Powerful headlines are immediately recognizable.

Use active voice instead of passive

Sometimes, it’s not what you say but how you say it. To make your headlines more engaging, phrase them in an active voice: “Managers overcome labor shortage problems using these strategies.”

This is much more impactful than the passive version: “Ways managers have overcome labor shortage problems.”

To avoid passive voice altogether, steer clear of headlines that imply an experience instead of a direct action conducted by the subject. Instead, always keep the verb as close to the subject as possible — the phrasing “managers change” and “managers start” is much more impactful than “managers are changing” and “managers have started.”

2. Be concise

The best headlines are short, sweet, and to the point. As a general rule, headlines should be six words long or under 70 characters for maximum impact. Longer headlines (11 words or more) can still garner interest as long as the message is succinct and concise.

Even if your content covers many different topics and subtopics, try to find a headline that neatly summarizes the material in a few words. For an article on how to start an ecommerce business from scratch, consider a headline like, “Create an ecommerce business in 5 easy steps,” so readers know exactly what to expect at a glance.

3. Make sense

Stay away from long-winded or confusing headlines that don’t accurately reflect the content. For instance, it wouldn’t make sense to use a headline like “Eco-friendly business practices” for an article that focuses on health insurance or workers’ compensation.

The best content delivers on the message delivered in the headline, so avoid veering off-topic or covering too much information at once. If needed, create multiple potential headlines and spend some time selecting the best candidate for the content.

4. Spark curiosity

Intriguing headlines are especially effective at piquing the interest of readers. Think about putting some foreshadowing in the title of your next article, video, or email to make the content more appealing.

A blog post entitled, “Most business owners don’t know about these work hacks” is a good example because it causes people to wonder what kind of secret knowledge they can discover by reading further.

5. Use numbers

If you’re creating a top 10 video or a list article, consider adding a number to the headline if possible. People are drawn to numbered headlines because they’re often easy to scan through quickly without needing to digest every piece of information. Instead, they can get the gist of the content in a minute or two, capturing the message of each point.