As a content creator, you work tirelessly everyday to produce compelling content that entertains and informs your audience. But you know (perhaps, all too well) that content creation is only half the battle. Even if you’ve produced the most eloquent and visually appealing content, it won’t have much of an impact if it’s never seen.

Within today’s digital media landscape, there is an inundation of social content flooding our screens. From influencers to brands and, of course, friends and acquaintances, the constant flow of content can make it difficult for posts to achieve targeted clicks and views. One of the most assured means of receiving clicks is crafting a solid headline that instantly entices social audiences to spend time consuming your content.

As readers, we can all instantly recognize quality headlines: they’re catchy, well-crafted and leave us wanting more. However, as content creators, headlines prove to be trickier. What may sound fluid and pithy in our own minds may not translate to clicks from social audiences.

Luckily, Co. Schedule offers a free Headline Analyzer tool that offers instant and unbiased analysis of headlines to position your content for optimal success.

Co. Schedule’s Headline Analyzer tool offers individual ratings based on the quality of the headline, as well as its predicted potential to generate social shares, help SEO rankings and drive traffic.

Here are a few headline tips to help you make the most of this dynamic tool:

 

Length: The optimal number of words in a headline is six. Six words keeps headlines brief enough so that audiences don’t lose interest, but that number also offers enough room to include engaging language that compels audiences to take further action.

Keywords: Headlines should always contain relevant keywords that will enhance SEO value.

Emotion: Social audiences are bombarded with content all day, and the only way to really grab their attention spans is to appeal to their emotions. Headlines that subtle infuse humor, surprise-factors or convey empathy will naturally resonate with readers on more personal levels.
After you’ve used the Headline Analyzer tool to determine the perfect mix of words for your article, it’s time to share it to social media. Writing the perfect social message to accompany your impeccable headline will boost the likelihood that your shared piece of content will garner clicks.

 

Additionally, if you plan on sharing your article with your readers via email, you’ll also need to support your headline (and article content) with an open-worthy subject line. The best way to understand optimal subject line length to generate opens among your unique audience is simple testing. Utilizing AB testing schemes can help you to understand whether your audience is more receptive to brief or long-winded subject lines. If you’re not even sure where to start, Co. Schedule recommends email subject lines of around 50 characters.