The title of your blog post is the very first indication a reader will have as to whether they want to click through and read, making it a crucial first impression. In one phrase you need to convince your audience that your blog post, out of hundreds of thousands of others out there is worth reading.
Research suggests that we only click on a quarter of the links we see, so how can you make sure your content falls into that lucky 25%?
- Make your reader an offer they can’t refuse. Why should they click on your link? What have you got to offer them? Tell them! As consumers of content we are infinitely lazy, we want to know exactly what we’re going to get out of reading your article, before we go to the effort of reading it.
- Use numbers to grab attention. Not only do they break up the look of the title, making it more visually appealing, it’s giving the reader more information. By telling you in the title of this post that I’ve got 6 tips for you, you know it’s not going to take you too long to read – and that if you choose to follow my advice, it won’t take you too long!
- Use strong catchy keywords. Draw your readers in, show them your personality! Notice how this post is called ‘6 Easy Tips for KILLER Blog Post Titles’? Think about how different it would sound if it was just called ‘6 Easy Tips for Blog Post Titles’. Much more intriguing right?
- Don’t make false promises to your reader. Nobody likes clickbait, big up your work, but don’t oversell!
- Keep your reader in mind. What sort of titles is your target audience more likely to click on? What do they want to read?
- Think about what would grab your attention. If you think it’s boring, chances are your audience will too.
What kind of titles make you want to read more?