Your headline is the first thing a reader sees. In most cases, it is the only thing a reader sees. A frequently shared piece of marketing lore holds that eight out of 10 people stop reading an article after viewing the headline.

That statistic is often used to scare people into believing that headlines are damn near impossible to write. In fact, in an article published by the Content Marketing Institute, the author references the above statistic and then writes: “So, headlines don’t just matter. They act as the life or death determiner of your content [emphasis added].”

That kind of statement is not helpful. It is likely to either paralyze you every time you try to write a headline or push you to write an emotionally manipulative headline that succeeds in getting more clicks but turns off the people you are trying to reach.

The amount of online content has exploded over the last twenty years. And we’ve been optimizing our headlines to get more clicks since headline analyzers first came on the scene more than a decade ago. And yet, that 8 out of 10 statistic still holds true.

It’s the 80/20 rule in action.

When you’re writing articles for your blog or a high-visibility publication, you aren’t writing for everyone who might see your piece. You’re writing for the 20% who are interested in the topic. They are the people who deserve your time and attention.

What is an effective headline?

The effectiveness of a headline depends on the purpose of the piece. For outlets like BuzzFeed and Upworthy, the purpose of each published article is to drive advertising revenue by attracting website traffic. The effectiveness of a headline is thus measured in large part by the click-through rate, which is the percentage of viewers who click on a headline to read the article. It’s an easy metric to measure and an easy metric to manipulate.

To improve click-through rates, the writers and editors on these platforms have refined the art of writing clickbait headlines. These headlines use manipulative, sensationalized, or misleading language to grab people’s attention and entice them to click through to read the article. The accompanying article is typically much less interesting than the headline might suggest, and what sparse relevant content appears is buried under a barrage of nonsense.

Clickbait is a tool of tabloid journalism.

The articles you write have a different purpose. Instead of driving advertising revenue, the articles you write are intended to build your authority and help your readers get to know, like, and trust you. The articles are a form of service. The headlines of these articles are effective if they inspire the right people to click through to read the article. You aren’t trying to trick anyone into clicking through to read your article; you are trying to help those who are interested in the topic see your article as one worth exploring further.

How do you craft an effective headline?

To craft an effective headline, follow the ABCs of journalism:

• Accurate. An effective headline identifies the topic of the article and lets the reader know what they can expect when they click through to read the piece.

• Brief. An effective headline is short and to the point.

• Clear. An effective headline is easy to understand; it is clear instead of clever. It speaks directly to the relevant audience in the language they use.

Your headline works with the article to establish trust with your readers. The headline is your promise to the reader. The accompanying article delivers on that promise. Effective headlines don’t need to be catchy or clever. Headlines that ask the same questions your readers are grappling with are reliable workhorses that get the job done.

And that’s all that matters.

How can you improve the effectiveness of your headlines?

Once you have a solid foundation in place and can confidently write an effective headline, look into ways to improve. To get started, take a look at the headlines appearing on the homepage and section landing pages of industry publications. Study the headlines to understand the structure and identify the ones you find most compelling. Consider adopting that same structure for pieces you write for your blog.

Many publications use a headline and a deck (a subtitle). If you decide to adopt this structure for your blog, or if you are writing for a high-visibility publication that uses this structure, study how those two elements work together. It might be helpful to keep a swipe file — a collection of sample headlines — to use for inspiration.

When you’re writing for a high-visibility publication, take the time to familiarize yourself with the publication’s style so you can mimic it easily. By mimicking the publication’s style in your articles, you please your editor and appease the algorithms. You might also capture the attention of the homepage editor or social media editor, who might promote your article to a broader audience. While the percentage of people who read your article won’t change, a broader audience results in a larger number of readers.

* * *

We’ve been trying to optimize our headlines to outsmart the 80/20 rule for over a decade. And yet, unless you’re writing a piece for your newsletter, where the readers subscribed to your newsletter to make sure they heard from you, the majority of people who see one of your articles won’t get past the headline.

That’s okay. You aren’t writing for everyone; you’re writing for the people who will find value in what you have to say.

You are writing articles to build your authority and help those who read what you write get to know, like, and trust you. You aren’t writing for the clicks, the likes, and other vanity metrics. So, take a few minutes and write an accurate, brief, and clear headline. Then publish that article.

Don’t let the quest for a perfect headline keep you from sharing your work.