Headlines are the most integral part of any article, news story, blog post, etc. In fact, on average, people are five times more likely to read the headline as opposed to the body copy. The headline is basically 80 percent of your article.

If the headline does not arouse any interest, you can be certain that no one will read the body.

Here are seven ways to show you how to write headlines for press release and/or make your articles standout.

1. Ask a question

Readers are curious by nature. When they read a question that they do not know the answer to, a small part of them wants to find out, even if the topic was of no interest to them before.

Example: Can Anyone Save English Cricket from Itself?

I am not a big fan of cricket, but after seeing this headline the other day, a little part of me wanted to find out what the English were doing to destroy cricket. Because the author asked a question in the headline I didn’t know the answer to, I was locked in to find out more.

2. Be Honest

Everyone has failed at least once in their life, which makes headlines that focus on failed attempts and lessons learnt relatable and clickable. Headlines like the one generate interest to learn from mistakes made so that they do not make the same ones.

Example: My Failed Attempt at Content Marketing and What I’ve Learned

3. Use the Shock and Awe Factor

One of the most successful methods used on the Internet to get clicks are posts with headlines that captivate and shock the audience. Some stories are very hard to believe, but tell me how you can not click on the link below

Example: How I made US$10,000 a Month with Potatoes

4. Show “How To” Do something

As human beings, we want to learn. By telling people you’re going to show them how to do something that is of value to them, such as increasing website traffic, rank higher in search engines, or make a million dirhams, and they’re all ears.

Example: How to Make US$1 Million in a Single Year

5. Solve a Problem

Everyone has problems, be it personal or professional. This is why promising easy solutions to everyday problems appeals to readers. It’s something which is relatable, but more so than that, it promises answers for certain things that may not be in their control. A good example would be the recent increase in gas prices in Dubai and across the UAE, which worries almost all of us but it’s out of our control, until we get a headline that promises us answers.

Example: How can wee little humans beat oil companies? The answer’s actually easy

The article although didn’t solve the problem of oil prices or even of global warming, got to us. You can solve more realistic problems for readers and get them to click on headline links by promising solutions in the content.

6. Include the Reader in a Group

The saying “Birds of a feather flock together” can never be more true. As humans, we are groupies, we hang out in packs going to movies and enjoying everyday activities together. Taking advantage of nature “groupie-ness” in your headlines is one sure way to get clicks.

The below example appeals to all the Game of Thrones groupies promising 27 jokes only they will get. I guarantee if you’re a Game of Thrones groupie, you’re definitely going to click on this link because you want to make sure all 27 jokes are funny.

Example: 27 Jokes Only Games of Thrones Fans will Understand

7. Promising Benefits

If you build it, they will come, or so they say. However, if you promise big benefits, you know for a fact that they will come. Below is an example:

Example: The 24-Minute Morning Routine That Will Make You and Entrepreneurial Rock Star

Most people loathe morning routines, primarily because it involves crawling out of a comfy bed only to jump into cars to spend the next 45 minutes battling traffic. However, if you promise a morning routine will turn people into a sort of rock star, or even better–entrepreneurial rock stars, that’s all you have to say. Promising benefits to readers in the headline, will help with not only clicks, but getting them to follow you.