“Behind The Scenes: How (And Why) New Rainmaker Is Produced”
Yep, I agree that “behind the scenes” arouses curiosity, that’s why it’s the most powerful phrase in this headline. They’re letting us in on a secret. Otherwise I don’t think this is a particularly good headline. What is the real benefit of knowing how the New Rainmaker is produced? How does that help me?
I think this is a self-indulgent headline. I’m not surprised it didn’t get a lot of social shares. Even the masters get it wrong sometimes. 😉
By the way – I’m being super-critical here. Let me know if you think I’m too critical.
“How to Nail Your Opening”
Yep, “nail” is the power word here, but again the benefit is fluffy. The benefit is probably something like writing a seductive opening to entice people to read your post, but it’s not clear from the headline.
A week earlier I had a post on Copyblogger on the same topic and I think the benefit is far clearer (this was a slight variation on the headline I submitted): A 3-Step Formula for Captivating Your Audience With a Few Opening Lines. (The post is about a 3-step formula for writing a few opening lines. The benefit is “captivating your audience”. The power words are formula & captivating.)
“Why Your Site’s Search Rank May Be Falling (And 4 Simple Ways to Fix it)”
Yep, the power words are: Falling, Simple, Fix it
The benefit is fixing your search rank so you gain more traffic.
“How to Craft Tweetable Quotes That Spread Your Content like Wildfire”
“Spread like Wildfire” is the strongest power phrase here. Much stronger than “going viral” which is a rather over-used alternative.
And yep, the specific benefit is immediately clear: Spread your content like wildfire
“49 Creative Geniuses Who Use Blogging to Promote Their Art”
The number “49” is definitely a power word – that immediately attracts attention. Geniuses is another power word – it makes you curious to know who they are.
The benefit is implied here – if you find out who these geniuses are, then you can learn how to promote your art just like they are.
When trying to find a benefit, think about how the post is helping you as reader to become happier, richer, healthier, more relaxed, more productive etc.
Good work, Sue.
Enchant readers. Woo customers. Win business.