At All the Buzz, we’ve been asked lately, “How do I get people to read my Twitter post?” Writing for Twitter is like writing for anything else. You have to capture the reader’s attention right off the bat. And what’s the best way to do that? Write a great headline.

The 80/20 Rule applies

You won’t get everyone to read your Tweet, no matter how great your headline is. Your headline has to capture the interest of that specific reader at that specific time. The 80/20 rule applies here: 8 out of 10 people will read your headline and only 2 out of 10 will read on. People scan, and if your headline doesn’t capture their interest in a second or two, they move on to the next shiny object. Here are some tips, however,  that can help you write more effective Twitter headlines and increase your readership:

1. All headlines are promises and offer a reward for reading

A headline promises that the reader will benefit in some way by reading your post.Will they learn a valuable tip? Will they grow richer? Will they make more friends? Will they get a laugh? Will they win something? Offer useful information to your reader. As a bonus, if your readers enjoy your post and gets value from it, they will retweet your post to their network.

2. Headlines tell something unique or interesting

Have you just heard or read something interesting that you’re dying to tell others about? If you found it fascinating, mostly likely, so will your followers.

3. A Twitter headline screams “Read me NOW”

Promote urgency in your headline and tell people why they should read your tweet now.

4. Twitter headlines are short

Statistics show that 95% of effective headlines contain 8 words or less. Get right to the point.

5. Twitter headlines are ultra-specific

Write about one point only. Tweets are short; you don’t have the space to expound on your subject. Direct readers with a link to a longer article on your website if you have more information to share.

6. Headlines don’t generally use punctuation

Most headlines don’t use punctuation. Especially don’t use exclamation points; they are not used in business writing and can dissuade the trust you are trying to build . Besides, it eats up just one more of your valuable 140 characters.

Try some of these tips and see if your read rate doesn’t improve.