Five Tips for Writing a Killer Blog Post Title
Developing a killer blog post title is critical since it has the potential to either increase your traffic by 500% or crash and burn. (I guess you could argue that there are some blog posts that crash and burn all on their own, but I digress.)
What's more, if you aren't careful choosing some of the clickbait titles that are currently trending in our industry, even if you’re content is solid it won't matter because no one will read beyond the first few words of your headline!
Here are five tips for writing a killer blog post title…
#1: …Ahead of Your Competition
Remember folks; "You ain't first till you've first beat 'em." While this might seem like common sense, many marketers try to be clever by writing unique titles that are actually pretty difficult to read.
The first step toward crafting a killer blog post title is coming up with something catchy that will make your audience sit up and take notice. To accomplish this, you need to know what's trending in terms of headlines across the web as well as what your direct competition is doing.
#2: …But Still Unique
While it's important to pick a headline that stands out from other similar articles on the market, it also needs to be something informative or entertaining enough so people actually want to click through and see what you have written! Remember folks; there are hundreds of pieces being published daily about each topic under the sun. So if all you do is try and write something that's totally out of left field but doesn't actually bring any new information to the table, you're not really going to be able to stand out.
#3: …And Isn't Clickbait
Clickbait titles and headlines are designed specifically so your audience can't resist clicking on them. While readers might feel cheated after they realize there isn't actually anything valuable or interesting about what they just read – these types of clickbaity titles aren't going to help you build a reputation as an industry authority either. There's nothing more annoying than linking out someone else's website only for them to link back to one of their own articles titled '7 Ways To Do Whatever It Is You Do' which turns out to be just a listicle of other people's articles!
For the sake of your readers, it's best to avoid using clickbait titles. If you're building backlinks for SEO purposes then go ahead and choose a headline that will attract attention – but don't do it at the expense of misleading or confusing your audience…because they probably won't come back for more.
#4: …But Is Relevant
Of course it goes without saying that writing a killer blog post title isn't just about coming up with something catchy…it also needs to actually relate to what is being promised in the body of your article. Remember folks; if you've ever been tempted to write an eye-catching headline only for the content beneath it to let you down, then it's safe to say that your readers feel exactly the same way!
So while it might be tempting to come up with a catchy title that isn't completely on-topic (or even remotely connected), I'd suggest putting in a bit more effort and time if you really want to grab someone's attention. After all; how would you feel if you were one of the first people to click through and read what you found was completely irrelevant?
#5: …But Don't Be Clickbait (See #3)
…It's worth mentioning twice. While writing clickbait-style titles can get your blog posts trending on social media, there are plenty of reasons why they aren't going to help you build trust or credibility as a marketer.
So how can you know whether the headline of your blog post really is killer? Well, rather than focusing on just one specific type of blog-post it might be worth considering these points across an entire content strategy. Which means that if after reading this article you feel inspired to write something that will bring more traffic directly to your website, then go for it! After all; the more readers clicking through from social media, the more chances are of someone seeing something they actually enjoy reading…and leading them back to your site of choice. And who knows – maybe if they like what they find enough they'll even take some time to leave a few reviews too ;-)
Conclusion:
While coming up with a killer blog post title may seem like one of the most challenging things about starting your first website, it's also definitely one of the most rewarding. Not only will you start attracting more readers…but if done right you could even find that your audience starts recommending your content to their friends too!
So remember folks; while there are plenty of tips out there for writing effective headlines, make sure not to get sucked into clickbait stuff or anything too irrelevant. If you want people to respect what you have written then make sure it's good quality and something they actually want to read!