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A surprising fact. People like reading bullet points.

That’s why they’re so common. Your reader is more likely to scan or read bullet points than a paragraph.

Your article has achieved a lot so far.

The headline has grabbed your readers attention, the opening first sentence has kept it, and the subheadings have pulled your reader up to take notice.

Now it’s time for bullet points to do their magic which is to keep people reading your article or post.

The three primary functions of bullet points are:

1. They’re short which makes them easy to read.
2. They break-up the text by highlighting specific aspects of your copy.
3. They slow scanners down to get them to read your article.

But bullet points can be so damn boring. Just think of those PowerPoint presentations you’ve had the privilege of viewing. People tune out if it’s not compelling.

The sad truth is most people don’t know how to write bullet points.

But that’s not you after reading this post. You’ll know how to write bullet points that captivate your reader to keep on reading.

The basics of writing bullet points

The hallmark of a great bullet point is brevity plus a promise.

Brevity means short bullets that can be read at a glance and keep your reader moving through your article. A long bullet would defeat that purpose. So how short is short?

Obvious maybe, but it needs to be long enough to be readable and contain the promise. Ideally, it’s one sentence containing less than 10 words.

The promise in your bullet is the tease or hook. You’re making a promise to your reader that your product or service can benefit them. You must deliver, but not immediately – you tease your reader. Here’s an example:

Say you’re writing an article helping people deal with credit rating problems. You tell them you have a proven 10-step program over a four-week period that will substantially improve their credit rating, but you don’t tell them what those 10 steps are. Tease them, but don’t tell them the “how”.

Bullet point formatting and style

Bullets are essential for readability. They’re easy on the eye and get the reader to stop, and pay attention.

Brevity plus the promise of bullet points are essential, and so are their formatting and style.

Here’s what makes a great bullet:

• A great bullet is simple, and the bullet list is simple.
• Bullets, like headlines, don’t need to be complete sentences. They can be fragmented.
• Where possible, they should contain a reader-orientated benefit. Consider them as mini-headlines. Give your reader a meaningful benefit.
• Bullet points should be symmetrical, meaning each bullet is one line or two lines. This makes for easier reading.
• Avoid bullet clutter. What this means is having bullets, then sub-bullets, or worse, sub-titles. Bullets are designed for clarity of reading.
• Each bullet should contain the same grammatical format.
• Bullets should be uniform, and you want to show content symmetry. For example, you don’t want a statistic for the first bullet, followed by a long explanation for the second, and then a link for the third bullet.

When should you use a bullet list?

It goes without saying that bullet lists are a series of bullet points. The objective is to break up a paragraph or an idea into digestible bits.

There are different ways of doing this. By no means exhaustive, here are a few examples where bullet lists are very effective:

• Cliffhangers that tease or foreshadow what’s coming up next.
• Summarizing information or highlights.
• Breaking down complex sentences (known as Bullet Chunking).
• Citing data or proof to back up a claim (these are called Authority Bullets).
• External fascinations. These types of bullet points are usually found in sales copy and are designed to create curiosity to prompt a purchase.
• Internal fascinations are bullet points designed to persuade the reader to continue reading the article.

A summary of bullet points

People like bullet points and are more likely to read them than a paragraph.

The hallmark of a great bullet point is brevity plus a promise.

Brevity means short bullets that can be read at a glance and keep your reader moving through your article. The promise is the tease or hook you’re making to your reader that can benefit them.

Bullet points serve to break up the text by highlighting specific aspects of your copy. The scanner slows down to read, going from one bullet point, then onto the next, and so on.

And, more important, bullet points make your article far easier to read.

After all, that’s what it’s all about. Getting your reader to finish your article.

The headline has grabbed your reader’s attention.

The opening first sentence keeps it.

So far, so good! But now they’re just going to scroll down the page and see if anything else captures their attention.

The sad truth is only about 10% of readers are going to read every word your write. That’s the typical behavior of your average web reader.

That’s where subheadings come in. They pull your reader up to take notice.

So, it goes without saying that you need to know how to write subheadings to get your reader to read, rather than scan, what you’ve written.

What is a subheading and why they’re important

A subheading, or subhead, are mini-headlines and play a huge role in capturing and holding the scanners attention.

It also keeps them moving down the page from one subhead to the next.

Subheadings are smaller in size than the main headline but larger than the text of your article.

They’re meant to stand out.

The main purpose of subheadings are:

1. They stand out because of their size and attract attention.
2. The scanner will stop to read them and continue scanning until the next subhead which they’ll then read.
3. Scanning from subhead to subhead, they serve to guide the reader down the page.
4. A subheading that looks interesting will get the scanner to read that section, and so on.

Reading behavior of the scanner

What the scanner is doing is evaluating whether they want to invest their time into reading your article.

Think of subheadings as being like hooks. They’re the hooks that get the scanner to stop, look and read.

The subheadings should also serve to summarize your article. That way the scanner is able to read and feel the flow of the story by your subheads.

In other words, the subheadings should give the reader a quick and easy guide to see what’s going on with your article.

How to write subheadings that captivate

Creating a subheading follows the same principles as writing a headline using the Four U’s Formula.

The subheading would ideally be:

• Useful – it shows a promise and a benefit to the reader.
• Unique – it contains a fact or opinion your reader may not be aware of.
• Ultra-specific – this makes a subheading stand out and demand attention.
• Urgent – urgency gets your reader to take notice and action.

But that’s a lot of things to put into a subheading, particularly if it needs to be short.

So, try to include the most important, which are Useful and Unique.

Just like writing headlines, you want your subheading to show a benefit, to allure and entice your reader to take notice. They also need to be descriptive about what you’re writing.

Also, like the heading, the shorter your subhead the better. Some say 8 words or less so long as it’s descriptive.

Structuring the subheadings on your page

There are no hard and fast rules, but the following will serve as a guideline:

1. If the headline is the premise, then the subheadings are the tips.
2. Your first subheading should be your best, the most intriguing, the one with the biggest bang.
3. The shorter the subhead the better.
4. Subheadings break your article up into readable and sequential sections.
5. Subheadings need to have rhythm and consistency, which helps the reader move down the page from one subhead to the next subhead.
6. Consistency is the natural rhythm or flow between the subheads. You want to be consistent with a step one, step two, step three, step four type approach.

In summary

Subheadings serve to summarize your article by breaking it up into readable sections.

The content below each subhead is distinct, yet there is a natural flow from one subhead to the next.

This allows for the person who’s scanning to get a quick and easy guide to see what’s going on with your article and, if of interest, to stop, look and read.

How to write subheadings follows the same principle as those for crafting a headline. Importantly you want them to be descriptive, show a benefit for your reader, and be short.

For me, the major benefit of subheads is they make reading so much easier.

The headline gets your readers attention. Then you’ve got to keep it.

What follows the headline is your opening first sentence or paragraph and it’s called the opening.

It could be just one sentence or a very short paragraph, but it must open with plenty of punch.

The purpose of the first sentence

Your first sentence should dominate as it’s the most important piece of the article after the headline.

The headline has served its purpose of stopping the reader in their tracks with a captivating promise. They then move on to read your opening sentence or paragraph which is where you convince them to continue to read.

Remember, the only goal behind the headline is to get them to read the first sentence.

So, like a waterfall that starts with the headline, the next goal is to get them to read the first sentence. Then your only goal behind the first sentence is to get them to read the second sentence, and so on.

In a nutshell:

The headline captures your reader’s attention. The first sentence keeps it.

How long should the first sentence be?

It must be short.

The most important tip is that your opening first sentence should be short.

It could even be as short as a one-word or two-word sentence. The goal, however, is to create expectancy and anticipation, maybe even to shock or awe.

5 popular types of openings

There are a few well-trodden and proven ways to open an article. They can be used in combination or any which way. Below are the 5 most popular:

1. Ask a question

This creates curiosity and gets the reader thinking and it’s that thinking that equals active engagement with your writing.

Your reader is already captivated.

2. Share a quote or an anecdote

Opening with a meaningful quote can speak to some of the pain or problem your reader is trying to solve. Just make sure the quote is 100% accurate.

Sharing an anecdote is also a good way of opening. The key though is how you tell the story. An imaginative writer can start the anecdote right in the middle of the story.

3. Invoking the mind’s eye

This is when you’re asking the reader to create a mental image of something. Using words like “Do you remember when …” or “Picture yourself …”.

You can also project the future by painting a picture in your reader’s mind of what their life would be like if they take you up on the promise you made in the headline. You would use words like “Imagine when …”.

4. An analogy, metaphor, or simile

Opening with an analogy can be very powerful as it’s a comparison of two different things that have some similarities. Something like “Her hand was as cold as ice” or “You’re as annoying as nails on a chalkboard”

On the other hand, a powerful metaphor can do the trick. A metaphor makes a comparison between two things that aren’t alike but have something in common. Two examples are “Laughter is the music of the soul” or “Scars are the road map to the soul”.

Opening with a simile can be more descriptive and elicit the emotional response you’re seeking. A simile is the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind. Examples are “They fought like cats and dogs” and “They are as different as night and day”.

5. Cite a statistic

A statistic is a good opening so long as it has some shock value and it’s unique. Again, it must grab your reader’s attention. A statistic that’s fascinating.

A statistic that’s been overused will be ignored. Make sure it stands out, it’s new and unique.

Finally, make sure the statistic you’re wanting to use is exact, not rounded off. For example, if the figure is 16,435 then use it. Don’t round it off to 16,000.

Same goes for a percentage. If the percentage is 11.89% then that’s what it is. It’s not 12%.

By making statistics exact also implies you’ve done your research and it shows authority.

In summary

The most important take away is that your opening first sentence should be short and grab your reader’s attention.

Achieve that and the reader will want to read the next sentence, and then the next and so on. Just like a cascading waterfall.

Remember, the headline captures your reader’s attention. The first sentence keeps it.

Consider this.

There are a staggering 112,500 blog posts published every hour.

And here’s the deal.

Your article must grab your reader’s attention. If it doesn’t, it will be lost amongst the billions of pages of internet landfill.

The headline is what your reader first notices.

Sure, a reader is drawn to an alluring image or photo, but that’s only because we can process an image faster than words. But it’s the headline that gets you thinking. If it’s not compelling, the reader will continue their scanning.

This post will show you how to write headlines that captivate your reader.

The most important element of a post is the headline

Make no mistake – the headline is the opening act of the show.

If the headline isn’t read, there’s no chance the content of your post will be read.

Being able to write headlines that grab attention is the most important skill to master as an online writer.

Firstly, your reader is busy scanning. It’s the job of the headline to stop the reader dead in her tracks from further scanning and make her take notice. If the headline entices her, she’ll go on to read the opening sentence.

The headline must contain a promise and a benefit to the reader, about what the article is about.

The promise in the headline must be delivered in the content of your article.

However, you’re only able to grab the reader’s attention if the promise in the headline can benefit them. The key to this is understanding your audience, their problems, and what they hope to achieve.

David Ogilvy in his book Ogilvy on Advertising said:

The headlines which work best are those that promise the reader a benefit.

I’m now going to show you how to create a headline that catches the reader’s attention and draws them in.

How to write headlines that seduce using the 4 U’s Formula

It’s called the 4 U’s Headline Formula and works like this.

Is the headline:

• Useful?
• Unique?
• Ultra-specific?
• Urgent?

Let’s work through an example.

Useful

Say you’re going to write an article about how to clean windows. That’s your headline.

“How to Clean Windows”

The promise you’re making is that you’re going to show your reader how to clean windows. It’s a useful headline but you’re not making it unique, ultra-specific, or urgent.

Unique

By changing the headline, it can be made unique. For example,

“How to Clean Windows with Ammonia”

Now the headline has an element of uniqueness. Cleaning windows using ammonia may not be well known.

Ultra-specific

But a further step is required to make it stand out and demand attention. This can be done by making the headline ultra-specific.

“36 Ways to Clean Windows Using Ammonia”

Now the headline is useful because it promises to teach you something; it’s unique, and it’s ultra-specific.

Urgent

And finally, you could put some urgency into the headline.

“36 Ways to Clean Windows using Ammonia Before Nightfall”

So now you have a headline that’s ultra-specific, urgent, unique, and useful

Other useful information about using the 4 U’s Formula

1. The goal is to get as many of the 4 U’s into your headline as possible. The trade-off is the more you have, the longer the headline. A short headline is always better.
2. Ideally, you want at least three of the U’s in the headline. The most important are Useful, Unique, and one other, being Ultra-specific or Urgent.
3. For ultra-specific I’ve used “36 Ways”. Numbering may have been done to death, but it works. In fact, the larger the number the higher the engagement.
4. Urgency is the most difficult to fit into a headline. There are two ways you can do this.
   • Put a deadline on it, like, “Order this year’s vintage wine now, limited supplies”, or “Order your copy before the midnight deadline”.
   • Another way to create urgency is the idea that something bad is going to happen to you if you don’t act now (the threat of death or a major illness), or you’re going to miss out on something good.

Summary

The job of the headline is to get your readers attention so she’ll then read your first sentence.

The headline is the most important element of your post and must contain a promise and a benefit to your reader.

The 4 U’s Formula of how to write headlines gives you a framework to craft seductive headlines by making them:

1. Useful
2. Unique
3. Ultra-specific
4. Urgent

Although a short headline has more punch than a longer one, the goal is to get as many of the 4 U’s into your headline as possible.

That said, always include the most important which are Useful and Unique.

You may be surprised.

Writing great content for the web isn’t that hard. In fact, it’s quite easy, if you follow a time-proven formula.

And, it can be summed up in just three words:

1. Clear
2. Concise
3. Compelling

What you write needs to be Clear, Concise and Compelling.

The 3 C’s Formula for great web writing

To help make it stick in your mind, call it the 3 C’s Formula.

With these three words, your copy will demand attention, create desire and compel action. For a copywriter, it doesn’t get better than that.

That’s it. Now, let’s break them down.

Clear

You need to write very clearly.

Clear is simple.

When a visitor lands on your web page, they need to comprehend it straight away. That’s not read it but just comprehend it.

They need to be able to “get it” straight away. Don’t make them think.

Everything from your headlines, sub-headlines, bullets, and navigation links should all communicate clearly what lies in or behind them.

The reader easily understands what’s being communicated, and that process also builds trust.

Concise

Writing for the web is a minimalist affair using short sharp sentences.

There are no unnecessary words to detract, which means you need to edit your copy very hard. Chuck out anything that’s not essential.

Ruthlessly editing will by necessity make your copy clear and concise.

The longer the sentence or paragraph, the less likely it is to be read.

Compelling

You know what makes your reader or potential customer tick. You know what their concerns are and what keeps them up at night.

You know their hot spots. If you know that, you’ll also know what to write and how you’ll write it.

You write to address and solve their problems. Give the reader what she wants.

By writing what your ideal reader wants, you’re naturally writing compelling content that is engaging, and your reader will stick around.

Here’s a bonus.

When you write clear, concise, and compelling content you’ll naturally be writing keyword-dense copy that search engines love.

When you’re writing for your reader, you’re also naturally writing for the search engines. And remember, if your readers love you, Google will too!

Finally, no one has ever complained that something is too simple to read.