Just a blog: One Simple Template for Crafting Great Titles

Monday, 13 February 2012

One Simple Template for Crafting Great Titles - DailyBlogTips

One Simple Template for Crafting Great Titles

Posted: 12 Feb 2012 08:30 PM PST

You know that blog post titles have to grab attention – but how exactly do you go about that, especially when you’ve got the rest of the post to write?

Here's one way to craft a great title in a hurry:

#1: Use a Number

List posts are popular for a reason: we’re intrigued by numbers. Putting a number in your title helps tell the reader that your post will be valuable. The exact number isn’t too important – but big numbers (think 25 or more) are great for social media attention.

Don’t forget that “one” is a number, too!

#2: Be Clear What You’re Offering

Your post could use any of the following:

Tips
Ways
Methods
Steps
Templates
Rules
Secrets

…and more. What sort of advice are you giving? (“Steps” would be appropriate for a how-to post, for instance.) Which word will be most powerful for your audience?

#3: Add Adjectives

An adjective is a word that modifies another word. You’ll see them cropping up time and time again in titles.

Adjectives can promise:

High-quality advice: great, expert, clever, fantastic, brilliant, top
Practical advice: simple, easy, handy, straight-forward, no-nonsense
New knowledge: little-known, surprising

Be sensitive to your audience here, though. Some readers will be hooked by adjectives like “ultimate” or “astounding” – others will just laugh.

#4: Explain What They’ll Learn or Do

As a general rule, we read blog posts because we expect some benefit: usually, we want to learn or do something. (Even if “doing something” just means being entertained.)

Make a clear statement about what your readers will be able to learn or do. For instance:

Ten Easy Ways to Write Faster
Five Simple Steps to Set Up Your Blog in Less Than Two Hours
Eight Expert Tips for Running Your First Marathon
Five Crazy Videos That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud

Have you got a favorite “template” for constructing titles, or a great example of a blog post title to share with us? Let us know in the comments.

Ali Luke writes a weekly column on content creation for DailyBlogTips. If you'd like some inspiration for your writing, check out her post Twenty-Five Ways to Come Up With Great Ideas for Your Writing.