It’s just a headline, right?

Actually it’s more than that.

It’s the start of a conversation.

If you don’t leave room for people to join in

Then

Well

They won’t.

Think of it this way

Instead of a slam dunk

A headline needs to make the assist

And give the reader a chance to make the shot.

Because hey

It’s not about you.

More on that in a second.

First things first.

A headline needs to grab attention.

It needs to pull someone out of their routine

Someone with a million things on their mind.

This means standing out from all the other words vying for their attention.

Yep it’s one big competition.

Way bigger than your product

Service

Or industry.

Those things are your pool.

Your headline is diving into an ocean.

Some say people encounter thousands of such messages every day.

And I believe them.

Though I’ve never actually counted.

Point being

A headline has to stand out.

You’ve got about a nanosecond to do that.

If it’s half-hearted

You might as well not even bother.

So how exactly do you demand attention?

By being clever or funny?

Maybe.

Sometimes.

By being jarring?

I guess.

If jarring is your thing.

Is it?

Maybe before worrying about those things

Think about who you’re talking to.

What is it they need to know?

This is way different that what you need them to know.

We already know what you need them to know.

You need them to know you’re a leader.

That you’re the best.

That there’s no one like you.

And never will be.

That’s all good.

Except for one thing

They don’t care.

And never will.

What they care about

Is how they can be the leader.

How they can get more out of life.

How they can improve.

How there’s no one like them.

And never will be.

All with the push of a button

Or something like that.

In short

They need to hear about themselves.

Not you.

Do all that

And you’ll be well on your way

To a halfway decent headline.