If that headline piqued your interest that you’re thinking, Which belt is best to use as a tourniquet? (answer: none! Hopefully as an EFR Instructor you realize this is a trick question) then read on for tips on how to market your EFR courses more effectively using social media.

In our fast-paced, media overflowing world we need to grab people’s attention quickly. Using “sensational” headlines is one way to draw readers in so you can inform them and reach them with your message. Improving your marketing skillset using such techniques can increase your reach and grow the numbers on your Emergency First Response® courses. 

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Sensational Headlines

Sensational headlines are intentionally shocking, surprising or otherwise contrary to expectations specifically to generate attention and elicit interest. They can be exciting rather than serious, but should not be insulting or in any way negative.

Hopefully, as a prudent EFR® Instructor, you know that a belt should never be used as a tourniquet (unless it is literally your last resort). But much of the public doesn’t know this (you still see it commonly in fictional media, for example), and not everyone knows why. As you know but many people don’t, compared to other improvised tourniquet options it’s difficult for a belt to be pulled tight enough to be effective for an arterial bleed, even with an improvised windlass, and is more painful. 

This headline therefore draws in two sets of readers: one set wants to know the best type of belt to use, and the other knows using a belt is wrong but want to see what the article says. In either case, you educate your audience and let them know that using a belt for a tourniquet isn’t the best option, and learning this is part of the informative, beneficial and fun EFR course you’re teaching. They learn something important, and you tell them about your upcoming courses.

The Perfect Blog Header

Ask yourself, How can I interest the maximum number of people to read this? These are seven possible ways to create a heading that will do just that:

  1. Ask a question. This starts a conversation with your reader and piques their interest to know more. They may already be answering the question in their head and will read on to see if you can truly answer it for them. The belt question is an example. 
  2. Be Sensational! Controversial headings will draw readers in and provoke a response. We all know that you don’t use belts for tourniquets, but using wrong information grabs attention. For example, “When Someone Has a Heart Attack, Don’t Do CPR!” runs contrary to expectations, and is followed with a brief explanation of call first, get an AED, breathing unresponsive patients, etc. to inform the reader that in CPR training, it’s just as important to learn when to do CPR as to learn how.
  3. Know your audience! While trying to be sensational, do not insult or offend your intended audience. Stay away from sex, alcohol and drugs, politics and so on – you’ll almost always put someone off with these. Be careful with humor, too  especially if you’ve lost someone, there’s nothing funny about cardiac arrest or serious injuries.
  4. “How to.” Using this phrase, the headline could have read, “How to write the best heading for a blog post”; or, following the advice above, something more sensational like “How to not suck at blog writing!” For EFR, a good one might be something like, “How to stay safe while providing first aid.”
  5. Write a list. For example, “Seven of the best objects to use as a tourniquet.” Many people will start their own mental list prior to reading yours and check off the answers as they read. Use numbers rather than bullet points to inform your audience how long the article is. 
  6. Keep it short. Keep it simple. Google SEO (Search Engine Optimization) requires less than 70 characters to index, and so anything longer is wasted. 
  7. Use “You” and “Your.” These show that the article will be written toward the reader and not about the writer, thereby adding value. Words like This, What, Which, When and Why are also useful for showing specificity and concrete values. These words promise to fill the curiosity gap between what we know and additional information we would like to know. 

Remember, you can combine these. For example: “Seven of the best objects to use as a tourniquet – and your belt isn’t one of them!”

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Shakespearian Content

It’s the headline that grabs your audience and guide them toward reading your content, but you need to keep their attention by being engaging. You want them to seek out future content knowing they will enjoy what they find. To assist you with writing engaging content, and avoiding the biggest pitfalls of blogging, read this article on the 6 Mistakes Bloggers Make and How to Avoid Them.

 

Call to Action

End your post by guiding your reader about what to do next. Blogs should be more conversational than dictatorial, but you can ask them to leave a comment or ask a question. Suggestions are fair game, with invitations to enroll in a course, subscribe to a newsletter or the like.

Try writing your next website EFR blog post using these principles and advertise your post on social media channels. Invite readers to register for an upcoming course and see what response you get compared to in the past. And as an example, blog-like call to action, if you have questions or wish to share your feedback, contact your Regional Headquarters. (And if you’re wondering, What is best to use as a tourniquet? please take a look at Techniques for Controlling Catastrophic Bleeding.)

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