When thinking about the key elements of effective blog headlines, craft them with the understanding that readers often scan/filter them with, “What’s in it for me?”

It’s a good thing my company blog page still has the working subtitle “Musings to inspire thought and creativity.” This is certainly a “musing” following the completion of a client assignment to write several blog posts … wherein I did apply what I learned/confirmed below!

At school, I learned that people scan/read headlines, whether in newspapers, magazines or other mediums … including blogs. If the headline interests the reader, there’s a good chance he or she will read the article that follows. My point? A well-crafted headline is one of the key elements of an effective blog headline.

Some of us will remember Edmund Lawler’s book, Chasers on Creating Business-To-Business Ads. In it, he talks about the criticality of the ad headline. Granted, a blog headline is not an ad headline, precisely. Yet, his book talks about the concept of the direct-benefit headline which appeals to needs or wants. It is one of the most powerful headline types. Why? It, too, functions on the premise of the “What’s in it for me?” principle.

To ensure I was still on the right page when it came to writing a solid blog headline, I scoured the web for articles. Here are just a few:

Elements and structure of an effective blog

Blog Anatomy

What’s worth remembering here (keeping it simple) is blog headlines are critical to blog readership. So, spend time and thought in creating one that resonates. Or, if you’re reviewing a blog headline provided by an agency or content professional, keep insights from the articles above in mind and understand a reader often thinks in terms of “What’s in it for me?” Incorporating some sort of benefit, either directly or indirectly in your blog headline, is a good approach to blog headline writing. Neil Patel is a blogging expert and he has a lot of good information on the web, too … some of it free!