Blog Archives

What’s The Deal With List Headlines Anyway? Well, Let Me Tell You.

7/7/2020

List headlines are very popular, according to a blogger whose e-book I read (Jon Morrow).

It’s like the popular kid that actually deserves their popularity. You like them because they really are cool. They deserve their title. Others, I don’t know, sometimes I wondered what was the catch?

What’s the catch?

Anyway, where was I?

List headlines, and um, some elementary, middle and high school. No, just list headlines.

Let’s go ahead and get to this. This will be based off of reading the e-book Headline Hacks by Jon Morrow.

Here are list headlines and why they’re so popular. The cool kids, that deserve it.

13 Examples of List Headlines

[1] 7 Ways to (Do Something)

Even the unpopular kids got more action than me. Geez. Well excuse my wandering mind, or not. Still, you know, like Degrassi, it goes there. Now where was I? Yes, high school, and 7 Ways.

According to Morrow, this title works best when a person is looking for options to choose from. If they’re looking for the best option, or one solution, then a list of options won’t work.

Otherwise it’s a good way to give a person a lot of information that they can sift through in a short amount of time.

"Jimmy!"

An Example: 12 Ways To Wear A Scarf

[2] 13 Ways to (Do Something) When (Situation)

This headline can appeal to a specific group of people, and also a specific circumstance. This is helpful because it immediately targets a reader, and keeps the net you cast from being too broad.

"These headlines set up the situation, directly address the reader’s most common problems, fears, and frustrations, and then list ways you can solve them or put them to rest." -Jon Morrow

An Example: 13 Ways to Stay Focused When You’re Overwhelmed

[3] The Top 10 (Blank)

It’s a popular kind of list. 10 is a lot, and a little number all at once. It’s just right, and with the alliteration, it’s a nice go-to.

Example: Top 10 Writing Apps

[4] 7 Steps To (Objective)

This works for when you want a person to be able to achieve a goal at the end of the article. A person might also perceive a step-by-step article to be easier to grasp than a how-to since there’s an immediate pay-off that is implied.

Example: 7 Steps to Fuller Hair

[5] 7 Hacks/Tips for (Objective)

This is bite-sized information. Not a bite-off-more-than-you-can-chew type strategy. So it’s not intimidating, and lets a reader take only what they need. And discard the rest. Like a buffet.

Example: 7 Hacks For Staying Safe When Traveling

[6] 7 (Adjective) Facts (Person/Audience) Should Know

People like facts. They are respectable things, and prove points. Win arguments. And are the basis of board games, TV shows and online games. So it would be a draw for a person, or hopefully, many people.

Example: 7 Little-Known Facts About Applying to College

[7] 7 Quotes from/by (Famous Person) That Will (Desired Result)

We are drawn to famous figures. Especially if they’ve attained a level in the world that we respect, and want for ourselves.
So to use a name that you (and hopefully your audience) will like, along with quotes, you’re going to draw people who want to learn how to achieve something in their life like this famous person or figure, too.

Example: 7 Quotes From Madame C.J. Walker That Will Inspire You To Continue Despite The Odds

[8] 7 (Blank) That Will Change Your Life

This e-book suggests this, and I don’t know, this does sound a bit dramatic. However, it works because it plays into the discontent a person might have about their lives. I think it’s good only if the information really is life-changing. And not minimally.

Example: 12 Powerful Affirmations That Will Change Your Life

[9] 15 Things You Didn’t Know About (Person/Thing)

This one was fun to learn about. Why? Because it plays into the curiosity that a person has about a topic they already like. And might want to know more, or see if they already knew what this title said they didn’t.

So instead of being clever with your words to trick a reader into reading something, this title plays into what curiosity is already there.

Example: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Late Bloomers

[10] 7 Things To Remember About/When/If (Blank)

This headline reminds me of the phrase “I am enough.” It’s kind of reassuring, and has an undertone of love. And kindness. It sounds like it’s reminding a friend about something worth remembering, and from someone that’s walked in your shoes.

Example: 7 Things To Remember When You Can’t Take Another Step

[11] 7 Things Only (Group) Understand

Well, there goes the school memories again. So I am carrying the metaphor through. Good. This isn’t high school or elementary cliques though. But it could be.

It could also be the era you/we were born in, what hobby you share with others, or any “group” you or I would belong to. It’s a title that speaks to a specific community, and even people not apart of that community will read to learn more about this group.

Example: 7 Things Only Geeky Kids Understand

[12] 7 Things We/You/Group Should (Blank)

Should isn’t always the best choice of words because it implies that you’re not doing something right in the first place. However, when it’s used in a general way, it’s okay. When you speak to people broadly, then nobody feels guilty of anything, or attacked.

Example: 7 Things You Should Secretly Have On a Checklist for Every Person You Meet

[13] 10 Things (Group) Do Differently

This headline implies that there is a group that does something well, and because of it, they do things different from others. This taps into our desire to know how to do well with ourselves too.

It also gives salient information without the fear of us failing our way to knowledge. We can skip the mistakes part, and apply what others have already done to accomplish something.

Example: 10 Things Truly Well-Off People Do Differently

So that’s it. The list headline is like the popular kid that you like. That I like (or liked). They’re deserving of it, since there’s something about them that people seem to be drawn to.

Who knew that an article about headlines could be minimally therapeutic?

Well, next up, we have an article about miscellaneous headlines. And then words that bring umph to titles too called power words. Or sensory words I read about a little earlier today.

Until next time.

Tech, entrepreneurship, language et al.

4 Copywriting Frameworks

What’s The Deal With List Headlines Anyway? Well, Let Me Tell You.

Description

Archives

Categories

Tech, entrepreneurship, language et al.

4 Copywriting Frameworks

What’s The Deal With List Headlines Anyway? Well, Let Me Tell You.

Description﻿

Archives

Categories

Description