Subheads

That was a lot about headlines. And truth be told, subheads and headlines have a lot in common. Obviously subheadings are headlines for each section of your copy. So it can be helpful to think about the same rules for headlines when you are writing subheads.

The truth is… most writers don’t use subheads as effectively as they should. Often subheads are an afterthought… a copywriter writes a paragraph or two, then needs some copy to sum up the idea in the copy they wrote, so they slap a few descriptive words at the top and call it good. Or worse, they use product names, features, and bland statements like, “look what these happy customers had to say” …let’s be honest, these don’t really say much of anything. Especially if your reader isn’t already product aware.

Good subheads have a purpose. They help the reader determine whether reading the copy under the subhead is worth their time. So, like a headline, they need to intrigue and attract attention. And they need to get you to read the next line. But in addition to that, if your reader only reads the subheads and NOT your copy, they should be able to understand what your copy is about when they are done. The subheads are a bit like a cliff-notes version of the copy that skimmers can use to figure out what they should read and what they can skip. And if they choose not to read a particular block of copy, they should still understand the basics of what the copy is about by scanning the subhead.

Let’s take a look at a long piece of content to see how this works. I’m going to share my screen so you can see how this works…

<Sorry there’s no transcript of the content video walk though.>

And one more example, this time a sales page…

<Sorry there’s no transcript of the sales page video walk though.>

Subheads can be used effectively in case studies, white papers, and even emails. Just follow the same guidelines you follow for headlines. Write subheads that intrigue and attract attention. Don’t use features or product names as subheadlines. And make sure that if your reader only reads the subheads, they’ll understand the message you are sharing.

Subheads have one other purpose and that is to make your copy easier to read. They break up long sections of text and give your reader a place to jump in and start reading. So use them liberally. You don’t need one on every paragraph, but you also shouldn’t go more than three or four without a subhead. 

Finally if what you deliver to your client is a wireframe or layout of your copy instead of a word or google doc, make sure you put your subheads in larger fonts, or bold type, and set them apart from the body copy so your client and their designer can get a feel of how they flow together.