Agencies, Freelancers, Design, Copywriting & more.: [Copyblogger] How To Avoid Overdoing the Curiosity-Factor In Your Headline

How To Avoid Overdoing the Curiosity-Factor In Your Headline

How To Avoid Overdoing the Curiosity-Factor In Your Headline

Curious Cat

If you’re going to write a headline, you want the headline to attract. And one of the many elements of attraction is ‘curiosity.’

The more curious your headline, the more you have a chance of the reader stopping long enough to get interested. But hey, in the desire to write a really curious headline, we inevitably risk overdoing the headline.

So let’s analyze a headline for an example:

Why Adjectives Are The Key To Locking Out The Orange Job Candidate

Now, can you see what’s happening in that headline above?

First of all, because it’s got so many curious things to work out, you tend to get confused.

Is this ‘adjective-stuff’ a grammar lesson?
Is this ‘lock out’ a factor of some trade union?
What’s an ‘orange job candidate?’

Your brain is sizzling, but not in a good way. Because it now has to deal with:

Adjectives
Are The Key To Locking Out
The Orange Job Candidate

So how do we make this easier for the reader? Let’s take a simple formula:

One known factor.
One curiosity factor.

Known factor = Hiring a candidate.
Curiosity Factor = Using Adjectives

Now we have sizzle. And a good sizzle at that. Because you don’t need to be a genius to work how the headline will unfold.

But just in case you’re struggling, here goes…

How ‘Adjectives’ Help You Hire The Right Candidate

See? One curiosity factor, one known factor… and the headline is ready to go.

Let’s see some more examples. See if you can spot both the known factor and the curiosity factor.

Why Client Doodles Cost You Sales
The Fundamental Flaw in Creating Your Uniqueness
The Choice Paradox: Why Customers Want More And Less Simultaneously
Sales Strategy: How To Make A Godfather-Offer
How Ego-Killers Can Drive Clients Away
How the Yes-Yes factor helps you increase your prices by 20%

Spotted them?

Good.

Now you’re on your way to create your own known/curious headline. Without overdoing the curiosity-factor

About the Author: Sean D’Souza offers a free report on 'Why Headlines Fail' when you subscribe to his Psychotactics Newsletter. Check out his blog, too.