In the ultra-competitive small business environment, it’s essential to create interest in your business. One way to accomplish this is to write effective headlines across your varied marketing copy.

A first-rate title inspires one to: read an article; open an email; pick up a flyer or brochure about your business; download your small business newsletter; subscribe to your mailing list; enter a contest, and more.

Consider the following 5 tips for writing great headlines (that gets your business noticed):

Your titles should get your readers thinking. They should cause them to ponder, “This looks like it’s going to be very helpful information to me, and I better check this out further.”

Consequently, your headline moves your reader into greater interaction with your message and by extension, your business. If you have read this far then my title above induced you to keep reading and therefore did its job.

Your headline should not be about you and/or your business, per se. It should be about your readers – your target market. It must offer something of value.

A good one centers on your customers’ (and potential customers’) needs. The headline to this article is focusing on helping business operators get their businesses noticed. This headline is not focusing on me, the writer, or anyone or anything else.

Create headlines that are concise, clear, and of an appropriate length. The title to this article is 11 words. It could even be cut to 6 words, eliminating the bracketed content. However, with a few more words I desired to center on getting your business noticed.

The point is, don’t be long-winded with titles. Too long and they lose their punch.

Want to annoy your niche market? Offer them something tantalizing in your headline – then talk about something else in your message.

The headline to this article promised 5 headline writing tips... This is what I’m providing here in the body of the article. This article is delivering what the headline promised.

If I proceeded to meander and talk about how to build an email list, or how to use social media to build your audience, you would be thinking, ‘What’s this all about, there’s nothing here substantial about writing effective headlines!”

Deliver what your headline promises or else you’re being misleading with your headline.

Don’t write a headline that promises more than you can deliver. Be honest and truthful with your headline. Regarding the headline to this article, employing these tips can help get your business noticed.

This headline did not say, “5 Tips for Writing Great Headlines (That Will Bring In $1,000,000 In Sales)”.

I have no right to write a headline like that. That is sensationalism and an unbelievable claim. If that happens, great. However, the headline promises a realistic benefit. Your headlines should as well.

Good headlines spur action. They encourage people to investigate your message further.

Spend time creating effective headlines that promote greater interaction with your business. Use headlines to propel your business forward.

Michael Ugulini is a business writer from the Niagara Region, Ontario. He’s a contributing writer at Biz Profiles https://bizprofiles.net and Seeking Alpha http://seekingalpha.com/author/michael-ugulini/articles#regular_articles

He writes articles for small businesses, feature articles, copywriting articles, blog posts for small businesses, newsletter content, brochure content, and articles on publicly-traded companies.