To drive your message home, you need to create captivating content that will make your audience take action. However, you first have to capture the attention of your audience with a compelling title.
Exceptional copywriters keep swap files of headlines that have been tested and proven to work in different industries. Your aim may not to be in the category of exceptional copywriters such as Jay Abraham, Maxwell Sackheim or John Carlton, but you still need impactful titles that will make your audience want to devour the rest of your blog post.
Here are five secrets that will help you craft high-impact, irresistible blog titles.
1. Relate to a Celebrity/Current Event
Celebrity blog titles are always a hit. The catch here is to relate the celebrity to your audience. What lessons can your industry or customers learn from Justin Beiber? What can you learn from a particular celebrity with regards to your business?
If you do not prefer pop culture celebrities, focus on personalities or events that your audience will resonate well with. For example, you can write about industry leaders, product evangelists, market disruptors and so on.
Here are some examples of celebrity-focused titles:
- Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine (Copyblogger)
- What I learned from Steve Jobs (CNET)
- 7 Winning Business Lessons From Super Bowl XLVII (Inc)
For your title to make an impact, the person that you want to base it on should be obvious to your audience. If readers struggle to identify who the personality is, this means the title is not effective.
2. Command Attention With Numbers
Readers like information that is backed with data. If you are writing how an app can improve your prospects’ productivity and reduce their costs, back up your claim with data. Articles that are complimented with supporting data are usually a hit. Integrate quotes and statistics in your blog title to capture the subject matter in the post.
Here are some examples from top blogs:
- How Michael Jordan Still Earns $80 Million A Year (Forbes)
- Gangnam Style Makes Estimated $870,000 From YouTube Alone (Huffington Post)
- How I Saved $10,000 in 10 Months (at an Entry Level Job) (Vagabondish)
To fulfill the promise of your title, back your article with relevant facts and figures. Having alluded to a figure in your title, you have to back it up with relevant charts, statistics or other sources in the blog post.
3. Ask a Relevant and Emotional Question
Successful marketers know that buying decisions are emotional, not rational. Use the same concept to make your audience want to read your article. Ask a provocative question that is relevant to your readers. The question must relate directly to a subject that is important to your audience. The question should make the reader curious to know more of what has been hinted.
Here are some examples:
- Do You Make These Parenting Mistakes? (LifeHack)
- Is She The One? How Do I Know? (Art of Manliness)
- Do You Have A Speeding Ticket? Read This. (Mint)
4. State an Immediate Benefit
You should provide valuable content to your audience consistently. This will not only position you as a leader in your industry, but will also build a loyal audience that will be easier to sell to whenever you are ready. State the major benefit the reader will be entitled to in the title.
Here are a few examples:
- Get a FREE Gift Basket for Every Purchase Above $50
- Create a WordPress Membership Site in 9 Minutes
- Save $30 on Pajamas This Weekend
5. Offer “how-to” information
Everyone wants to know how to do something. Whether you are a B2B or B2C business, your market faces different problems. The secret to writing a good how-to headline is to focus on a want or need and promise to fulfill it. The headline should highlight the benefit or the final result rather than the process itself.
Let’s look at an example title: How to Start a Drop Shipping Business.
This title misses the point since it does not state the benefit that the reader will get from starting a drop shipping business. The title could sound better as follows: How to Start a Drop Shipping Business and Generate Profits in 3 Months.
In the above title, the reader knows that he or she will learn how to start a drop shipping business and even more important, generate profits within a specified timeline.
The online consumer is bombarded with information from all quarters. You only have a few seconds to capture their attention with your title. Creating compelling blog titles takes time to master. However, it is something that can be learned. The five tips above will give you a head start in creating great blog titles.
