A well-written headline at the top of a blog post, webpage, print ad, internet ad or e-mail is all it takes to get your firm noticed online. The right combination of words, font, font size and even font color can significantly increase the number of claimants willing to interact with and explore your website.

David Ogilvy, the father of modern advertising, once said that, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” You want to make sure that you get the best return-on-investment in terms of the amount of time and effort you devote towards maintaining a blog, managing an ad campaign or constructing an e-mail. Small changes to your headlines can have dramatic effects on how many people read your firm’s content.

Below are four tips to keep in mind when writing a headline.

Be Straightforward:

A good headline should be attention-grabbing, relevant and direct. This does not mean that a headline cannot be fun, but specificity is key. For example, if you are composing a blog post about how injured employees should file for workers’ compensation in your state of practice, be certain to include said state and use words like “file” and “claim” or terms relating to specific injury or accident types in your headline. Basically, try not to stray from your body’s message with unnecessary information or click-bait-y phrases.

Convey a Sense of Accessibility:

It’s important to use encouraging language that supports your message’s purpose and readability. It should be immediately evident to readers that you are writing something that is worthwhile to them in terms of its practicality and comprehensibility. In other words, be certain that what you have written is useful to claimants and that they can easily understand your message. It is best to words or phrases such as “easy," “accessible," “simple," “fast," “You Can” and “Anyone Can”.

Keep it Simple:

Keeping you message simple is…well, simple. There is no need to overcomplicate things. Simple words and phrases are often the most powerful and evocative. Use words like “who,” “what,” “why,” “when” and “how” with phrases similar to those suggested in the previous tips to form effective headlines of any length. For example, “Understanding How Easy it is to File a Claim,” “What’s Needed to Win A Personal Injury Case” or “Filing a Claim is Easy – Learn How Now”.

Also, a common rule of thumb with e-mail subject lines is to keep the line to a maximum of 50 characters and this can also be best applied to blog post headlines, as well. Not only does this ensure that the length of your headline is easy to digest for the average reader, but it can be especially beneficial for older applicants applying for Social Security disability that may have poor vision and may not be able to read lengthy or complicated subject lines.

Have a Solid Design:

Try experimenting with numbers, font styles and font color. The key here is creating a headline that compliments the design of your message’s body. In regard to font type and size, use a bold style and select a font that compliments the length and size of your body. You would never want to select an absurdly large font size or any colors that poorly contrast with your written content's background.

Lastly, when given the opportunity, try incorporating numbers, as the combination of letters and numbers is often more likely to attract a reader’s eye. This works best with statistical data or dates. Information such as the rates of initial Social Security claims that are filed successfully and immediately approved or the dates that new laws or policies go into effect should always be included. Eye-grabbing headlines could include “Social Security Laws 2018 – What You Need To Know” or “12 New Insurance Laws Affecting All Virginia Drivers.”

A headline may not seem like an important component of your office or firm’s blog or other online content, but if you write low-quality headlines, you risk the potential of losing thousands of online inquiries. On the other hand, a well-crafted headline gives your firm the potential to sign more claimants than ever before. Take the time to revaluate and rewrite your next headline—you may be surprised by the results!