Internet Marketing Digital_marketing_for_dummies | Page 121

Although these modified headlines aren’t perfect, they’re considerably more effective than
their originals. Adding a question mark to the first headline is a better way to pique a
reader ’s interest. Putting a number in the middle headline eliminates vagueness and adds
specificity. Finally, the addition of “How to” in the last headline turns a statement into a
promise.
If you’re struggling to come up with a headline for your piece, you can often find one
hiding in the opening or closing of the article. Look for the promise statement that conveys
the benefit of the article in your introduction or conclusion. You’ll likely find the
beginnings of a headline there.
Includes a strong introduction
The weakest part of an article is often the introduction. Sometimes a blog post can go from
being good to great if you just chop off the first five paragraphs to get the reader to the
point quicker. Exceptiona l introductions contain the following elements:
Intro copy is extremely easy to consume and develops a rhythm for the post.
Intro copy draws readers in and compels them to read the entire article.
When writing your introduction, here’s a trick you can use: Open the post with a punchy,
curiosity-building sentence. Keep it short (rarely longer than eight words). The first
sentence is intended to create a “greased chute” (a term coined by copywriter Joe
Sugarman) that starts the reader “sliding” down the page.
Here are a few examples of this type of opening line:
You’ve finally found it.
Here’s the big misconception …
Stop me if you’ve heard this before.
After you get readers started down the “chute,” keeping them moving is much easier;
getting them started is the difficult part.
Offers easy-to-consume content
One of the goals of a blogger is for people to read the entire article, from start to finish,
and not bounce to somewhere in between. Blog content isn’t doing its job if it isn’t easy to
consume. To ensure that your content is easy to read, be sure that
Copy is formatted in a way that makes the article easy to consume.
Transitions between ideas and subheadlines are smooth.
Blog articles aren’t like books. An exceptional blog should not consist of dense, long
paragraphs with few to no images or video. Long, uninterrupted blocks of text are