After staring at my completed blog post for what felt like ages one night, I messaged my biz mentor, “Writing headlines is IM.POSS.I.BLE.”

I felt the gravity of trying to come up with a line of words that would be enticing enough for my audience to take the desired action and click to read more — we all know people are busy and usually skim headlines and bounce if something doesn’t literally call their name.

Well, after hours of staring and no real progress made, where did you find me next?

Yup, straight to the AI gods with my demand: “Write a list of headlines for my blog post about how to write great headlines, and make it exciting.”

And while I awaited the omnipotent AI gods to diligently pump out the most generic headlines anyone has ever written, I decided to just give up instead, put my computer in sleep mode, and take a walk with my dog outside.

It was cold and raining, and I became even more pissed that past-me decided not to put wool socks on that morning.

But it’s here on the sidewalk in the middle of quiet little suburbia when inspiration strikes!

I whipped out my phone and snickered to myself while typing the most ridiculous headline I could think of, “Crafting Sexy AF Headlines: 5 Ways to Make Your Website Irresistible.”

I thought to myself, YES…THIS is the headline that the people are going to love.

(I know I’m biased, obviously, but you tell me — did you love it as much I did/do?)

Headlines are one of the most important elements of any website, article, or blog post. It’s the first thing a reader will see, and it’s what will determine whether they read on or not — it’s a make-or-break kind of moment.

A great headline is about capturing the reader’s attention and making them want to read more.

What’s harder than writing an attention-grabbing headline for your blog post???

Writing one for your homepage.

So. Much. Pressure.

I know, I get it, I’ve been you...I am you.

But your website is your digital home, and you want your digital home to be inviting. You want all your digital friends to find your digital home, be welcomed by the aesthetic, and stay for the delicious, homemade meal (or, in this case, your irresistible content).

Your website is the first thing your potential clients will see, and your homepage headline is the first thing potential clients read. Therefore, it’s important to make your website visually appealing and easy to navigate, but it’s even more important to have copy that’s connection-worthy and sexy AF, because having a good-looking website won’t be enough if it doesn’t have the right content to engage with your audience.

But how do you make sure your website stands out among the millions of websites out there? One way is to use attention-grabbing, sexy AF headlines that make your website irresistible.

So, do you want to see some sexy headlines in action? — Of course you do.

Short & Sweet

Always remember that you’re writing for busy readers, and busy readers love to skim. Let’s be honest with ourselves here — most people who read your headline will probably not click to read the rest.

(Sorryyy for that disappointing factoid, but I’m really just stating the obvious here.)

So, how do you get busy readers to even read your headline?

Keep it short and sweet.

Your headline should be concise and to the point.

If you’re writing for search engine optimization (SEO), you’ll want to be especially aware of the length of your headlines. You’re allowed only 55-60 characters on Google’s search engine result pages for the title tag of your website or content. That’s next to nothing if you ask me. In fact, my writing can be a little long-winded, in all honesty, so I really have to put in the extra effort to be succinct.

I usually aim for around 6-8 words if possible, but other times, I’m less worried about Dr. Google and her algorithms. In that case, I usually opt for writing directly to my audience rather than writing for SEO.

But overall, shorter headlines are easier to read, making them skimmable and more likely to grab a reader’s attention — like this one from Rebel Aesthetics:

headline example, rebel aesthetics because beauty is subjective, and so are the rules

This headline isn’t as concerned with SEO as with speaking to its audience directly. It doesn’t really say what it does or provides other than the word “aesthetics,” and for this company, that works because it is, after all, a rebel.

Specificity

To speak directly to your ideal audience, you not only have to know what they want — you have to know what they really want. When you know what your audience really wants, you can use specific and tailored language to address your target audience’s needs and interests.

Writing for your audience means creating headlines that are actually relevant to your target audience — it isn’t just about what they’re searching for on Dr. Google, but it’s about incorporating a phrase that perfectly describes what they dream of. This approach focuses on crafting headlines that will resonate with your readers and encourage them to click through to your website because they desperately want what you offer.

And you can read that here in The Résumé RX headline:

headline example, find, land, and love your dream job, career tools & resources for nurses and nurse practitioners

The Résumé RX knows their target audience, “nurses and nurse practitioners,” aren’t just looking for “career tools and resources” (what they sell); instead, they know their target audience wants to “find, land, and love [their] dream job” (what they actually offer).

Understanding what your audience is searching for and what their pain points are can help you create headlines that speak directly to their needs. This makes it easier to market your business through your headlines and website copy, as you can specifically address what your audience wants (what they really want).

Search engine optimization

If you’ve been around this blog for a little while, you probably know that I’d rather write for my audience than be consumed with writing for Dr. Google and her algorithms. But digital marketing requires at least some knowledge of SEO and writing words that your ideal audience typically searches for so that you show up in the search engine results pages.

So, when writing headlines, remember that search engines will be looking at them, too — this could make or break your ability to scale your business. And you guessed it, including relevant keywords in your headline can help improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for people to find your article.

I had too many headline examples for this section, to be honest, but I landed on Nurse Deck’s headline:

headline example, we build supportive healthcare networks & fill employment gaps

From this headline, I’m assuming Nurse Deck is attempting to rank for words like “healthcare networks” and “employment gaps.” Writing for SEO means incorporating relevant keywords and phrases into your headlines to help your website rank higher in search engine results, which means it is especially important for title tags and meta descriptions that help increase your website’s visibility and drive more traffic to your site.

Writing for both your audience and SEO means finding a balance between incorporating relevant keywords for SEO and creating attention-grabbing headlines for your audience. This approach requires a bit of finesse but can be incredibly effective when done correctly. Finding the sweet spot between SEO and audience-focused headlines can increase your website’s visibility and attract more potential clients.

Benefits over features

People are inherently selfish, and they want to know what’s in it for them, so they are more likely to click a headline if they understand how it will benefit them.

When crafting effective headlines, it’s easy to fall into the trap of simply listing out the features of your product or service, but focusing on the benefits captures your readers’ attention and convinces them to take action.

Benefits are the positive outcomes your product or service provides to the customer, while features are the specific aspects that make your product or service unique. While features can certainly be important to mention, they shouldn’t necessarily be the main focus of your headlines (or at least they don’t have to be). Instead, aim to highlight the benefits your product or service provides, as these will truly resonate with your target audience (it’s what they really want anyway).

Take Claire Bonneau’s headline, for example:

The benefit Claire is providing with her “thoughtful, patient-facing content” is that her ideal audience will “become a trusted online medical brand” — a dream come true, I’m sure.

So why are benefits so important? For one, they tap into the emotional needs of your customers. People don’t just buy products or services because they like the features — they buy them because they believe they will solve a problem or make their life better in some way. By focusing on the benefits, you can show your customers that you understand their needs and that your product or service is the solution they’ve been looking for.

Plus, benefits are just much more memorable than features. While features can be easily forgotten or confused with those of your competitors, benefits are what sticks in people’s minds. So, by highlighting the benefits in your headlines, you can ensure that your message resonates with your audience long after they’ve read your content.

Emotional Storytelling

Crafting a headline that appeals to your audience’s emotions is a powerful tactic for increasing engagement. When people invest emotionally in a subject, they are more likely to act on it (because, again, people are selfish).

People are naturally drawn to stories and are more likely to engage with content that tells a compelling narrative by using strong, descriptive language that evokes a specific emotion. By using storytelling techniques in your headlines, you can create an emotional connection with your audience, motivating them to read on.

In PsychLife’s headline, they use empathy to make their audience feel heard:

headline example, we know what you're going through. And we're here to help.

It’s a simple but powerful and moving story. The audience doesn’t need to know what services are for sale here to understand and be inspired by this story. The story keeps them scrolling, so they’re bound to learn the details later.

Stories that evoke strong emotions, such as happiness, sadness, or inspiration, are more likely to be shared and engaged with than stories that don’t. By using emotional language in your headlines and setting up a story that evokes a specific emotion, you can create a sense of curiosity, anticipation, and connection with your audience that hooks your readers, draws them in, and motivates them to take action.

Your headline is the first thing a reader sees, so make it count!

Attention-grabbing, sexy AF headlines are critical to any nurse entrepreneur’s website. By using the right language and techniques, you can create headlines that stand out and engage your target audience.

Combining your attention-grabbing headlines with essential SEO practices will help your website rank higher in search engine results, ultimately resulting in more traffic and better results for your business.

Now, are you ready for headlines that attract your ideal audience and make your content irresistible?

Yes?

Say no more! Hire me — your website copywriting nurse bestie — so you can get back to doing what you love, positively impacting the communities you’re passionate about, and scaling the business of your dreams.