Headline hacks for corporate comms teams
Speak’s senior content producer, Sophie Parrott, shares quick tips for comms teams who want to write standout headlines, hook readers – and get their content the exposure it deserves.
1. Include a personal perspective
Humans naturally connect with other humans – so creating headers using quotes that reflect the viewpoints and opinions of your interviewees will help audiences engage with your content.
If you’ve spoken to colleagues, leaders or industry experts for your content, use their distinctive point of view to help you ‘sell’ your story.
Choose quotes that speak for themselves. Think about what makes an article stand out and find a soundbite that reflects it.
It should always feel unique to the story or person. Has the interviewee overcome a huge challenge? Shed light on an impressive company development? Shared an attention-grabbing detail about an initiative’s impact? These questions might be a good starting point when creating a headline.
2. Evoke a reaction
Whether it evokes curiosity, excitement or surprise, you need to consider the response your headline will generate in your audience. If it doesn’t have an emotional impact, your audience is unlikely to want to read on.
Create header copy that taps into the above sentiments. This is what will grab a reader’s attention. Using ‘power words’ – such as ‘discover’ or ‘unveil’ – can help you evoke intrigue, prompting action from readers.
We’d never advocate for headlines that fall into attention-grabbing clichés. But if your goal is for readers to click on and read the full story, make sure you give them a good reason to do so.
3. Keep it brief
The average web visitor only gets through six words of a headline – so comms teams that want to grab audiences’ attention have to work fast.
To draw them in, be specific and give audiences a clear sense of what the story is about (without revealing too much!).
Studies suggest that 60 to 100 characters is the ideal length of a title, so make sure the copy is short, sweet and to the point. Cut any words that don’t add value.
Don’t know where to start? Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Ask yourself which details of the story you would be most interested to learn more about.
4. Deliver on what you promise
Clickbait headlines might initially drive audiences to your site – but if they don’t deliver what they promise, they will undoubtedly leave readers feeling annoyed and unwilling to return.
Avoid misleading statements, false claims or exaggerated narratives. Instead, make sure that your header is descriptive, accurate and, importantly, genuinely reflects the contents of your article.
If your stories are high-quality, original and engaging, you won’t need to use clickbait tactics to draw audiences in or stand out from competitors.
5. Put your audience first
High-ranking content and impressive click-through rates will be a priority for comms teams wanting to produce content with tangible results. But never lose sight of your audience’s needs.
Steer clear of tactics such as keyword-stuffing, which can lead to poor-quality content. Not only will these tactics put audiences off but they can also negatively impact your search engine rankings if they violate spamming policies. And as search engines evolve, they are increasingly prioritising “helpful, reliable, people-first content” over web pages that try to trick the system.
While SEO best practices can provide useful guidance, make sure that, first and foremost, you create headline copy that satisfies your audience’s demands.
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To find out how to implement a best-in-class editorial strategy that connects your organisation to your always-on audience, contact Gabrielle from our client services team at gabriellebridle@speakmedia.co.uk or on LinkedIn.