-not generic. Build a relationship - make that person look forward to your emails - not dread them.

Consider voice of customer language. As mentioned above, the headline needs to be relevant to your target audience. That means you have to be strategic in the specific language you use to make sure it resonates. Don't try to impress with fancy language or industry jargon. You draw people in by being relatable. Here's how to start. Look for and replicate word choice from: - testimonials and reviews (yours and your direct competitors) - Reddit and other forums - discovery calls (pro tip: record them)

Try and try again! Writing well is a skill and takes time to master. Keep your tone real, words easy to digest and post consistently to find what your audience likes. 🎇Emojis🎇 also help to capture attention!