Your tweets are the only way for you to make an impression on your Twitter followers. With only 140 characters to make that impression, it may seem impossible.
However, crafting tweets that encourage people to visit your website is easy. And, I will provide you with sure-fire Twitter headline templates that help you do it.
How a 70 Year-Old Headline Template Helped Me Attract Around 30,000 Visits to My Website
You, my loyal readers, know “How I Went Viral On Twitter.” I used copywriting to create a high-impact Twitter headline and I was successful.
What I didn’t tell you was that I borrowed the headline from Dale Carnegie’s 70 year-old book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
I knew that most people on Twitter — including me — want more followers. And I knew his headline would address this desire perfectly.
Here is the headline I ended up using: “How to Attract and Influence People on Twitter.” It is a carbon copy of Carnegie’s headline, but this is how the best magazine editors and direct marketers do it. They take a proven headline template and reuse it for additional success.
And now, you can do it too.
Introducing: 15 Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Help You Pull Twitter Traffic
Here are some great headlines I have gathered from several copywriting books and websites. Additionally, below each headline, there is a remixed version showing you how you can use it for Twitter and Social Media.
1. “How to Win Friends and Influence People”
- Example 1: How to Win Friends and Influence People on Twitter
- Example 2: How to Attract and Influence People on Twitter
2. “The Secret of Making People Like You”
- Example 1: “The Secret of Making Tweeple Like You”
- Example 2: “The Secret of Making Your Community Like You”
3. “How a New Discovery Made A Plain Girl Beautiful”
- Example 1: “How Social Media Made A Small Business Big”
- Example 2: “How a New Discovery Made A Boring Business Exciting”
4. “Do You Make These Mistakes In English?”
- Example 1: Do You Make These Mistakes On Twitter?
- Example 2: Do You Make These Mistakes In Social Media?
- Example 3: Do You Embarrass Yourself On Twitter?
5. “How I Improved My Memory In One Evening”
- Example 1: How I Improved My Business In One Evening
- Example 2: How I Gained 500 Followers Overnight
6. “Six Types Of Investor — Which Group Are You In?”
- Example 1: Six Types of Tweeple — Which One Are You?
- Example 2: Three Types of Social Media Strategies — Which One Do You Use?
- Example 3: Four Types of Bloggers — Which One Are You?
7. “To People Who Want To Write — But Can’t Get Started”
- Example 1: To People Who Want to Want to Twitter — But Can’t Get Started
- Example 2: To People Who Want to Use Social Media — But Can’t Get Started
- Example 3: To Tweeple Who Want to Make Money — But Don’t Know How
8. “To Men Who Want To Quit Work Someday”
- Example 1: To People Who Want To Quit Work Someday
- Example 2: To Businesses Who Want To Succeed Online
- Example 3: To Bloggers Who Want To Make Money
9. “Right And Wrong Farming Methods — And Little Pointers That Will Increase Your Profits”
- Example 1: The Right And Wrong Social Media Strategies — And Little Tips That Will Increase Your Profits
- Example 2: The Right And Wrong Blogging Methods — And Pointers That Will Increase Your Profits
10. “76 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid You To Answer Our Ad A Few Months Ago”
- Example 1: 76 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid You To Use Social Media A Few Months Ago
- Example 2: 30 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid To Use Twitter A Few Months Ago
11. “What Everybody Ought To Know…About This Stock And Bond Business”
- Example 1: What Everybody Ought To Know… About This Twitter Business
- Example 2: What You Should Know… About This Social Media Biz
12. “How A “Fool Stunt” Made Me A Star Salesman”
- Example 1: How A Silly Tweet Made Me A Celebrity
- Example 2: How A Stupid Mistake Made Me A Lot Of Money
13. “Give Me 5 Days And I’ll Give You A Magnetic Personality… Let Me Prove It — Free”
- Example 1: Give Me 1 Week And I’ll Make You Influential On Twitter… Let Me Prove It — Free
- Example 2: Give Me Five Minutes And I’ll Give You
14. “Only One Of These Safety Features Can Help You Avoid An Accident”
- Example 1: Only One Of These Tactics Help You Avoid [insert anything here]
- Example 2: Only One Of These Tips Help You Avoid Twitter Suicide
15. “Do You Have Any IDea How Much Fat Is In This Chocolate Pudding? None!”
- Example 1: Do You Have Any Idea How Much Money I Made On Twitter? Thousands.
What’s Next?
If you liked these templates, and want more tips delivered your inbox — free, enter your e-mail below.
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome list Derek. I’ve heard similar things before in the abstract and always pooh-pooh’ed the idea of mimicking headlines, but you’ve convinced me.
Question: If all your blog posts titles look like this, it’s a bit too Comso-like for my tastes. But I don’t care as much what it looks like on e.g. Twitter or Reddit.
Therefore, does it make sense to have less-contrived titles for blog posts but use this technique for spreading the word?
Or is it best to be consistent across the board with how you title things?
Hey Jason,
There is only one way to write a headline in my opinion. And that’s the right way… However, I do think you need to change up your headlines regularly if the old headlines stop working. But, if they do work… Why fix them?
I’m going to have to agree with Jason here. Sometimes those headlines get old… everyone uses “How To” nowadays and its getting played out.
Just take a look at Digg.com. The same types of headlines continue to make the front page because they work.
Derek,
A wild and wooly, rockin’ post. Great stuff here. This should be a must read for all new (and veteran) bloggers.
Cheers!
George
It’s a must read, but more important… it’s a must-use too!
Very nice post Derek… thanks for the insight… so simple yet you’ll miss it if you don’t really think about it.
Think these copywriting tips are worthwhile? Maybe I’ll do some more articles about copywriting and relate them to Twitter… What do you think?
Yes please, more tips for the non-writer types…gets people thinking outside of the proverbial box.
Most often the simple solution is the best solution.
LA
Everybody writes on Twitter, nobody reads.
I receive 5,000 tweets a day – you think I (or anybody) reads more than 10?
That’s because you’re following too many people. If you were following just the people you know or the people you “want” to connect with, that probably wouldn’t be that much of a problem.
Its a very nice list. I’m always looking for headlines to swipe. I think you missed the point of #14 though.
Priceless post Derek – thank you so much for this. You made my day
I just subscribed to your RSS – keep those posts coming. Some articles about copy writing related to Twitter would be super. You have my vote on that idea.
Thanks Derek
Jill
Nice list there Derek, also the headline can fuel the actual content of the post, so although the initial ideas are there, you can really get into some depth of the content by looking to the title.
The headline won’t cut it if the content is not there though, got to have both.
Agree with Jay on #14, possibly better using a negative in there, i.e. How NOT to have an accident may work equally as good.
I like how you use the old to make the new work better. I am now a subscriber. Thanks!
That is smart of you to put it this way. Excellent post. Thanks for the tips
Great read – simple, consice, informative ~ thanks
Cool stuff. Its all about the headlines. In this ultra fast world thats all people see most of the time. Have to make then stick!
Some excellent tips for Twitter and for writing and blogging in general. Regarding style, I agree with your comment reply that “if they work why change them”? You don’t want everyting to seem the same but on Twitter things flow so fast I’m not really sure anyone will really notice. As long is there is good content behind the headlines
I think I may have to pull my copy of Dale Carnegie’s book off the shelf, dust it off and have a look at it. Thanks for the insights.
Great headlines!
These are very insightful and useful.
Another great place to grab headlines to swipe from is your local grocery checkout aisle and magazine rack. If you really want to take it to the next level, visit a Borders or B&N.
Bookstores move billions of dollars in magazines and books a year.
That translates into an gold mine of time tested copywriting knowledge at your fingertips, for FREE.
If the headlines works for US Weekly and the National Inquirer, remix them like Derek did with Dale’s, test them out and then you’ll have new headlines to use as templates.
{ 6 trackbacks }