How to Get Over 90,000 Readers with One Headline

You’re standing in front of a crowd of 90,000 people. They’re waiting for you to deliver your speech. The speech is no longer than 5 minutes. Everyone has agreed to give you their undivided attention.

No, I’m not talking about a political rally.

This is a scene ripped straight from Marko Saric’s How to Make My Blog.

In January 2009, Marko posted: How To Install WordPress 3.1 – Step-By-Step Guide

Since, the post has become one of Marko’s most visited posts, accounting for over 90,000 views. Beyond that, the post has almost 70 Twitter tweets, over 90 Facebook likes, and 45 comments.

So, what makes this post so endearing?

One reason for this post’s success lies with the headline.

Here are 3 reasons why this headline attracts massive amounts of attention.

1. The topic addresses an urgent need of the reader.

You hear it like a broken record nowadays: Write for your reader. Write for your reader. Write for your reader.

Of course, that’s easier said than done.

Here’s the big secret to writing content that people love: Empathy. Emotion.

Marko’s headline works so well because he has empathy for people who are beginners at installing WordPress. He identifies that bloggers are struggling with WordPress installations, so he creates a guide to walk us through it.

The headline says, “If you’re a blogger looking for an easy way to install WordPress, this post is for you.”

2. The post promises easy to follow “how to” advice.

Marko knows that most of his readers are beginners at WordPress. So, he crafts an easy to follow step-by-step how to guide on how to install a WordPress blog.

Marko uses the word “How to” coupled with “Install WordPress 3.1” to show readers that the post is going to walk them through the process.

As well, he uses the “Step-By-Step Guide” tag at the end of the headline to demonstrate that the post will be easy to follow, and broken down into small, easy-to-do steps.

Marko’s focus on making the task seem “easy” is what really catapults this post above the rest. Bloggers that are not familiar with WordPress won’t read if they think the post is filled with technical jargon, or that it’s not going to be presented in an easy to follow step-by-step way.

Marko’s headline sets the tone to say, “I’m going to hold your hand and help you set up this WordPress blog one simple step at a time.”

3. The post delivers on its promise.

The icing on the cake is that Marko delivers on his promise. His post is broken down into easily consumable bite-sized chunks that allow bloggers to follow his advice as they are completing the process.

Bloggers share the post with other bloggers because they know it’s of high value, and it delivers it’s promise.

The headline would be worthless if the post did not deliver on its promise. Readers would feel tricked into reading, and likely deem the entire blog “worthless.”

How You Can Write a Headline that Gets Lots of Readers

First, find a pressing problem in your blog’s topic area. This part is the most crucial. Don’t come up with something that you think is the reader’s problem. Know what the reader’s problems really are before you begin writing.

Second, write the headline using the same formula Marko uses: “How to ___________ – Step-by-Step Guide”

Third, come up with an easy step-by-step way to present that knowledge (just like Marko does in his post) and deliver on the promise you set forth in the headline.

Lastly, broadcast your post across the internet, and watch as people searching for solutions to their problems seek you to provide the answers.

Want more?

I would like to help you create headlines for your blog so that you can get more readers.

Right now, I’m offering you the opportunity to work 1-on-1 with me to create a blog headline strategy that works for you with the purchase of the newly released Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit.

For more information on how to reserve your spot, click here.

Blog post written by Jered Slusher.