Web Strategy and Development News

3 simple tips for improving your headlines

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Strong headlines are vital. They’re the billboards for your content.

Consider the classic 80-20 rule. For every 10 people who find your headline, eight will read the headline but only two will read the content.

Strong headlines entice your audience to keep reading.

You write headlines for many things: websites, articles and blogs, emails, social media and more.

Here are three basic tips for headline writing.

Know your audience, purpose and platform

Who are you writing for? What’s important to them? Why would your content interest them? Nick Usborne asks these questions, and others, as a starting basis in his Udemy course for headline writing.

If you know these answers, it’s easier to connect your audience with your content.

Audience/purpose: Your audience wants to know what’s in it for them. What will they get from reading your content?

Quality headlines suggest a benefit or gain.

Take the title of this blog post, for example. A very small time commitment (reading three simple tips) for a valuable outcome (improving your headlines).

Platform: Adjust your tone and style for the platform. Writing for alumni on Facebook is different than writing for current students on Twitter or Instagram.

Give direction or request action, but be brief

Guide your audience.

When we write headlines for the university homepage, we’re trying to get you to do something. We aren’t just making announcements or posting news releases.

Homepage of missouristate.edu showing featurette examples

These headlines typically begin with a verb or one of the five Ws: who, what, when, where and why, along with how. We want to give you an action to take, or help you learn about something.

Favor brevity and know your platform. Verbs are your friend. Long headlines with complex words are not.

Practice, practice, practice

Your first version of a headline won’t be your best headline. Try again. And again. And then maybe a few more times.

Upworthy writes 25 versions of a headline for each article. Try it.

Short on time? Even if you only write a dozen potential options, you’ll come up with a more effective headline than that first version.

In summary

There are many more tips for good headline writing not mentioned here.

Google “Tips for better headline writing” and you’ll have an endless amount of insight.

But these three tips should give you a start for improving your headlines.

Faculty and staff free portrait days are August 28-29

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Update your MSU employee photo during faculty and staff free portrait days, August 28-29 at Plaster Student Union.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 317, the office of visual media will take your photo, free of charge.

Attending this event ensures you have an appropriate profile photo on university websites.

This is a great opportunity for new faculty and staff members to have their pictures taken.

Professional or business casual attire preferred. No pre-registration required.

Contact Chuck Busby, office of the provost, at 836-6495 if you have any questions.

Key details: free portrait days

  • Who: Missouri State University faculty and staff
  • When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., August 28-29
  • Where: Plaster Student Union, Room 317
  • About: No pre-registration or cost required.

Choose the photo you want

MSU employee posing for photo during free photo days
MSU employees have the opportunity to get a professional headshot taken by the office of visual media during faculty and staff free portrait days. Photos by Jesse Scheve/Missouri State University

You’ll review and select your photo on-site at the event.

Then, web strategy and development uploads your photo to the university directory – with no extra effort on your part.

Within a few days, you can download your photo per instructions provided at the event.

Your photo is free. You can use it for other professional purposes.

Update your four-year degree plans with our help

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Web Strategy and Development is assisting with campus-wide updates to four-year undergraduate degree plans. This is a provost-supported project.

Send your updates to us

Academic departments should update their four-year degree plans for the upcoming academic year.

Does your department need help with making updates?

We’ll process them for you.

Email your updated degree plans to webpress@missouristate.edu by June 29. Expect two to four business days for us to process your changes.

We’ll make your updates for the 2018-19 academic year. Your department will complete future updates.

Why are degree plan updates needed?

Two reasons:

  • To reflect the new credit hour requirements
  • To align with the 2018-19 catalog requirements

Missouri State changed its credit hour requirements for undergraduate degrees from 125 to 120 hours.

Certain undergraduate degrees still require more than 120 hours. But, your degree plan must still reflect the current catalog requirements.

What if I don’t update my degree plans?

Your department will receive a notification about any outdated degree plans.

In July, the registrar’s office will conduct a search to catch any outdated degree plans on university websites.

Your degree plan will be flagged as outdated if:

  • It doesn’t have the current catalog year
  • It doesn’t have a review date listed at the bottom

Example: Degree plan with current catalog year

The introduction to your degree plan should reference the current catalog.

Example: degree plan review date

The bottom of your degree plan page should include a review date no earlier than March 29, 2018.

What if I’ve already updated my degree plans?

Great! Please make sure your updated degree plans include the current catalog year (2018-19) and the review date at the bottom.

These steps require some technical knowledge of Web Press.

Review our Web Press how-to instructions or contact our web help desk if you need assistance.

Even if you’ve updated your credit hour requirements, you still need the appropriate catalog listing (2018-19) and review date.

What about three-year degree plans?

We’ve removed most three-year degree plans from university websites. Some are still live, as requested by individual departments.

Questions?

Contact the web help desk at 417-836-5271 or email at webpress@missouristate.edu

Degree plan best practices

  • Develop your degree plans in the same format as the current four-year plans. A list of four-year plans is available on the Provost’s website.
  • Programs with multiple track options should have a four-year plan for each track option.
  • Programs with multiple degree types (BA, BS) should have a four-year plan for each degree type.
  • Title your four-year plan as specifically as possible.

Faculty and staff free portrait day is June 19

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Update your MSU employee photo on faculty and staff free portrait day, June 19 at Meyer Alumni Center.

From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 504, Photographic Services will take your photo, free of charge.

You can park in Lot 40 or Lot 42, which are across the street from Meyer Alumni Center along East McDaniel. The Meyer Alumni Center parking garage is closed for repairs.

Attending this event ensures you an appropriate profile photo on university websites.

This is a great opportunity for new faculty and staff members to have their pictures taken.

Preferred attire is professional or business casual. Pre-registration is not required.

Contact Chuck Busby, office of the provost, at 836-6495 if you have any questions.

Key details: Free portrait day

  • Who: Missouri State University faculty and staff
  • When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 19
  • Where: Meyer Alumni Center, Kenneth E. Room 504
  • About: No pre-registration or cost required. Park in Lot 40 or Lot 42; the Meyer Alumni Center parking garage is closed for repairs.

Choose the photo you want

MSU employee posing for photo during free photo days
MSU employees have the opportunity to get a professional headshot taken by Photographic Services during faculty and staff free portrait days. Photos by Jesse Scheve/Missouri State University

You’ll review and select your photo on-site at the event.

Then, Photographic Services uploads your photo to the university directory – with no extra effort on your part.

Within a few days, you will also receive the photo you selected via email can download your photo per instructions provided at the event.

Your photo is free. You can use it for other professional purposes.

Social Media Kit: Collaborative Diversity Conference

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Learn how to grow diversity networks.

Help recruit and retain underrepresented professionals, faculty and students within Missouri.

You’ll discover how, and more, at this year’s Collaborative Diversity Conference. It takes place April 25-27 at Plaster Student Union on the Missouri State University campus.

MSU employees can attend for free, but registration is required through MyLearning Connection.

The three-day event includes a pre-conference session on April 25.

April 28: Just for students

Students lead the way on April 28. The student summit is a student-only conference and part of the Collaborative Diversity Conference.

Workshops for MSU students, led by other MSU students.

Separate registration is required for the #MoStateStudentSummit.

Key details

Share your story

Help us spread the word about the Collaborative Diversity Conference. Share it with Missouri State University and local communities on social media.

If you attend the event, we want to hear about your experience! We encourage you to join the online conversation during the Collaborative Diversity Conference by posting about it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tagging your posts with the official hashtag: #Diversity18.

Make your post social media savvy

Photos

Sample social media posts

Sample tweets

  • The Collaborative Diversity Conference is April 25-27. Plan your events: https://bit.ly/2GcDdiw #Diversity18
  • How to be a #CitizenBear: Attend the Collaborative Diversity Conference: https://bit.ly/2HUb9wE #Diversity18
  • The Collaborative Diversity Conference will explore the value of community. Registration: https://bit.ly/2HUb9wE #Diversity18
  • The Collaborative Diversity Conference welcomes Dr. Damon A. Williams on April 27. https://bit.ly/2pHhSDs #Diversity18

Review our steps for turning a link into a tweet.

Sample Facebook posts

Sharing about the Collaborative Diversity Conference on Facebook allows for some additional customization. The sample posts provide content recommendations based on our best practice tips for optimizing link sharing on Facebook.

Review our tips for making the most of a Facebook post.

Example 1

URL: https://bit.ly/2pHhSDs

Headline: Keynote speaker Dr. Damon A. Williams presents the business case for diversity and the value for cultural consciousness for all campus and community stakeholders.

Text: The Collaborative Diversity Conference is your opportunity to engage with diversity professionals, share best practices and gain creative ideas.

Example 2

URL: Division for Diversity and Inclusion Facebook event

Text: Learn about inspiring commitment and driving collaboration at the Collaborative Diversity Conference.