Microcontent: How to Write Headlines, Page Titles, and Subject Lines

If you create listings of other people's content, it is almost always best to rewrite their headlines. Very few people currently understand the art of writing online microcontent that works when placed elsewhere on the Web. Thus, to serve your users better, you have to do the work yourself.

Headlines: First word impacts performance in a big way

Microcontent needs to be pearls of clarity: you get 40-60 characters to explain your macrocontent. Unless the title or subject make it absolutely clear what the page or email is about, users will never open it.

The requirements for online headlines are very different from printed headlines.

Because they are used differently, print vs. online headlines should be media-tailored. The two main differences in headline use are:

Guidelines for Microcontent

Page Titles and Subject Lines

Examples