Teachers who complete their headlines on their italki profile, on average see 3 times the profile clicks and increased bookings!
Before we begin keep in mind a couple of rules:
- Don't say something like, "I am the best teacher in italki." We have many great teachers and you are one of them, true, but not the only one.
- Don't say something like, " Top 5% on italki." italki doesn't actually rank teachers that way.
When it comes time to write your italki headline, many teachers take an all-business approach, listing their training, experience, and statistics. That can be a great way to quickly tell incoming students the necessities. But could it be better? Your profile headline is your personal mission statement, your voice to catch students and tell them who you are. You are trying to intrigue and ensnare your audience to find out more.
There is no formula for a great headline, but there are some considerations. To help you get inspired, here are 10 tips with examples to get students’ attention. Hopefully, they can inspire your next great headline.
1. Motivate students with emotion and experience
“For 10 years I've helped great learners find their passion and voice in Spanish no matter the level”
Students want to study and learn, and everyone has a different reason for studying, but we all want to enjoy the journey and speak fluently. A headline such as this not only says that you teach Spanish, but that you are individualistic and take students of all levels.
2. Share something personal to highlight your uniqueness
“Just a weird Toyko Anime Nerd, ex-front-end software developer, teaching Japanese Basics to all”
We know from this headline, that the teacher is maybe silly, not serious, likes anime, is from Tokyo, has experience in software development, and teaches Japanese. All that information for students to get to know the teacher in just 100 characters! And it shows the teacher’s personality to potential students.
3. Highlight if you offer content and materials for learning
“I help turn French language learners into French speakers. Follow me for podcasts and more”
Do you create resources such as an italki podcast, videos, or homework and quizzes? Do you post in the community? Help your headline stand out by showing these added-value measures.
4. Make it about the students
“Empowering people with language and learning”
Short and impactful a statement like this shifts the focus away from you the teacher and invites students to see themselves in your headline. It shows them that you have their goals first in your mind. It gives motivation to those looking to grow their opportunities and learn.
5. Be Honest, show your strengths, and don’t brag
“Over 300 students have passed IELTS band 7.5 with my IELTS Test Prep Courses”
This simple statement can be powerful for students, and attract them to book. However, statements like this are similar to a promise to students. We want to make sure we can deliver on our end of the promise.
6. Highlight your expertise and services
“Need help reviewing and editing papers or resumes? Need some interview coaching? Come join my class!”
By asking some simple questions we can highlight the expertise and services we offer students. Maybe things outside of traditional language teaching. We avoid those common buzzwords and show that we are business language professionals.
7. Use keywords not buzzwords or certificates
“Actress, drama and singing coach, writer, and digital media creator teaching Italian and Latin”
Headlines are searchable by students, so the words we put there can be found. Loading it up with keywords can attract the right students to find your profile. But remember you aren’t the only teacher on italki, so try to highlight those unique skills and avoid words like “experienced teacher” or “TEFL Certified”
8. Break rule 7, and make it all about the Buzzwords
“Professor Emeritus of Yonsei University, TKSOL Educator with 5000+ hours of experience in teaching”
Do you have some experiences that really set you apart from others? We did say to stay away from buzzwords but that doesn’t mean you can’t use them when they are really going to make your headline shine.
9. Share what you are learning with your students
“Multi-lingual licensed teacher, teaching German. Learning Swahili, Urdu, Photoshop, and Python”
People love shared experiences, including when their teacher understands the struggles they go through to learn a new language or skill. Showing your students that you are also a student can go a long way and show you are always improving your skills as a teacher too.
10. Relax, take a little risk, and have a bit of fun
“I speak three languages English, bad English, and movie references, but at least my classes are fun”
Some of us are not so serious, and not every student is result-oriented, some are here to connect, learn, and share culture. Showing our silly side can be risky and potentially scare off students looking for a teacher, but if it is who you are, why not let your silly side shine.
A headline is a quick and easy way to increase the appeal of your profile, entice students to learn more about you, and get them to book. Taking just 2 minutes to fill in the 100 characters of your headline can increase your profile clicks by 3X, so why not help your students and yourself with a great headline, go update yours today!
Comments
22 comments
Excellent feature, very useful advice given, many thanks for your great innovations, much appreciated, keep up the brilliant work, already looking forward to the next one! ^^
Muito obrigado pelas dicas! Belo trabalho.
I don't see where to add a headline.
Have a look on the page of Teacher Settings, where you edit your personal profile, David 👍
Sharing, Educating, Inspiring, and having a positive impact on English Business learners since 2011.
Thanks
The headline seems to show in search only in the desktop version, not on the app (at least not in Android).
great idea , I appreciate the diffrent efforts from Italki to help both the teacher and the learner.
How do I offer a podcast or video? Or homework or quizzes? Is there a tutorial on these?
Lory, there is a post about Teacher Collaboration in the Teacher Forum. Some teachers already have YouTube Channels, Podcasts, and other things. There are podcasts and articles in the community already.
Headline agregado! :D
David Esposito You can add a headline on your "teacher settings", then "teacher profile" - "introduction".
Many thanks for the useful marketing tips, dear italki support team!
Thank you for this new feature and the article explaining it. I hope this will help me to get fewer requests from people outside my target group because potential students often do not watch the (full) video or read the description.
Another great tip from the italki Support Team. I'm running off to apply right away! Thanks
This is expert advice! right there, thanks a mil(^,^)
I wanted to write this but it's more than a 100 characters and maybe the irony won't be understood by all or give an impression that's too casual? (teaching French)
"after a single class with me you will start wearing a beret, grow a mustache and eat baguette everyday ! DAEFLE certified"
Muchas gracias por los consejos. Habrá que ponerlos en práctica 😁 deseando leer más artículos parecidos. Saludos a todo el equipo de Italki!
Many thanks to the Italki team. How interesting to read articles like this, it is worth putting them into practice.⭐💫
Great advice and examples!!
Hi everyone,
Thank you for your great comments, we will continue delivering good content,
Happy Teaching,
italki
Thanks for these great tips, much appreciated, keep it up...
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