A great headline can be the difference between having your free
reprint article published once (on your own website...) and
having it published hundreds, if not thousands, of times all
over the Internet.
Sure, the content has to be worthwhile; it has to be helpful,
informative, and not just a sales spiel. And there?s no denying
that a well written article can be very compelling. But if your
headline doesn?t cut it, the article won?t stand a chance. The
best article in the world will never see the light of day
without an effective headline.
Now, more than ever, article submissions need a good headline.
But it's not just the reader you have to worry about. In fact,
the reader is secondary! When it comes to reprint article
headlines, your main focus should be the publisher.
You may think the requirements of a good headline haven't
changed over the years, but they have. Unlike headlines for
traditional newspapers, magazines, etc., which target only the
reader, online article submission headlines target first the
publisher, then the reader.
So how do you write a headline for an online publisher?
Here?s a few tips...
1) State your domain
No matter what your business, you can be sure that potential
publishers of your article are inundated with information every
day. Imagine hypothetical 'Publisher Pete'. He?s the webmaster
of a high PR site. He receives hundreds of article submissions
every day. Additionally, he farms article submission sites (aka
'article banks', 'article submit sites', 'free-reprint sites')
for articles on a regular basis. Because so many of the article
submissions he sees are spam or unrelated, Publisher Pete is
quick to dismiss anything that isn't obviously ? and immediately
? relevant to his website. So make sure your headline signals
the general subject area of the article submission, not just the
exact topic.
2) State your argument
Every website has an agenda. Whether it's to sell, persuade, or
inform, there's always an angle. When our friend Publisher Pete
looks for free reprint content for his website, he wants
something that complements his agenda. If he's selling chemical
garden fertilizers, he doesn't want an article about the evils
of chemical fertilizer. Nor does he want an article espousing
the virtues of organic fertilizer. He wants an article promoting
the value of chemical garden fertilizer. If that's what your
article is about, make sure the headline lets him know.
3) Don't make empty promises
Sensationalized headlines may work in traditional media, but
they're not so effective in online article submissions. Few
things frustrate an online publisher more than being lured in by
a promising headline which turns out to be nothing more than hot
air. For publishers who take the time to carefully filter
content before publishing, empty headlines are nothing more than
time-wasters. For publishers who are a little less meticulous,
empty headlines result in a site which is characterized by
disjointed, contradictory, low-quality content. Either way, the
publisher isn't impressed, so make sure the headline of your
article is relevant to (and validated by) the body of your
article.
4) Put yourself in the publisher's shoes
Always think about ways to make the publisher's job easier. It's
as simple as that. Brainstorm 5, 10, 20 headlines, then put
yourself in the publisher's position and ask which one you'd
choose. That's the best headline for your article submission.
5) Think about your publisher's readers
Publishers want articles that readers will open. But remember,
your publisher's website may cater to an entirely different type
of reader to your website. Whenever you find yourself thinking
about your secondary audience (the reader), make sure you're
thinking about the publisher's readers ? not your own. That
settled, you can go on to focus on regular audience-headline
considerations such as making the headline attention-getting,
targeted, and benefit driven.
Conclusion
With the emergence of article submission as a great way to
generate a high search engine ranking, and the associated
proliferation of article submission spam, the right headline is
more important than ever. The important thing to remember is
that you're faced with a gatekeeper, and you need to address
their needs first.
By following all the publisher-focused tips above, you'll not
only see your article published many more times, you'll also see
it published on more relevant websites. This will help both your
ranking (because links from relevant sites are always the best)
and your click-thru traffic (because the audience will be more
relevant).
Happy headlining!
About the author:
Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and director of article
submission alternative, PublishHub and copywriter
studio Divine Write. Contact Sydney +612 4334 6222 or
glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or
http://www.publishhub.com for details.
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