Headline writing drives traffic

A writer’s opening salvo must burst with interest—here’s why and how

From Twitter and e-mail to document and blog post titles, your ability to write great headlines (or 140-character writing) matters more than ever. Great headlines drive traffic and interest.

Attention spans have shrunk, and if you can’t interest someone right off the bat with a great, witty headline, then you’re out.

Here are five basic tips on writing headlines:

1) Active versus passive: It drives me crazy when I see one of my post titles using a passive verb. People want exciting, fun titles. Active headlines inspire emotive responses, while passive ones invite the reader to visit someone else’s feed! Passive headline writing means I’m sloppy and didn’t care enough to review my work thoroughly.

2) Get sassy. Throw some edge into it. You can call it tabloid; I call it interesting. Who wants to read business writing anymore? How exciting are all of these press releases? No, thanks.