People love glitz, glamour, gossip… why else do you think CNN.com has started putting gossipy headlines about Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson or some other pop-tartlet of the day on their homepage? I’m sure that one of today’s featured stories “Harrison Ford: I’m still fit to play Indiana Jones” isn’t really news, but I’ll probably read it. Why? It’s a sensational headline. The kind of headline that if you wrote it, would get you the front page of a syndication site like Digg and get bookmarked in Del.icio.us.

No matter how good your content is, if you don’t’ get people to read it, all that information that you are providing is lost to your audience. Probably the best example of how to market yourself through headlines is from a recent Edison Inventors Society  Meeting. One of the members launched a designer barf bag (kid you not). Seems crazy until you realize she markets it to pregnant women and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. In any case, her entire press strategy was about grabbing headlines. Her copywriter wrote this series of ads and press releases all about “Barfing in Style.” Truly, funniest thing I have ever read. But the point is, the titles were so catchy that Fox news and Regis and Kelly picked up the story. Needless to say, this woman is laughing all the way to the bank.

Where I am going with this one is, before you even think about writing some Pulitzer Prize winning content, come up with an attention grabbing title. I’m not talking about some fun play on words that makes people think too hard about what you have to say, I am talking about a to the point, call to action headline that just begs a reader to click on it and read the article. I call these “Houston Headlines.” For those of you that don’t or have never lived in Houston, TX: a “Houston Headline” is a headline that makes you read or watch a news piece because you think if you don’t your children might get run over by a runaway train or roaming vagabonds might break into your home and kidnap you Patti Hurst style.

Your headline should make it seem as though getting the information in your article is vital to the reader's very existance

So, what kinds of titles create headlines for real estate sites? 

These are just examples of the types of titles you can use. I am not suggesting these titles, just showing you how to implement the ideas.

Create a little fear. Make people feel like if they don’t read this their entire buying, selling, investing future is in jeopardy. Sounds crazy but the fear of loss is a compelling reason to dig deeper into some topic.

• 5 Things that will ruin your closing

• Are you preventing your home from selling?

• Will your open house be a flop?

People love lists. Think about People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People issue.  It is historically one of their best selling issues each year. Simple lists catch people’s attention. It gives them knowledge in bite sized pieces.

• Top 10 things to do in Area X when you’re retired

• The 20 most important things to do when staging a home for sale

• Top 10 ways to get more for your money when buying a home

Strangely, people like to be told what to do. They like to be guided through processes. So, writing “How-to” and “Ultimate Guide” type titles always make for a popular post.  FYI: These types of titles and posts are called “tutorial marketing.”

• How to get an offer at an open house

• Ultimate guide to closing in 30 days

• What to do when a seller refuses your offer

There wouldn’t be a show called Mythbusters if people didn’t like their myths busted. So, bust those myths. 

• Myth: you can’t get home owner’s insurance in Florida

• Myth: I'll get the best deal on the house if I call the agent listed on the For Sale sign

• Myth: Our new kitchen is a great improvement and will improve our home value

As Realtors, I know you know things that average home buyers like myself are just in the dark about… Share them. People like to think they are getting “exclusive” or “secret” information. Doesn’t a secret peak your interest?

• Secrets of painless closings

• The secrets of zero down investing

• A Realtor’s secrets to buying homes for less

Please, we all can’t get enough of Star Magazine in the grocery line. I may not buy it, but I read every juicy little nugget I can while the husband unpacks the cart! It’s an unfortunate fact, people love sensational gossipy news. If your area is predisposed to having celebrities in town or you have a local scandal, blog all about it. It will drive traffic in droves to your site and possibly get you syndicated!

• Councilman Harry puts your home sale in jeopardy with higher taxes

• Johnny Damon sells Fort Myers home, take the virtual tour and see how a World Series winner lives

• Why Rod Stewart makes a bad neighbor

Need more ideas from a great source, other than me… check out CopyBlogger.