NOT a Guru!
Keeping it simple, without the hype. PC tips and Internet advice for mom and pop businesses.
Keeping it simple, without the hype. PC tips and Internet advice for mom and pop businesses.
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. Maybe so, but on the web, you can judge an article or blog post by how many clicks its title draws.
“Sex Sells” is a Myth
While writing an appealing title is somewhat intuitive, our gut reactions about what will be popular might be way off target. Popular wisdom or “common sense” may also be way off base. For instance, I’ve always been told by marketers that “sex sells.” In testing a number of titles for this blog post, it turns out that the words “sex” and “sexy” aren’t great choices to entice readers after all.
How to Create a Strong Headline
Write what you think has market appeal, and then test it. The Advanced Marketing Institute offers an “EMV” test on its website that you can use for free. The analyzer is based on research conducted during the late 1960s and early 1970s that explored the “Emotional Marketing Value” (EMV) of words. Simply type in a title or headline and the Advanced Marketing Institute’s analyzer will give you a percentage score based on intellectual, empathic and spiritual values of your words. According to the Institute:
- Most professional copywriters’ headlines will have 30%-40% EMV Words in their headlines;
- The most gifted copywriters will have 50%-75% EMV words in headlines; and
- A perfect score of 100% is rare unless your headline is less than five words.
According to the Institute, the title of this blog post has an EMV word score of 85.71%.
Taking It a Bit Further …
I have an older version of a software program named “Glyphius,” that uses statistical analysis to supercharge copywriting skills. It’s an easy program to use. Simply plug in your title (or paragraph, if you want to analyze that) and tweak the content until you have the highest score possible. Roger Zimmerman at PickAGuru.com has written one of the best reviews about Glyphius and how it works that I’ve ever read. Read through his analysis and if you are interested in the software, he provides a link to a current vendor.
When writing this blog post, I tested over 25 different titles in the Advanced Marketing Institute’s headline analyzer, and then compared the results with Glyphius.
There were some discrepancies; partly because Glyphius gives higher scores for more, rather than less, words. As part of its score, the software program cites negative words. I used the words “sex” and “sexy” in my test. Glyphius reported both of these words as having a negative impact.
Interestingly, and to my surprise, 5 out of the top 10 headlines were reported by both the Advanced Marketing Instutute’s headline analyzer and Glyphius. Using the two systems, the top 5 are:
Hot, Spicy Titles Will Boost Reading Popularity
Headline Analyzer: #1, with a score of 85.71%
Glyphius: #2, with a score of 208
Boost Popularity with Hot, Spicy Titles
Headline Analyzer: #2, with a score of 83.33%
Glyphius: #5, with a score of 111
Hot, Sexy Titles Are Popular
Headline Analyzer: #3, with a score of 80.00%
Glyphius: #4, with a score of 167
Create Reading Popularity with Hot, Spicy, Clickable Titles
Headline Analyzer: #4, with a score of 75.00%
Glyphius: #1, with a score of 217
Create Reading Popularity with Juicy Titles
Headline Analyzer: #5, with a score of 66.67%
Glyphius: #3, with a score of 168
You can see the full comparison of all of the headlines here.
It takes a bit of tweaking and word play to achieve high scores in both analysis programs, but the time spent in crafting a well-written and appealing headline is worth it. I’ll post more to back that remark up later! In the meantime, try out the free headline analyzer for your online and offline publications. It’s a lot of fun!
More Fantastic Services
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