The first thing to understand about writing headlines is to understand what won't bring a reader into your post.

A guaranteed formula to attract eyeballs doesn't exist. You can drive yourself crazy trying to pin down the precise arrangement of words that will force someone to click on your post, but it's impossible to know what factors compel an individual to click on an article or video post. 

Let's take you, for instance. You're obviously here reading this post, so you're motivated to write compelling headlines for upcoming stories or articles. Now, let's imagine someone who doesn't plan on posting their own content on The Coaches Site. Maybe we can draw them in with a powerful headline, maybe its a start in their content creation journey, but the odds are lower compared with someone who already wanted to give it a try. So let's start with that: motivation.

Consider on your Audience

With that in mind, it's important to focus on your target audience. Who are you writing for? How specific is your intended audience? Are they a certain age? Do they coach a certain level of hockey? Maybe they don't coach hockey at all - we have a lot of readers on The Coaches Site who read content that applies to multiple sports. The power of a good headline is that it also ensures we're writing efficiently. There's a lot of content out there, so don't feel like you need to deliver everything to everybody. Solve a problem for a high school hockey coach in Northern Ireland and you've done a good job. 

Offer Something Valuable

Your headline should clearly state what the reader receives in return for clicking through to your post. In this case, I'm hoping you learn something about crafting headlines. Pretty clear, right? How to articles always perform well, as well as posts that list out steps to achieve a specific goal. This tutorial could easily have been titled 4 Ways to Write Headlines That Draw In Readers. That's a little long for my tastes, but who knows, it might work! People are inherently busy. Our goal at TCS is help coaches save time and energy so they can divert those resources into their players. An easy-to-read headline that promises a solution to a common (or uncommon) problem and that follows through is worth clicking on every time. 

Avoid Headlines Only You Understand

A lot of our work here is simply coaches creating work they can safely store digitally, rather than lugging around 15 huge binders for 15 long years. You might be creating posts just for yourself, and that's fine! But if you want to share knowledge, you need to make it obvious that people should dip their toe in. A headline that's just the name of a drill with abbreviations or slang or shorthand will get passed over moreso than something that imagines what the reader will use the content for.

Create Some Intrigue

I'm a big believer in the power of language as you might believe. We use it every day to send messages, connect with our players, relate to our peers, and contribute to the overall knowledge playform within our industry. No big deal, right? I've been doing this for years, coaching and writing about hockey, but I still have trouble writing headlines. I just think it's a weakness of mine - I generally like the posts I create on The Coaches Site, but if I'm being honest, most of the time the first headline I write is just ... insufficient. 

Spend a few extra minutes after you write something to test different headlines. We want to be clear and concise, of course, but let's add some passion with the power of words. The original headline for this post was How To Write Compelling Headlines, which up until now I thought was good enough. But it's boring, right? Sure, it follows the first three rules, but it's watered down, vanilla, and I don't think it will stand out enough. Who said something about rules?

The 5 Rules of Writing Headlines for Hockey Content

Follow These 5 Rules to Write Compelling Headlines

Your Players Have Rules, and So Do You (For Writing Headlines) 

The last one is funny but dumb, but you get the picture. Let's use language to really compel our audience to click through, but at the same time deliver a helpful piece of content they'll be searching for whenever they write something new. 

Want to Write for The Coaches Site? Master the Art of Writing Headlines (maybe a little dramatic)

Unlock The Secrets to Grabbing Attention on the Internet (Ok no we're not doing that)

Craft Irresistable Headlines that People Can't Resist (a little too clickbait)

For me it goes back to the promise of a pay-off. I want people to get comfortable writing headlines for their work that brings in new readers, because I know how good it feels to help somebody. We're coaches after all, right? I also appreciate the power the written word can have on the mind, and I like some of those big-time phrases. With that in mind, let's try this on for size.

Get Eyes on Your Work by Writing Irresistible Headlines

The pay-off isn't directly stated, but a reader will know exactly what they're getting if they click through. If I'm being honest I think I personally still prefer How to Write a Headline That Kills, but I'm not the audience. And I don't want to show up on some weird searches! But this one promises to solve a clear and persistent pain point: attracting eyeballs. If an author is writing for themselves or doesn't care who reads their work, then this might not be their cup of tea. Thus, I'm writing for a niche audience within a broad one - writers who want to explicitly attract more attention. The fun part is this doesn't say anything about hockey! It's located on a hockey coaching website though. So maybe the audience will be bigger than I think!

Thanks for reading, have fun crafting some intriguing new headlines!