When a writer writes an article, their biggest wish is that many people will want to read it. This is especially true for news articles, and press releases are no different.
We all know that a good title is key to attracting readers, but what makes the title highly “clickable”? Not everyone has the luxury of using a celebrity or current event in the title to attract readers, but by using the right sentence structure, you can create high click-through titles to maximize the readership. Topic News PR researched the Top 10 Chinese online news media and found out most of the most-read articles share a similar structure. We believe these tips can use not only in Chinese articles but in Japanese and even English; after all, it is something that has been tried and proven effective in a 1.4 billion people’s market.
Now, let’s get to the secrets of the “clickbait” titles:
Title length
Most of us consume online content in fragmented times, such as on the bus, waiting in line and all that; we scroll fast and don’t have much patience to get into fine details. That’s why the traction of the title is important, and so does the length of the title.
The best title length is 30 letters, and you must reveal important keywords in the first half of the title, or the first second of reading, so people will decide if to continue with the content or scroll away to another story.
How to use numbers in the title
1. Number+ techniques/secrets/ formats/method/benefits
Examples:
- 3 techniques to use for cash-generating copywriting
- 9 must-learn lessons for your true financial freedom
- How to make a baby fall asleep in 7 minutes
2. Number+ techniques/secrets/ formats / method/ benefits (emphasize one of the numbers)
This method is the same as the previous one but adds a boost. Let’s take the previous examples:
- 3 techniques to use for cash-generating copywriting (the 2nd one will shock you!)
- 9 must-learn lessons for your true financial freedom (No. 5 is super powerful!)
- How to make a baby fall asleep in 7 minutes (so you can get the freedom back)
The boost that adds to the end of the title is to reinforce the curiosity and push readers to click into the content. It has to offer benefits to the readers, and not just talk about your product or service.
3. Number + condition (if you do it / if you don’t do it, then you will ….)
Examples：
- Earn $10,000 at home per month – If you want to know how, just sign up & I will teach you!
- 3 ultimate ways to manage your time; if you don’t know then you’re wasting your life!
Giving a condition in the title is best for triggering anxiety, curiosity or a certain emotion, a very powerful tool in the title.
4. Number + Number + benefit
One set of numbers is not enough? Try two sets of numbers in the title! See the example and you will understand immediately how to use it:
- 1 technique, 4 sentence formats, no one can resist clicking the article titles you wrote!
- 2 materials，10 minutes, you can easily make yummy food for your toddler!
In this format, the first part is using two sets of numbers belonging to your product or service, then you must offer the benefits to the readers.
5. Pain point + what to do? + number + benefit
Examples:
- No one buys your product online? Describe the benefits with these 7 ways, 82% of the viewers will buy!
- Want to be more popular among others? Here are 5 popularity secrets that make everyone like you!
In this method, you first describe a situation of pain points with a question, then offer solutions. Don’t be afraid to make the “benefits” big, as long as you are able to cover such benefits in the content.
6. Number + how to transform from one thing to another
This is best to describe successful stories, examples:
- In 3 months, this 200-pound young lady turned into a slim beauty
- In 3 months, he turns from a blind-date loser into the most popular single person in the office
In this format, we use a number first to catch the reader’s attention, then using a question with extreme comparison, it has to create a big difference or cognitive dissonance, so it will leave a big gap inside the reader’s head that they have to fill it in by reading through the content.
How to verify if the title really works magic?
That is quite easy. First of all, you can always ask yourself if you would click it when seeing this title. Secondly, you can show the title to friends and family, asking them if they have the urge to read more about it.
If you need to write press releases or blog posts and want to have more readers, these copywriting techniques can help you write titles with better conversion.
This analysis, published by Topic News PR, analyzed the top 10
Chinese media and found the secret of many high reading volume news articles that smartly use numbers in their titles.
Chinese media and found the secret of many high reading volume news articles that smartly use numbers in their titles.