Start With a Headline
We frequently hear from people that want to know how they should go about getting started writing a blog post. It all begins with creating a solid headline. When you go through the outline exercise that Shortcut Blogging offers, you will end up with a list of 64 headlines. Those headlines can then become fleshed out blog posts by simply having a conversation in the form of an interview. The phrase “Start with a headline” is actually the first thing that I wrote down before we decided to make this post.
Even if you’re going to write a blog post by yourself without being interviewed, headlines are usually the place to start. That’s where you need to spend a lot of effort anyway, since the headline is the first thing that anybody reads. Having an engaging headline could be the determining factor that people use to decide if they want to read your post. Headlines may also be prominent in search engine results, links from others, and maybe on your blog’s index. If you have an idea of your intended subject matter, get a headline figured out first and then write the story that the headline demands.
Once the headline is figured out, the interview ends up being a natural, interesting conversation. You have another person to play off of who can bring up questions and explore ideas that you might not have thought of. Remember, we started this very post with a simple headline and turned it into a conversation that we handed to an editor. The editor’s job is to pull the essence from our conversation and turn it into a form that’s suitable for reading as a blog post. (The original audio conversation can also be made available as a podcast for those that prefer to listen to the audio version.)
Having your idea formulated as a headline can quickly lead to filling up a lot of blog space. That’s especially true if the headline contains a metaphor. For example, we could say that blog writing is so difficult that it’s like pulling teeth. But if you cut right to the chase and ask a dentist how hard it actually is to pull a tooth, they would probably tell you that it’s one of the easier things they do. It’s probably way harder for us as patients than it is for the dentist.
Shortcut Content’s goal is to make something that’s commonly seen as a long, painful process quick and easy. How hard is it to write an effective blog post? How hard is it really to pull a tooth? Get the headline, have a five minute conversation, and you’re done.
For a great place to get started generating a whole bunch of headlines, take our outline exercise. It’s a simple six-page printable PDF along with a short instructional video. If you have any questions, feel free to call us at the phone number at the top of this page or by clicking the microphone button below. We look forward to talking with you personally about creating engaging headlines for your audience.