What pro writers know, and you don't, about writing kickass headlines

OK, so maybe your headlines don’t always fail—in fact, we’re sure they don’t.

But when they do, you will always find the reason why here in this infographic by Neil Patel’s QuickSprout, the kings of infographic marketing and traffic generation.

From print journalism headlines to direct-response email subject lines, pro writers know what gets readers’ attention. Great headlines and subject lines are snappy, on topic, speak to the reader and promise immense value.

One of our favorite parts of the infographic is the shortest but most useful: See “Why Headlines Fail.”

And as you strive for more creative, more effective headlines, never forget something marketing and conversion expert Flint McGlaughlin of Marketing Experiments hammered into my brain early in my copywriting career:

Clarity trumps persuasion. Clarity trumps persuasion. Always and forever, clarity trumps persuasion.

No one likes to be fooled. Giving your reader an unjustified or unfulfilled promise in your headline or email subject line is one the worst things you can do as a professional copywriter. It’s a conversion killer. Worse yet, it loses your readers’ trust.

As long as you are clear and on topic, let the creative juices flow.

Do you have any more tricks to writing kickass headlines or email subject lines that grab readers’ eyeballs? We’d love to hear about them.

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