You write your blog to be read, don’t you? Never assume your cutthroat content will suffice in capturing your readers. You’ve got to lure them in with something seductive, serve them an alluring, juicy bit of words-a-la-mode in your headline.
Once you’ve got them in, there will be no escaping your mouth-watering feast of blog post rapture.
4 Simple Guidelines to Writing Blog Post Titles
1. Create a sense of urgency and enthusiasm.
For a limited time only! Hurry. Act now. Don’t miss out. Infomercials nail this concept when they exhort you to “call within the next hour before this offer runs out!”
Borrow some enthusiasm for your blog post titles. Being positive and upbeat in life sells a person’s character. It works in your headlines as well.
All the excitement demands your post be read now! It just might save your efforts from being deposited into Pocket App, where items develop cobwebs and oblivion threatens.
2. Deliver the goods.
Your content solves a problem for your reader. Your headline tells them the problem they can expect to have solved. Get them curious over what you have to offer.
Always ask, as my aunt advised me long ago, “What’s the payback for the reader?” At all junctures, content included, writers must consider this question.
3. Be specific.
When you are short and to the point, your readers will instantly know whether or not this post is for them. Don’t be afraid to turn away certain people. In doing so, you are attracting the right ones.
“Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” The use of the word “these” grabs the reader with its specific indication of what’s forthcoming. Remove the same word, and the headline wilts in comparison.
4. Include interesting and engaging verbiage, as well as keywords.
Write for humans first and search engines second. Your first task is to convince readers to actually lurk around awhile and read your content. Your headline is the curiosity-inducing one-liner that will invite them in.
Next, it’s important to attract spiders that will help your post get indexed by search engines.Using relevant keywords in your headline gives those hungry critters just what they are looking for.
Share in the comments some of the headlines you’ve used or seen that draw you in as its victim captive.
Flickr photo credit: cyawan