TURNS OF PHRASE
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Tech, entrepreneurship, language et al.

THE JOURNEY AND TOPICS OF INTEREST

May 04th, 2020

5/4/2020

 
Picture
I don’t know if I’m making progress, but I’m not doing horribly with my LevelUp schedule. Yes, I was four minutes late to a Zoom class today, but after waiting for a few minutes in the virtual waitroom, I left the meeting and took a ballet barre at home.

I would rather that than get a bad reputation for being late. It’s a few minutes, but I can be on time.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s me being passive aggressive and trying to have control in the times when I haven’t.

Probably. Maybe. Maybe not. But I see how subconsciously I could do this.

I have to dig deep into why I am doing this and fix this problem. For now I need to just be on time. And do the self-analysis maybe through writing.

Still, enough about this. Now, more about headlines as part of my self-study goals. We can work on more than one thing simultaneously, right? I had to let myself screw up earlier (and learn from this “behavior”), and then still keep to what else I had planned. Even if it does dampen some of the joy I had earlier in checking off everything planned.

I will try again on Monday. 5 minutes early is on time.

But enough about me. Let’s go ahead and look at some other ways to write headlines. If you’re reading, know that this is an evolutionary type of prose. For now, the confessional-teaching model is where I am. Hopefully you — dear words — will evolve as I do.

Anyway, onward.

                                                              >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

9 More Solid Like a Rock Headline Ideas

Okay, let’s start.

1. Be clear and direct. We don’t have to be cute or clever. We can say what we mean clearly. And it works well for strong offers and a product or service that a reader is familiar with, according to the e-book.

Example:
  • Pure jade stones…30% off
  • FREE one-week trial for Amazon Prime
Picture

                                                        >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

2. State the main benefit. So you can lead in with what can help a person most, or what they’ll get from what you have. At the very least, they’ll be able to look at the title and know immediately what the point of it is, and if it’s worth reading.
Examples:
  • Get one free book when you buy 5 (Yes, book fair.)
  • Create a personalized business card in minutes. (Basically Vistaprint)

                                                      >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
3. Share exciting news. People like to hear news. So share some. And it doesn’t have to be hot off the press information, just something that would be new to a reader.

Examples:
  • Now introducing the Spiritual Cleanse
  • Forget the movies. Try TheNetteFlicks on-demand programming today.

                                                     >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
4. Write a how-to. Make sure that it focuses on the benefit or end result, rather than the process.


Examples:
How To Find Your Focus On “Off” Days
How To Find Balance In The Midst of Chaos

                                                    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

5. Ask a provocative question. Make sure that it relates to the benefit of a product or service, and can get a reader to think. And answer “Yes” or “I’m not sure, but let me know more.”

Examples:
  • Did you make one of these three mistakes on your tax returns?
  • When the Going Gets Tough, What Do You Do? Read This For 4 Ways to Be the Tough That Gets Going.

                                                    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
6. Give an order. Sometimes people like being told what to do, especially if they have no clue. So you have a chance to take the lead and be the boss like your name is Angelica, and you have a basic dislike for tiny children. Babies!

Examples:
  • Ignore those pesky web people. And build a website yourself. Yes, you! Try Webbly today.
  • Host a call anywhere at anytime with Vroom.

Bark. Howl. Image courtesy of Pixabay
                                                 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

7. Give useful information. I’ve talked about this one before. Basically, people like tips, hints, secrets. Here the title I have said “ideas,” so it’s a little different, but the same idea. In the internship I started, I liked how the person I report to says that she wants to provide value — I think this is the idea of #7. Snackable value.

Examples:
  • 9 More Ideas for Clickworthy Headlines
  • 8 Steps to Financial Freedom

                                                   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

8. Use a testimonial. It’s kind of nice to see a title in quotes, as if you took the words right out of someone’s mouth and plastered them onto the page. It not only has the power to lend credibility, but it adds the “human” element so us nosy folk can know that another person has to say.

Examples:
  • “I was surprised how much people connected with my words.”
  • “For the first time, I actually found a place that helped me. God, what a relief!”

                                                    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
9. Add a little something extra. If we note something in an interesting way or add a little bit more description to the headline, it can draw eyes and minds more to the line.

Examples:
  • Disillusioned comedian creates off-the-wall board game hit
  • Georgia woman developed 5-year tested method to fight illiteracy

This is all for now. I have one more set of headlines from Copyblogger, some stuff from Jon Morrow.

And then the people whose articles on Medium I followed about headlines. So maybe three or four more articles total. And then onto the next thing, probably a writing course.

On that note, thanks for reading and listening to my thoughts.

I would say stay safe, but I don’t really know you but you know, I hope if you’re reading you’re fine.
Even though I don’t really feel a sense of community, and more lonely.

On that note, thank you again. Goodbye.

Obinna Morton

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    More free-form, fewer rules.  Still legitimate.

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