It is an established fact that people love lists, and especially “Top 10” lists. Why? Probably because 10 is an important number to humans. We have 10 fingers and 10 toes, and a lot of people grew up with the 10 commandments (Mel Brooks’ version of the event notwithstanding). Use the power of the Top 10 list to rachet up your content creation process.
By the way, the number doesn’t have to be 10. It can be any number, really, but you want it to be high enough to convey some expertise. Seriously. Nobody’s going to read your list if the headline starts with “2 Sexiest Haircuts for Women 50+”. Two? It’s not worth clicking on the link or reading the post.
Speaking of headlines, make sure your headline includes the number. People respond better (i.e. click more) when a headline includes a number. A headline that starts with “10 Reasons Why . . .” will get better response than “Great Reasons Why . . .”. Why? It’s how we’re wired.
Headlines That Get Responses
Millions of clicks daily are inspired by attention-grabbing headlines. Know your audience’s needs and write a headline that meets them. Here are some examples:
- 10 Easy Ways to Get Top Search Engine Rankings
- 10 Hidden Methods the Rich Use to Pay No Tax
- 10 Children’s Toys That Will Change the World
- 10 Guaranteed Ways to Lose Weight Forever
- 10 Secrets Asian Women Use to Stay Young
- 10 Home-Buying Secrets to Save You Thousands
- 10 Best Ways to Avoid Email Scams
And so on. If you can think of a topic, you can think of a list that goes with it.
Tomorrow’s post will deal with another type of list that people find irresistable. Stay tuned!
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