Lists, headlines & blurbs, single stories most valuable
The most valued email newsletters in the Nielsen Norman Group’s latest round of usability studies used these formats:
Headlines
Tips for writing email subject lines
Make them clear, easy to understand
What makes one email campaign generate an amazing 93% open rate, while another languishes at a dismal 0.5%?
Ask the researchers at MailChimp, an email service provider.… Read the full article
Steal tricks from the world’s best online headlines
BBC’s heads are short, clear, front-loaded and context-free
Who writes the world’s best web heads?
The folks at BBC News, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen.… Read the full article
8 types of sales headlines to try
Try 3 reasons, testimonial, how-to and more
Stuck for a benefits headline? Browse these eight approaches for inspiration:
1. Direct headline
The simplest approach, this headline just states the benefit clearly:
Save $100 on conference registration when you sign up by Feb.
… Read the full article6 ways to write numbers-based headlines
Numerals quantify value, draw readers
Next time you hit the Safeway, take a look at the magazines displayed at the checkout counter. Chances are, you’ll find that they’re packed with numerals.… Read the full article
How to write benefits headlines
4 steps for telegraphing the biggest benefit
To write a good benefits headline, list:
- Your readers’ biggest needs in the topic you’re writing about. “Write about your greatest benefit for your reader’s greatest need,” counsels marketing guru Dan Kennedy.
Why writing links well is so important
Get clicked by writing good link text
Users look for links on pages like puppies look for your best shoes.
Or so say Kara Pernice, Kathryn Whitenton and Jakob Nielsen, the authors of How People Read on the Web.… Read the full article
Stop it with the ing-ing
Present participle heads may be worse than labels
Barney Kilgore, the legendary editor of The Wall Street Journal, once wrote: “If I see ‘upcoming’ slip in[to] the paper again, I’ll be downcoming and someone will be outgoing.”… Read the full article
How to write a summary deck headline (examples!)
Choose this type of blurb for feature or benefits head
When you write a benefits head or feature head, your headline doesn’t necessarily explain the angle — or even the topic — of the story.… Read the full article
Why write a multi deck headline?
Because it’s the best-read element on the page
Decks — those one-sentence summaries under the headline — do the heavy lifting on web pages.
Indeed, according to The Poynter Institute’s Eyetrack III study of reader behavior:
- 95% of web page visitors read all or part of the deck.