Great Blog Post Titles part 2

 

6. Use a “How To” Element in the Title

This is one of my favourites. Many articles I’ve published both here on ProBlogger and on Digital Photography School over the years have a “how to” element in the title. These types of titles tie in well with communicating a benefit.

You don’t necessarily need “how to” in the title to signal it’s this type of post. You can also use words such as “tips”, “techniques”, “steps”, or “guide”. Even words such as “rules”, “secrets” or “hints” can communicate that your post will teach the reader something.

People often type “how to”, “tips” or “techniques” into Google when learning how to do something.

7. Use Numbers

List posts (or “listicles”) get used a lot, and some bloggers feel a bit tired of them. But study after study shows that titles with numbers in them tend to get clicked more than titles without them.

People have come up with a lot of theories about why this is true. One theory is that numbers make a post feel more manageable. Readers know what to expect: ten points, for instance. And that certainty often appeals to people.

Small numbers can signal that a post will be easy to take in or achieve. For example, three points implies a fairly short article. Larger numbers can signal a longer, comprehensive post. We’ve found that 21 tends to work well with our audience

8. Compare One Thing to Another

People often use Google to compare things. For instance, they might type “should I buy a Nikon D50 or a Canon 5D” when trying to work out which type of camera to buy or “should I use WordPress or Blogger” when deciding on a blogging platform.

If your post compares something and you signal it in your title, that post will be well placed to get traffic and attention from people facing that particular choice.

This also ties in with signalling a benefit. Your post should help people choose, or offer a definitive answer about which option is the best.

9. Put Your Audience in the Headline

There are a couple of ways to include your audience in the headline.

A simple way is to use the word “you”. Instead of writing “Ten Mistakes Photographers Make”, write “Are You Making These Ten Photography Mistakes?”

Another way is to describe who the post is for. A title like “What Beginner Photographers Need to Know About the Camera” makes it clear your post is for beginner photographers. While this might reduce the potential audience size – more advanced photographers probably won’t read the article – it catches the attention of people within the target audience.

10. Use Power Words

Some words really work well. Aspirational words such “gorgeous” work well for us on Digital Photography School (“How to Take Gorgeous Photos of Your Newborn Baby”), as well as words such as “breathtaking”, “beautiful” and “sensational”.

Be careful not to go overboard here. Using too many of these words in one title, or the same word all the time, can come across as a bit hyped up or fake.

Other words we pay attention to include “free”, “secrets”, “mistakes” and “easy”. These sorts of words make something sound more appealing and intriguing.

Again, you need to be careful. Some of these will trigger spam filters. For example, Gmail often puts emails containing words such as “free” or “discount” into the Promotions tab rather than the main inbox.

Other power words set expectations about the style of the article. For instance, “step by step” signals you’ll be walking the reader through a process.

Some words signal authority, such as “Essential Guide”. Making a big promise or claim can work well, as it does in our post 21 Settings, Techniques and Rules All New Camera Owners Should Know. This post makes a bold claim and also elicits a bit of curiosity.