Blog Titles: How To Write Compelling Blog Headlines

The title or headline of your blog post is your chance to hook your reader and get them to read your blog post in its entire and to take action at the end.  Your blog post could be wonderful but if the title isn’t hooking readers in, it won’t receive the attention it deserves.

What are the best headlines?

1. How To – telling readers that you will show them how to do something from ‘How To Crochet a Granny Square’ to ‘How To Write A Blog Post A Day’ will promise them that they will find out the information they are looking for.
2. Lists – providing a list which will tell the reader their sought information in an easy to read list appeals to many readers. E.g 9 Ways To ….., 10 Secrets of ….., 5 Nautical Wallpapers
3. Asking a Rhetorical Question can hook readers in – either because they know the answer and want to give their tuppence worth or because they wish to find out the answer themselves. Always use personal pronouns. E.g. Do You Know How To Milk A Goat?
4. Keyword first – Wallpaper Wednesday: City Wallpapers For Your Country Home
5. Promises – Promise the reader that your blog post will answer all their queries and they won’t have to look elsewhere. e.g. ‘The Ultimate Guide to ……’, ‘Probably the best brown bread recipe ever’, ‘The Quickest Way to …’
6. Benefits – use power words within your title that will show the reader that they will benefit from reading the post, eg. Free, How to, Learn,
7. Part of a Club – Make the readers feel as though they are becoming part of a community or in-group with titles such as ‘What Everybody Knows About ….’, ‘Join Us For….’

Remember if people are looking at your blog post on a search page or in their google reader, your headline needs to work hard to get them to read more. I hope these seven tips have given you some ideas. Do you have any more suggestions for great headlines? If you have, do let us know in the comments below.