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Ever heard of the Verbatim Effect? It's our ability to remember the gist of information, not the details. So we'll read a whole book or a 3,000-word article and we'll remember only its general meaning, the core message.
It's essential you realize this, because you can use it to your benefit. There are certain techniques you can apply so people remember your copy more than your competitor's copy.
If your copy is memorable, it means there's a higher chance of getting revisits from website visitors. And we know it takes a couple website visits before someone decides to buy.
So how do you apply this effect in your headlines and the rest of your copy?
1. Make your headlines specific
People forget general headlines. You have a higher chance someone will remember your headline and revisiting your blog or article if it's specific. Let's look at an example.
General headline: How to write great headlines
Specific headline: 10 Personal Trainer headline ideas
The specific headline starts with a number, which helps with grabbing people's attention. They know to expect at least 10 headline ideas.
The specific headline also mentions for who those headlines ideas are meant. It's for Personal Trainers. You're already mentioning your target group in your headline. There are a lot of people scrolling on Google to find answers to their questions. People part of you target group will spot your headline and will want to click on it compared to a general headline.
2. Make your headlines compelling.
Emotive copy is known to trigger a reaction. Use power words in your headlines to make people curious. Power words evoke emotion, they make people want to know more. Let's look at another example.
General headline: How to write headlines for your Personal Trainer blog
Specific headline: 10 attention-grabbing Personal Trainer headline ideas
Again here, the specific headline starts with a number. Cause why not? It certainly helps. But what comes after the number is a power word: attention-grabbing.
Of course people want to create headlines that grab attention. Otherwise, what's the point? You don't want to get on the first page of Google and end up having zero clicks. You want to grab attention and get people clicking to know more.
There are plenty of power words you can choose from. There are even different categories of power words to evoke different emotions. I won't be discussing it here, but it's just one simple Google search away.
3. Keep it short and sweet
People have a short attention span for the online world. Keep it short and sweet cause it's easier to remember. That's pretty much it.
What about the rest of the copy?
Now that you have people clicking on your headline, you have to optimize the rest of your copy.
How? Make it scannable:
Use subheadings, like in this blog.
Use bold and italics to highlight important parts of your content, but don't overdo it or you'll confuse them.
Use bullet points when you can.
Keep your paragraphs short, so they're easy to read and your readers don't get overwhelmed.
Don't go too heavy on details if it's not necessary.
Do you have an amazing product or service, but need help with the way you’re marketing it on your website? Do you need someone to create scannable content so your website visitors spend more time on your website? Send me a message and let’s get started.
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