The evolution of the world wide web and everything having to do with it has enriched our daily vocabulary with numerous new terms. However, it is sometimes hard to keep up and know exactly what each word refers to. For newbies to the online marketing business, this may be the case with understanding the difference between a web page and a landing page.
Web pages are more complex, display several links and don’t have the main purpose of getting high conversion rates. A landing page, on the other hand, has this specific target: to turn internet user interest into a purchase.
Read more: 7 Must-have elements on a converting landing page [INFOGRAPHIC]
There normally is just one link on it – the one leading to payment method and check-out. In order for visitors to go there, you need to have some awesome conversion generating headlines on your landing page.
Creating good headlines is not all that creative
If at this point you are already freaking out, thinking that after all the work you have put into creating your course, now you also have to do extensive research, learn in-depth online marketing and suddenly become spectacularly creative, it’s all right to take a deep breath and calm down.
As it turns out, all you have to do is run a Google search, check out what everybody else is doing and follow their lead. Also, you should read this whole article for some helpful tips of how to compose great headlines for your landing page.
So, here’s the scoop: you don’t need to be creative or innovative. If you are, it will probably hurt your chances of getting subscribers.
5 Patterns for creating headlines for landing pages
Extensive research done by the authors of the New York bestseller Made to Stick showed that there are some patterns to successful advertising. Believe it or not, completely original and innovative ideas were utterly unsuccessful.
That’s actually good news for you. Since people react to already tested structures of messages, all you have to do is take yours and mold it into the pattern that works best.
To make things even simpler, there are a number of tools online designed to do just that: take your words and fashion them into crafty landing page worthy headlines. SumoMe’s Headline Generator and Portent’s Title Maker are two examples of tools that can help you when you find yourself in an idea slump.
As a starting point, here are five formulas for your headline that are proven to boost conversion rates:
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The value propositions
Your course is designed to solve a problem, close a learning gap or improve a skill. Regardless of its objectives, encapsulating these desirable results into a catchy headline can bring large subscribing crowds. The method is called ‘the value proposition’ because it offers something that is desirable and, as a result, of value to the targeted audience. It is best to be as specific as possible and even use numbers since they have a great impact.
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The list-like headline
I’m sure you have often seen titles like „7 Celebrities that have aged badly” or „13 Pictures that show pit-bull are excellent babysitters”. I’m also going to bet that you have clicked on some of them. 36% of people prefer this type of headline. Furthermore, it is proven that odd numbers listicles outperform even numbered ones by 20%. Researchers also found that including a colon or hyphen increase success rates by 9%.
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The testimonial
It’s not news that customers generally trust peer recommendation above anything else. That’s why Yelp is so popular. Testimonials act as a risk-reversal, increasing your credibility. It’s obvious that since you are the creator and the seller of your course you would present in the best possible light. Today’s internet users are a bit weary when it comes to sales pitches so a third party supporting your claim that the course has value is a great incentive to buy.
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The cliffhanger
A thorough analysis of the words that appear most in viral headlines produced some pretty surprising results. When it came to two-word phrases, it was neither „how to”, nor „the most” that came at the top. The absolute winner was „this is” and for good reason. It suggests that something is to come but doesn’t reveal too much and it makes people curious. Curiosity results in clicks and that is the purpose of a good headline. Cliffhangers are among the most engaging and clickable headlines, especially if they also contain words that suggest something unique or spectacular.
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The „how-to” headline
Even if this two-word phrase did not make it to the top of the viral list, it did come in third and has some aces up its sleeve. Using it might work wonders for promoting your course since it is literally aimed at teaching people how to do something or how to get better at what they are already doing. It’s a wide-spread desire to grow oneself. You don’t even have to specifically use those two words; you can formulate it as a call to action like „become a skilled marketer” or „improve your time management skills”.
Wrapping up
Having good headlines on your landing page can make the difference between some success in selling your course and astounding attendance. It’s important to know you don’t need to reinvent the wheel but get on board with the one that is already spinning and harness the power of proven efficient patterns.
