Super-important but often overlooked, headlines can be challenging to write. So, we've put together these three articles to help you in writing headlines that rock.

2. Four Tips for a Terrific Headline
"It's time to master the headline, to get it
right where the copy counts most by
paying attention to those critical words
that appear at the top of your email
messages," writes Marco Marini at Email
Critic.
Headlines also appear at the top of your
landing pages—and regardless of their

3. location, their main purpose is to whet a reader's appetite for more
information.
So how do you create a headline that really draws 'em in? Marini offers
ideas like these:
Take off your editor's hat while you brainstorm. Write whatever comes
to mind, however outlandish, without pausing to judge its quality. That
will come later. Right now, you want to get lots and lots of ideas onto
the page; most will be spectacularly bad, but a few will be spectacularly
good!

4. Refine your chosen headline. The one you choose might not be exactly
right, but with a tweak here or there, it could be perfect. Also, when you
have the space, consider a sub-headline that adds to the intrigue.
Speak like your customers speak. "A catchy headline using insider lingo
might be off-putting to the customer who doesn't 'get it,'" Marini notes.
So ditch words used by industry veterans and replace them with
common language used by your customers.

5. Test, test, and test again. That headline might seem brilliant to
everyone on your staff, but you should still test it against an alternative.
The Po!nt: Magnetize it. Take the time to craft a headline that grabs
your readers' attention and holds it.

6. Is Your Headline Working For or
Against You?
In a recent post on her blog, Results
Revolution, Marianna Hayes writes about
her pet peeve—blaming media choices for
a failed marketing campaign. Deciding that
your direct mail or print ads didn't work
can be a costly mistake, for instance, when
a more likely explanation is that you chose

7. the wrong message for your audience.
Or perhaps the problem is as simple as a boring, ineffective headline.
You might even have forgotten to include one at all! Explains Hayes, the
president of HALO Business Advisors, "Your business name in bold
across the top of an ad does not count as a headline."
Her advice for getting your readers' attention:
Get right to the point. Brief, punchy headlines work best, and keeping
verbiage to a minimum reduces your margin of error.

8. Make it active. Energize your headline with vivid, action verbs.
Grab readers' attention. Hayes recommends copy that asks a personal,
poignant or catchy question. She also believes in visual appeal and often
reverses white type on a black background.
The Po!nt: "Don't expect the headline to sell for you," writes Hayes.
"But on the flip side, don't expect the reader to stop without a show-
stopping headline."

9. Active Headlines Get More Attention
Fact No.1 That We All
Know: Providing free
content such as
whitepapers or research
reports can be a great B2B
lead generator.
Fact No.2 That We All Know: B2B marketers' inboxes are overloaded
with daily free-content offers.

10. So, what's a content provider to do to stand out in the crowd?
According to Susan Fantle at the B2BMarketingSmarts blog, a whole lot
is riding on your headlines. Readers will want to download content, she
says, "[o]nly if the headline catches their eye and their imagination."
She offers a few examples of
what not to do when naming a
whitepaper or report:
 "Unified Communications
and Process Automation

11. Combine to Maximize ROI"
 "Cover Your Assets with Desktop Managed Services"
While earnestly trying to convey information, these headlines "provide
no intrigue, no big promise, no revelations, no specifics," Fantle argues.
To be effective, a headline needs to instantly communicate what the
piece contains, she says, in a way that will make the reader want to see
more right away.
She then presents some winners. Among them:
 4 Things Your Anti-Virus Should Do, but Doesn't

12.  How to Defend Your Network Against New Hacker Tactics
 20 Questions for Smart Business Decisions
The key here? "Active"
language and a concrete
message about what the
reader will learn. "With
just a few active words,
your content can move
past sounding like another

13. ho-hum white paper and become information your prospective
customer sees as a 'must read,'" she concludes.
The Po!nt: Decide what you're really offering, and say it. When writing
your next whitepaper or research report, "pay as much attention to
your title as you do your content," Fantle advises. "It will make a
difference."