Member-only story
The 4 U’s of an Attention-Grabbing Headline
Nail at least 3 out of 4 and you’re golden
There are lots of methods for creating a catchy headline that gets clicks, and I’d like to throw in my lot. I can’t entirely credit this to myself as I learned it from a copywriting course offered through AWAI.com (no I’m not an affiliate). However, it’s a little trick I keep in my back pocket to make sure my first impression gives me good chances of a read.
Whenever I click on an article in medium, I take note of what made me click. Usually, it’s a blend of mystery (sparks my interest but keeps me guessing), applicability (something that applies to my life), and also something that seems like it’s trying to help me reach my goals. Let’s see how the four U’s hold up to my experience.
Useful
The first U is useful. Headlines that make us click are talking about something that is useful to us in our lives. It could be a business course that teaches us something we have been needing to learn. It can be a type of software that would help us with our bookkeeping. Or it could be an inspirational story that is so needed and useful for us at that time. Whatever it’s about, great headlines prove useful to the reader.