Headlines Are Like Hemlines: They Work When They're The Right Length For The Situation

It's Like the Perfect Come On. Srsly!

We know that YOU know that blogging is important. Because...

It's a key way of drawing your future clients into your world through super-duper content that is useful to their lives—and delightful.

It's part of the inbound marketing method that Inbox Communications practices—and preaches.

That's why we've started this Master Marketer Series. It's a chance for us to take a deep dive into a topic that relates to inbound marketing and is of interest to marketing professionals (or gurus, or ninjas, or special agents, or whatever you like to call the people on your team).

Image of a cool-looking 2.0-style office that appeals to marketing gurus. Ooh! Ahh! BTW, did you see our blog post on where to get great FREE stock photography? 

Check back often for mini workshops and tip sheets on areas of best practice. We'll post them on our blog from time to time on various topics. If you have an issue you'd like us to explore, just leave a comment.

You can also connect with us and see what we're talking and thinking about on Twitter. It's where we curate amazing content with groovy inline pictures and, wait for it...great headlines!

Like our segue?

Let's talk headlines. You know, those things at the top of the blog.

Headlines count. They are the inroad to your story and if you tweet, chances are you're already a great headline writer.

Why? Because the 140-character limit forces you to be conscise, witty and intriguing and these are the qualities of a great headline. And a great come on. (See what we just did there? We linked a point we're making in the copy back to the headline. Do this. When you don't, it frustrates the reader).

And not just one headline. Have a main headline, then a subheadline that draws your reader in further, like a set of stairs.

The reader naturally knows what to do next because they've been carried from the main headline—which is grabby—and into the secondary headline which is a bit more explanatory. This is called the headline hierarchy.

Photo captions work within this nested system too. Each bit of text, from headlnes to cutlines, should progress the story, not simply repeat information.

Practice this. Become good at this. It's good manners in the web world where people like text to be scannable. It also allows busy people like you to know exactly what they're getting into. (For more on biz-zay readers, check out our blog on reading time estimators).

That's a wrap! Now go and sharpen those headlines.