Write a Better Twitter Headline

Twitter is awash with information and headlines calling out for attention. How do you make a splash and not just a drop in this ocean? Part of the secret lies in having a "catch" to gaining other people's attention; another large part is to have followers who trust and rely on your headlines and the content you lead them to. The best ways for grabbing the interest of your fellow tweeters are about to be revealed...

Steps

Writing your Headline

  1. Think about how you scan Twitter. Nobody opens every single link or even reads every single tweet; do you? What is it about the tweets you do read and follow through on that make you notice them? Basically, when there is a cacophony of headlines competing for attention, you're going to be looking for the tweets that reward your reading effort and that's precisely what your followers do too. The "rewards" focus on such things as the usefulness of the tweet, the sense of Create a Sense of Urgency to Facilitate More Sales compelling you to read it, and the unique nature of the tweet content.[1] Summed up, aim to give the flavor and offer the temptation to learn more when preparing your Twitter headlines.
  2. Keep the tweet short. While Twitter is already short enough, keeping your headline shorter than the allotted 140 characters is alluring because it stands out and tells the follower "hey, here's one that is easier to read"! Can you keep your tweet to just eight words and under? Eight words or less is apparently the optimal amount for gaining instant attention![1] While it may seem tempting to use text language to shorten words or to use abbreviations to cram in as much information as possible per tweet, that could simply create a crowding impression and send your followers off to a simpler tweet.
    • If you do have a lot to say, can you break it down and feed it through in a series of well-timed tweets instead of trying to be too clever with too many words at once?
    • Keep in mind that there needs to be space for retweeting your information. While some tweeters simply cut off anything superfluous when retweeting, it's best not to make your followers have to go to that effort where possible.
    • Don't mix up ideas, themes, news items, etc. Each tweet should focus only on one thing; plan how to feed unrelated information in at different intervals instead.
  3. Write well. You have very few words, so make them count. Why use plain words when you can find ones that are far more descriptive and therefore more powerful, moving, and appealing to the reader? Be sure to explain why your headline will give the reader the best, the worst, the most, the biggest, the strangest, etc., information possible. Make the most action words, especially Use Action Verbs; saying less with more increases the impact of your tweet.
    • If you struggle with finding the apt word, make friends with the thesaurus. While they are online, it's a good idea to invest in a printed copy because it's a feel-thought connection that arises with flipping through a book; you can also page mark your favorite words.
    • Avoid being obscure, obtuse, or obstinately obfuscating. If your follower doesn't get what it is you're on about, they'll ignore your tweet for one that makes sense. It is as simply – and ruthless – at that. Leave out puns and inside jokes, and avoid being too clever by half. Stick with simple headlines that everyone will understand.
  4. Ask a question. This usually will cause a person to be engaged, (for at least a second or two), enough to either answer the question or follow the link referred to by the question. If your question is about content you're promoting, relate the question to the nub of the issue you're discussing in the content by identifying a good keyword or two that summarizes your query. Good question openers include:
    • "How would you...?"
    • "Do you know how many people...?"
    • "Are you struggling with/overwhelmed by/easily defeated by, etc..." – this is a good one where you have the answers, especially answers to social media/networking problems, organizing digital life, fixing known technical hitches, etc. It's also good in relation to relationships, such as "Are you hopeless with Conduct Small Talk in Cyberspace?"
    • "Would you like to know an easy way to...?"
    • "How many times have you...?"
  5. Ask for help. Related to the previous step on asking a question but different in intent, asking for help can be another excellent way to engage your followers. Maybe you'd like someone's opinion, or their input on something. Whatever your need for an answer, a lot of people like to help others and by asking them, you've just made it easy for them. However, don't just gulp up the answer and leave it hanging; be sure to engage in a conversation with those who respond, and provide a round-up of how their answers led to your solution. This tells your followers that you listen, that you act on their replies, and that you honor them by demonstrating how they have helped. Some examples of asking for help include:
    • "How do you/I...?"
    • "What can I do about...?"
    • "Where can I find...?"
    • "Who is the author/singer/writer of...?"
    • "Can you recommend a good...?"
  6. Tell your followers something unique and interesting. Your reader will want to know how your information or observation will affect them in their world. Yes, even the most rampant philanthropists will want to know information like that (their world is helping others) and they want to know how you can help them with that.
    • Search Twitter before adding your tweet to make sure it hasn't already been added a lot that day or recently and therefore be at saturation point. Find a new angle or way of presenting information that is already bloated on Twitter.
    • Eyewitness accounts are really interesting. Are you somewhere where the news is breaking? If so, make it compelling by exploring how what you're witnessing is making you feel and how you see others responding.
  7. Talk about Build a Social Media Plan. Headlines likely to pull interest from followers are those focused on Twitter itself and other social networking sites. After all, if you're on Twitter and someone suddenly states that "Twitter users are more likely to have better friendships" or such, that makes followers sit up and read! Think about how Twitter helps, revolutionizes, improves, changes, etc., people (aka "tweeple" or followers), businesses (from small to large), Put Together a Disaster Relief Box, communities, and more. Or headlines about ways to improve your Twitter experience and strategies. These sorts of headlines will cause much interest.
  8. Nix the punctuation. It's no longer a headline if you're adding punctuation and seeking to get your followers to keep on reading more. In conjunction with the recommendation above to keep it short, also keep the colons, semi-colons and tripled-up exclamation marks out of your tweet headlines. Too much punctuation marks out your headline as being complicated or, in the case of too many exclamation marks, not to be taken seriously.
    • Related to punctuation is the need some people seem to have to leave a reference trail to the original newspaper/news site on Twitter; it's so unwieldy! Leave out unnecessary info that clutters, such as the page number, date, name of newspaper, etc. The reader will find that information upon arrival, so why burden your tweet with such details? Remember, just get to the point and that you're micro-blogging, so shortcuts are expected.
  9. Build trust. Crafting a brilliant headline each time is only part of the art of good tweeting. The main part is the rapport you have with your followers and the manner in which you've built trust with them. By interacting with them consistently, by answering their tweets and retweeting their information, and by Use Web Content as Research Material through your tweets, trust is formed and maintained. This is a constant effort

Sample Twitter Headlines

Doc:Twitter Headlines

Tips

  • Don't reinvent wheels. When a headline really works for you, keep a note of it in a notebook (electronic or hard copy, whichever you prefer), then refer back to this time and again as a source of inspiration. Once you get a good grip on what works for you, it'll become easier to repeat good headlines. Stay flexible though, as what grabs people's attention can change; just be alert to such alterations in approach.
  • Break the news; that's what Twitter is really about. So even if your story is as old as the hills, think about ways to make it sound new again.
  • Use hashtags (#) in front of a keyword/key topic of your headline. That way, even people who are not following you can easily find your tweet when they search for the topic or keyword.
  • Write article, blog post, and website headlines with Twitter in mind. The reason for this is simple; the headline that attracts people's attention on Twitter is also going to be the headline that attracts people to your content online in general. Headline rules work across all content so save yourself some effort by getting it right first time and then using the same headline across all promotional mechanisms online.

Warnings

  • Link straight to the story, article, or other content you're trying to take your follower to. It really irritates followers to be taken to one page just to have to hop to another to get to the content you've promised them. Do that more than once and they may just write you off as making things too complicated for them. Twitter is about simplicity and getting to the point. Enable that.

Things You'll Need

  • Twitter account

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.copyblogger.com/twitter-headlines/
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