Make your blog stand out from the crowd, and get more people to click through by mastering these 8 tips for writing effective blog post titles.
Use Proven Formulas
Many popular blogs and website have already found formulas that regularly deliver results. Check out what they are doing, and see if you notice a formula to how they write blog post titles.
A good way to find websites with proven formulas is to see who is consistently making it to the first page of Digg and adapt the headlines used in their blog posts.
Take the time to adapt their title formula for your blog and audience.
Copy From Outside Your Niche
When looking for inspiration and examples of blog post headlines that deliver results, make sure to not copy others in your niche. Instead, look outside of your niche for ideas.
This will help differentiate you from competitors, and set the titles of your blog posts apart from everyone else in your niche.
Focus on Common Problems
Acticulate an important problem faced by your audience in post titles. By sharing a problem that many of your readers face in the title of your blog post, there is a high probability it will resonate with people.
If someone has that problem, it is very likely they will click on your headline to learn more. Remember to try to choose a problem unique to your niche.
Variety is Key
Don’t become dependent on one or two formulas for your post’s titles. Find a couple of different ideas for titles and try them out on your blog. Once you find a few approaches that work, don’t get in the habit of using the same approach too often.
Take the time to become proficient at writing a couple of different types of headlines for your blog posts. This will make it easier to mix it up and ensure you have a decent variety of titles.
Be Controversial
Blog posts with controversial titles get more attention. Highlighting controversy that exists within your niche or community is very effective to drive attention to your blog post. When you choose an angle, make sure to back it up with a solid argument.
When you use a controversial title for a blog post, try not to land on the wrong side of the preverbal “fence”.
Shorter is Better
Focus on keeping your headlines short and sweet. People have very limited attention spans. Get to the heart of the matter while you still have their attention.
It can be challenging, but try to eliminate excessive words in your titles. They only dilute your message and distract from the important point highlight by your blog post.
Ask a Question
Use a question for a title. When people see a question in a title, they will naturally think up a response. This is a great way to get people to click through to your blog.
Improve the chance that the question resonates with your audience by making sure it is relevant to your niche.
Use Explanatory Headlines
Explanatory headlines give instant clarity to readers. An explanatory headline does just what its name suggests, it explains something, often times breaking news, in the title itself.
Online newspapers love explanatory headlines. As Gawker Media’s CEO Nick Denton said, “When remotely possible, turn news into explanation.” By using explanatory headlines your audience will know exactly what they will get out of reading your blog posts.