Your headlines are what helps users determine whether your ad is worth clicking on or not. This is one of the most important aspects of your content strategy, so we’ve put together 5 tips that can help you improve:
Consider the Length
In today’s digital world, people are constantly bombarded with information. The result has been that the average person’s attention span is getting shorter. According to a study by Microsoft, the average attention span of online users is about 8 seconds. This is a sharp decline from a 2000 study that revealed our online attention spans were about 12 seconds. It’s key to create headlines that effectively capture and hold the attention of consumers – and a lengthy headline might not be the best way to do this. With your image and headline being the main way to capture the consumers’ attention, concise headlines are best. The ideal native advertising headline is about 60-80 characters long.
Include Numbers in Your Headlines
Using numbers in your headlines has proven to be effective time and time again. Numbers make headlines easier to process and digest. According to a study by Conductor, headlines with numbers were 36% more popular than headlines without numbers. For instance, instead of writing “Best Tips for Buying a New Car,” try using “5 Best Tips for Buying a New Car.”
Create a How-To
When you have great tips to offer to your readers, how-to headlines are great because they are direct and to the point. If done correctly, this gives your readers a clear indication of what your content has to offer. For example, “How to Train Your New Puppy,” or “How to Remove Stains From Your Carpet” are a few ways that you can use this type of headline.
Ask Questions
Asking a question in your headline is another proven strategy that drives results. Consider using keywords such as ‘What’ ‘Why’ ‘Which’ ‘How’ ‘When,’ etc. The key here is to ask questions that inspire curiosity rather than asking misleading questions. For example, do not ask a question that is obviously misleading, such as “Is This Proof that Aliens Are Living on Earth?” Instead, ask a question that can actually provide value to your audience, such as “How One Company is Improving the Way We Buy Cars.”
Don’t Write Misleading Headlines
Trying to gain clicks by misleading your audience is one of the fastest ways to drive them away. For example, headlines such as “Tricks to Winning the Lottery,” or “Shocking Facts about the U.S. Government” are obviously misleading. Native advertising is all about improving the user experience, and helping users discover content that they actually care about. Trying to trick users into clicking on your content will earn you little trust from your audience.
