Web Strategy and Development Blog

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.

Social Media Kit: Spring 2018 Public Affairs Conference

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The Spring 2018 Public Affairs Conference theme is Sustainability in Practice: Consensus and Consequences. The conference will help all of us explore best practices for a sustainable future.

Key details

  • What: Public Affairs Conference
  • When: April 10-12, 2018
  • Where: Plaster Student Union and Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts at Missouri State
  • Who: Plenary speakers, guest artists and presenters
  • No tickets required
  • All events are free and open to the public

Share your story

Help us discuss the Public Affairs Conference by sharing it on social media. Posts with the #CitizenBear hashtag will be pulled to the #CitizenBear Tagboard.

Make your post social media savvy

  • Tag your posts with the official Public Affairs Conference hashtag, #CitizenBear
  • Follow Missouri State University on Facebook or @missouristate on Twitter
  • Tag your posts with the Springfield, Missouri hashtag: #SGF
  • When you post to Facebook and Twitter, boost your status update by sharing it with a photo or video
  • Nothing beats a first-hand perspective. Share a photo from or quote about your experience

Visual Assets

Video

Live video

The university will live stream four conference events on YouTube.

Watch Ron Ireland plenary

Watch Brady Deaton plenary

Watch Majora Carter plenary

Watch Vivian Carter plenary

Facebook images

These images are cropped and ready to be your Facebook cover photo.

Students at a conference event for Facebook Students at a voter registration table for Facebook Students walking by colorful international flags for Facebook The Bronze Bear statue with international flags for Facebook

Twitter images

These images are cropped and ready to be your Twitter cover photo.

Students at a conference event for Twitter Students at a voter registration table for Twitter Students walking by colorful international flags for Twitter The Bronze Bear statue with international flags for Twitter

Instagram

Share these images on your Instagram account to share the Public Affairs Conference.

Students at a voter registration table for Instagram Students at a conference event for Instagram The Bronze Bear statue with international flags for Instagram Students walking by colorful international flags for Instagram

Sample social media posts

Sample tweets

  • Join the @MissouriState community for its Public Affairs Conference April 10-12. http://bit.ly/1HFHLnl #CitizenBear #SGF
  • What does it mean to live in a sustainable world? http://bit.ly/2mOlgNe #CitizenBear #SGF
  • These events at @MissouriState will help you become a more informed citizen. http://bit.ly/1BM0PvB #CitizenBear #SGF

Sample Facebook posts

Pair either of these suggestions with a photo from the Facebook section.

Be smart on social: You’re one of us

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Here’s our best advice for managing your personal social media accounts when you work at Missouri State (or any other organization):

Listen to Dwight Schrute.

“Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, I do not do that thing.”

– Dwight Schrute, “The Office,” Season 3, Episode 17

In other words, use common sense.

You may represent the university when you use your personal social media accounts. So keep it as clean and positive as possible. Post nothing derogatory, sexist, racist, or otherwise offensive.

Our office has updated the brand social media guidelines to reflect other recommendations for your personal social media accounts, including how to add a “disclaimer” in your account bio.

Recap: Making Your Statement in a Digital World, Spring 2018

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Kevin Agee and Kai Raymer recently presented Making Your Statement in a Digital World. It was a comprehensive training session for Missouri State website, blog and social media managers.

Access the presentations

We presented the Feb. 23 training session in four parts.

Key takeaways

Brand storytelling

  • Having a brand is a great start. But you need more than that. You need stories to execute it.
  • The problem is most higher ed stories aren’t stories at all, such as …
    • “Your professors will really get to know you.”
    • “You’ll get hands-on experience.”
    • “This is where you’ll discover your calling.”
  • A great Missouri State story does three things:
    • Makes an emotional and rational connection.
    • Builds meaningful relationships.
    • Is authentic.
  • Lead with the most interesting message. Not the most important.
  • Your voice is unique. Say it that way.

Readability

  • For better readability, use concise text and a scannable layout. Keep your message short and give readers an easy way to find the information they want.
  • Newspapers aim for a 7th-grade reading level. So should you. Approximately 70 percent of people read at an intermediate (6th-8th grade) level.
  • Make sure your content looks good on mobile. Current and future students are researching your department/program on their phones.
  • Improve your content’s readability with tools like Hemingway App and Yoast SEO.
  • Better readability gives your message more impact. You’ll improve audience reach/growth, audience action and efficiency (save $$$).

Social media

  • Use Instagram as a window into your department or organization. Strong, high-quality visuals are a must. Tell your story through pictures and videos and allow users to derive meaning.
  • Twitter is best used for conversation, not promotion. Don’t be afraid to let go, have fun, and be transparent with your audience. Customer service happens here.
  • Don’t believe what you’ve heard: Facebook still reigns supreme. Share news, human interest stories and your successes. Deal with negativity in a transparent fashion.
  • Worry not about your number of followers. Want to increase your base? Be good. Deliver interesting content people will want to consume.
  • Aim for the heart with all of your platforms. Be the account that makes people feel like they’ve picked something special to them.

Accessibility

  • Accessibility helps people with disabilities or limited abilities better use the web.
  • There are legal, ethical and beneficial reasons to maintain an accessible website. Accessibility makes your website better.
  • Three staples of accessibility: alt text, headings and descriptive links.
    • Alt text is the text equivalent of a photo. Imagine you were describing the image to someone via text message or phone call.
    • Headings are vital for screen readers and give all visitors an easy outline of your website.
    • Descriptive links explain what the link offers. You shouldn’t have to read surrounding content for context. Don’t write “click here” for your links.
  • Use tools like WAVE and Web Press’ accessibility checker. They’ll find accessibility issues on your website.
  • Follow our ongoing Accessibility blog series for the latest tips and strategies.

Social media kit: Fifth annual Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame

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The state of Missouri will soon be honoring some of its finest citizens for their outstanding work for the betterment of others through the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame.

The fifth class of honorees in the Hall of Fame — Peter Herschend, Jean Carnahan, Phyllis Washington, General John J. Pershing and Lane McConnell — are set for induction on April 13, 2018. The induction ceremony and banquet is open to the public, but guests must purchase tickets to attend.

You can show your support for these outstanding individuals by spreading the word about the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame and its honorees.

Key details:

What

Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony

When

April 13, 2018, 6-8 p.m.

Where

White River Conference Center in Springfield, Missouri

Who

The dinner and induction ceremony is open to the public, but guests must purchase tickets to attend. The honorees set for induction into the Hall of Fame are Peter Herschend, Jean Carnahan, Phyllis Washington, General John J. Pershing and Lane McConnell.

Tickets

$40 per person. You can purchase tickets online.

Share your story

Help us spread the word about the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame through social media.

We encourage you to join the online conversation about the Hall of Fame by posting about it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tagging your posts with the official hashtag: #ShowMeCitizens

Make your post social media savvy

Photos

The following photos are available for your use:

Landscape crop

Square crop

Sample social media posts

Sample tweets:

Sample Facebook posts:

Sharing about the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame on Facebook allows for some additional customization.

  • Example 1
    • Post text: Join fellow Missourians in honoring five outstanding #ShowMeCitizens at the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame April 13, as we induct Peter Herschend, Jean Carnahan, Phyllis Washington, General John J. Pershing and Lane McConnell.  http://bit.ly/2jHOF2018
  • Example 2
  • Example 3
    • Post text: Celebrate the induction of Jean Carnahan into the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame on April 13. Carnahan is the the first female in Missouri history to serve in the U.S. Senate. http://bit.ly/2HOFCarnhan
  • Example 4
    • Post text: Join the Missouri Public Affairs Hall of Fame in recognizing Phyllis Washington for her work improving education for students in Kansas City. #ShowMeCitizens http://bit.ly/2HOFWashington
  • Example 5
  • Example 6
    • Post text: Celebrate the life and military career of General John J. Pershing who was largely credited with the success of World War I by President Woodrow Wilson. #ShowMeCitizens http://bit.ly/2HOFPershing