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You thinking what I’m thinking?
I need a catchy title for my blog post but don’t have a clue what to use.
Yup:
That is normal:
In this article I want to go over some powerful ideas that should surely help you tweak your blog titles to help increase your over all clicks.
Let’s Do This:
1. Write the Headline First
While it can also be beneficial to wait and write the headline after the content, you can give yourself a clear focus and strategy by writing the headline first.
This works best if you have a good idea of what your topic is but don’t want to specifically write about.
You can clearly spin your content in a direction knowing what your headline is first as well. The headline also drives the topic of the post, so you always have something to tie in. You can also brainstorm content for your topic that matches the title.
Even if you don’t know exactly what your headline should be, just throw some ideas down on paper and work with it. You’ll start to form your content and then you can change it as you go.
2. The Quick Way to Write Eye-Catching Headlines
There are a few things that can help you come up with a headline fast. For one, you should always write a headline that targets the 30 percent of your readers who actually care and are interested in your products.
These readers are the most likely to enjoy what they’re reading about, and it will also give you a more specific focus. This 30 percent includes:
– People easily attracted to your site
– People who are likely to share your product
– Visitors who already find value in your product
You should also include the most desirable feature of your product in a headline. This is what makes the product unique and will stand out to your readers. If you can of your product’s value point, then you know exactly what to write for a headline.
As you start thinking of different headlines, write them all down one-by-one. You can pick and choose the keywords that you like and describe the right features while also narrowing down what your content will be about.
3. Do Keywords Matter in Headlines?
Every SEO will tell you that keywords in the headline are the most important part of content marketing, but that’s not always the case. Plenty of people have made an argument that it’s about writing for humans and getting out of the “marketing speech” that seems to be everywhere.
However, keywords still matter. By doing keyword research and including one part of a keyword phrase in your headline, you can still create something interesting and different to draw in your readers.
Keyword research is also helpful to understanding what people are looking for and spotting those rare keywords that give you ideas for an entire content series.
4. How To Headlines and Why They Work
What do people really want when they search for guidance online? They certainly aren’t look for generic how-to guides. They really want to know that you know your stuff. If you want to write a how-to headline, you should make sure to be specific and include something interesting so that your article doesn’t get lumped into the 30,000 other “How to Make a Pizza” articles. Some ways to switch this up include:
– “How to Make the Spiciest Pepperoni Pizza”
– “How to Throw a Pizza in the Air Like a Real Italian Chef”
– “How to Make a Homemade All-Meat Pizza That’s Healthy”
These are just a few titles that spin off of the original and give your readers something interesting to think about before they even click on the headline.
5. List Posts Always Stand Out
List content will always be kind. Why’s that? People are lazy. Well, it’s the truth. People want to consume data online whether they know it or not. Reading a list is much easier than sorting out words in a pesky paragraph. That’s why you should:
– Always vary your list headlines with different numbers. There’s not always going to be “5 Ways to Do This or That.” There could, you know, be “Four Ways to Do This or That.”
– Try different language for what comes after the number. For example, instead of steps or ways, try mistakes, secrets, places, recipes or other fun language that will bring some life into your title.
– Turn your list into a question. For example, “Can You Guess 7 Things Pizza Chefs Love?” or “Do You Know the Three Types of Deadliest Cancers?”
– You can still do simple lists. Add a twist to make it your own like “Five Types of Juicers – What Makes the Juiciest Juice? or “Six Essential Vitamins – Why You Need Only One.”
– When in doubt, give ’em something for nothing. For example, “Free App Offers 10 Coupons Every Hour” or “Free Downloads from 6 Different Popular Bands.”
– Go big or go home. People really like long lists because they include something for everyone, so challenge yourself to find “!01 Ways to Eat Spinach Without Turning Green.”
6. Try These Headline Formulas If all Else Fails
If you’re not sure what to write for your headline, these formulas always seem to get hits. All you have to do is replace what’s in the brackets with your own subject.
– Who Else Wants [Something Interesting Here]?
– The Secrets of [Successful Pick-Up Artists or something less evil]
– Here is a Method That Is [Totally Shocking] to [People Who Can’t Be Shocked]
– Little Known Ways to [Make Kitties Purr]
– Get Rid of [Zombies] Once and For All
– Here’s a Quick Way to [Get Your Dog to Pee Outside]
– Now You Can Have [Your Cake] and [Shove It In Someone’s Face] Too
* Now You Can Quit Your Day Job and Still Make Money
* How You Can Make a Cat Purr Without Doing a Thing
– [Do a thing] like [someone or something incredible]
* Roar Like a Real Lion
* Blog Like Charlie Sheen is In Your House
– What Everyone Ought to Know About [KFC’s Secret Formula]
These pretty much work all the time. Didn’t you want to read the content underneath those headlines?
7. A Few Sure-Things for Headlines
Those formulas were so good you came back for more. Here are few more templates to make your headlines stand out.
– Give Me [Five Minutes] and I’ll Give You [the Path to Mordor] – If You Don’t [Get to Da Choppa] Now, You’ll [Probably Get Blown to Smithereens] – The Lazy [Shopper’s] Way to [Break Into Stores on Black Friday] – Do You Recognize the [Number] Early Warning Signs of [Cronkhite-Canada Syndrome] – See How Easily You Can [Make a Difference In Your Cat’s Life By Feeding Him Every Time He Meows At You] – You Don’t Have to Be a [Morpheus] to [Find the One True Toilet Paper] – Did You Make Any of These Mistakes?
Obviously, these titles are a little bit left field, but you can make them right by adding in your own keywords and subjects in between the brackets.
8. Be a Risk-Taker and Try These Headlines
Headline formulas give you some pretty good places to start from and even stand on their own in a sea of boring headlines. However, there are some headline formulas that stick out even more and may be a little bit risky. Are you up for the challenge?
a. Warning: [Something to Get Their Attention]
Warnings always make people stop and think. They want to know what it is they should be careful about especially if they are already reading your other posts that have given them some great advice and things to think about. Some examples with this headline formula include:
– Warning: If You Depend on Oxygen to Live, Start Driving a Smart Car
– Warning: Two Out of Every Three People Have an STD, Are You One of Them?
– Warning: Do You Recognize 3 Early Signs That You Have Cancer?
b. How [Something] Changed Me/Made Me/Gave Me [Something Good/Bad]
If you want to work in a personal story to your post, then use this title. These are some examples:
– How a Prank Made Me Think Twice About Toilet Paper
– How My TV Remote Took Over My Life
– How Moving to New York City Made Me Smell Better
c. Are You [Something]?
The question headline will always bring in some views. These are the best traits of this formula:
– Are You Excited for The Next iPhone Release?
– Are You Expecting a Raise That’s Never Coming?
9. Headline Writing for Twitter Noobs
Twitter has become a place for headlines. It’s short and sweet. It’s the way people get their news without ever going further to actually read the news. However, a great Twitter headline will make them want to read. So what do you have to do to get that reward?
– Make the headline useful
– Make it urgent that they read your content
– Give some unique benefit in the headline
– Be specific in your headline approach
– Use hashtags that will get attention, but #don’t #overdo #it.
Above all, people like to laugh even when they are searching for something serious. If you think about it, there are a “5 Secrets to Make #Cats Purr When You Sing.”
What do you find as the hardest part when creating your title?
