If you’re like me, and you spend a lot of time on your content when you write blog posts for your small business or organization, you want your words to be heard! If you spend energy crafting an article for someone to read, it’s hard when nobody cares about what you have to say. One of my favorite blogging tips is to see your blog as a relationship with your reader.
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The first date
A headline is the first date of the short relationship a reader will have with your content. This is the time to wear your nicest clothes and maybe even spray a bit of cologne or perfume (but not too much!). This date is the first impression, the only chance to meet this person for the first time. So do not screw this up with bad breath or by answering your phone at dinner. Put on a nice shirt and make sure your headline is at its best.
Check yourself before you wreck yourself
If your headline has grammatical errors, capitalization that is inconsistent or words missing, you might as well not even have one. If you haven’t edited the part of your article that the most people will see (the headline, just to be clear), what does that say about the rest of your writing? You wouldn’t feel good about yourself if you went on a first date in a wrinkly shirt with Cheeto dust all over it, right? Do your date a favor and make that headline clean!
Strike up conversation
One of the worst experiences I’ve had on a first date was simply not having anything to talk about. I found my date attractive, but neither of us had anything to say. Your headline can be well-groomed, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t boring! Boring headlines are difficult to forgive, and they are rampant in the world of rapid content marketing. Make the most of your first date and go to your night with questions, interesting stories or at least something worth talking about.
Be willing to pay for dinner
Regardless of the gender of your headline (we won’t go there!), sometimes, you have to be willing to pay for the meal. It might be tempting to dig around in your purse when the check comes and pretend to not notice so your date will pick up the tab. It might be equally as tempting to pretend to fight over who pays when really you want the date to do so. Sometimes you may not have to pay for dinner, but being willing to sponsor your content or give it a boost on social media is nice. As you go on more dates with your readers (and they maybe even “go steady” by subscribing to your content!) splitting the tab or taking one for the team can really speak volumes to how much you value the reader’s relationship. Are you proud enough of your headline and the post behind it for many people to see it?
Be yourself
Ultimately, on your first date, you have to be yourself. This is a great time to put out your brand’s voice and personality. Put your best self forward, but make sure you are being true to you. If readers see your headline as a cheeky, witty person and then the post below it is instead more shy and calculated, what kinds of mixed messages are you sending? Similarly, if your headline is offensive or rude in order to click-bait people into viewing your content, it may work temporarily, but over time this practice will lend itself to less trust from your date. — Dating and headlines are complicated, but I hope this helps. Do you have any first date stories for us? Let us know in the comments below! — Photo Credit
