Before the Internet, a keyword was just the word or topic that created the central focus of your content. Maybe it's just me, but there are more words dedicated to defining the different types of headlines than to the promise. If you turn it around the other way around, you'll have the advantage of expressly fulfilling the convincing promise you made with the headline. Even though all writers and journalists know the power of headlines, many still underestimate their importance.
You will also consult books that consist only of collections of headlines that have proven their effectiveness. Bly gives the example of pure silk blouses with a 30 percent discount as a headline that directly indicates the sales proposal. It's unfortunate that the headlines that work best for direct marketing or link harassment are often not the ones that work best for search engines. Making them work together can be a little difficult to balance, but (especially when blogging), it's generally best to choose the title that gets you the most readers and links, and perhaps sacrifice that keyword-optimized title.
Headlines that arouse the reader's curiosity create their own sense of urgency without the threat of scarcity or danger. Master copywriter Gene Schwartz used to spend an entire week on the first 50 words of a sales article: the headline and the opening paragraph. This is the secret of the power of your title and the reason why it determines the effectiveness of the entire piece so much. The funny thing is that I get a lot of search traffic for this same publication, because people search for “how to write headlines”, and a lot of links make me rank high on Google with that phrase.
A product announcement, an improved version, or even a content scoop can be the basis for a compelling news headline. Doing so can help you tell you what types of headlines you should prioritize and also which ones you should avoid.
