What do newspaper headlines, book titles, email subject lines and blog titles all have in common? They are the first words people see when reading an article. They are the first words that show up in online search results and social media posts. Therefore, they are the most important words, especially when it comes to online articles where the competition is fierce.
Just like with gymnastics, if your title doesn’t stick, you can bet your blog won’t top the leaderboard. Crafting a Perfect 10 title takes practice, patience and precision.
Here’s a simple formula to help you write a gold-worthy blog title.
A Formula For Writing Catchy Blog Titles
1. Determine a topic and create a working title.
What did your high school English teacher tell you about writing titles? The perfect title will not magically appear. It takes brainstorming, revisions and a lot of crumpled up paper. It’s a process.
Begin with a topic and then make your way to a working title. For example, complementary typefaces for graphic design pieces could turn into Font Pairings for Beginner Designers. Once again, that’s a working title — not the finished piece.
2. Optimize for keywords, if you can.
Do you ever get tired of hearing about keywords? I know I do. However, keyword strategy is shoved down our throats for a reason. You want to optimize your blog title for search engines, but most of all, your audience.
Let’s take our working title from above, Free Font Pairings for Beginner Designers. That title, while a bit blah at this point, contains highly searchable key phrases, such as “font pairings” and “graphic designers.”
3. Keep the title short.
People these days have very short attention spans. If you can’t get your point across in nine seconds, you’ve lost. That’s why it is essential to keep your blog title concise. I promise, brevity is your best friend. Ideally, keep your title under 70 characters so it does not get cut off in search engine results.
However, if it takes more to craft a title that clearly speaks to your audience, then so be it. As far as social media performance, HubSpot attests that headlines between 8-12 words garner the most Twitter shares. Blog titles with 12 or 14 words on Facebook received the most Likes.
4. Make the title pop.
There are several strategic ways to make your title stand out.
- Use strong language. For example, let’s say your working title is How To Write Good Blog Titles. Well, first of all, good is a very bad word; kick it out of your vocabulary. Swap out the word “Good” with a powerful adjective, such as “Killer, “Sexy” or “Catchy.” Or, change the generic “How To Write” with an active phrase like “Hook Readers” or “Capture Your Audience.”
- Don’t forget about those literary devices you learned in school. Remember, alliteration? Let’s go back to our first example working title, Font Pairings for Beginner Designers. Make that title roll off the tongue by changing it to Typeface Twosomes: 6 Font Pairings for Beginner Designers.
- Use direct language. If your blog contains an infographic, a free template or downloadable guide, say that! For example, if your font blog contains a downloadable packet for designers, your title should say: Typeface Twosomes: 6 Font Pairings For Beginner Designers [Free Download].
5. Make sure the title stays true to the blog’s content.
Don’t mislead the readers with a catchy blog title that has nothing to do with the meat of your blog. If your blog claims to discuss 7 Life-Changing Photoshop Tricks You Never Knew About, you better reveal seven life-altering design secrets.
6. Write for your audience.
You knew we were going to sneak a section about buyer personas in, didn’t you? Well, it’s true. You must write for your target audience. If your buyer persona is a 22-year-old, entry-level graphic designer, you want your blog to speak to that person. Typeface Twosomes: 6 Font Pairings For Beginner Designers [Free Download] undoubtedly speaks to that persona.
Want The Proof This Formula Works?
Typeface Twosomes: 6 Font Pairings For Beginner Designers [Free Download] is one of ROI Online’s top performing blogs. This evergreen blog draws traffic and leads to our website every month, with the vast majority of visitors coming from organic search. There are several factors contributing to its continual success:
- It promotes a free downloadable offer.
- It is optimized for keywords.
- It clearly speaks to its intended audience.
- It contains bold, catchy language.
- It’s straightforward and simple.
- It accurately conveys the blog’s content.
- It’s short (enough). It’s 73 characters, give me a break!
See how we nailed the landing with the blog title:
Free Font Bundle for Beginning Designers → Free Font Bundle for Beginner Designs → Free Font Pairings For Beginner Designers → 6 Free Font Pairings For Beginner Designers → 6 Free Font Combinations For Beginner Designers → Typeface Twosomes: 6 Font Pairings For Beginner Designers → Typeface Twosomes: 6 Font Pairings For Beginner Designers [Free Download]
Download the printable version of our Blog Title Formula by clicking on the image below.
