5 titles that guarantee your article or blog will be read

Writing a good newspaper headline has been an art for decades, but an art that attracts readers. Whether you like it or not, when you look at the newspaper rack, you often read the title of De Telegraaf first and then the rest. Your piece should not read like a sensational newspaper article, but first and foremost, you must ensure it gets read. The right title is crucial for your online marketing success. In this article, we cover 5 titles that guarantee your article or blog will be read.

Title matters, for SEO and readers!

The most famous ‘Mad Men’ spend more time on the title than on the rest of the pitch. And that’s not surprising when you consider that research shows 80% of people read the title, but only 20% read the article. But whereas we used to afford to think about a title for days, we now want to produce content regularly. We want to write a new blog in an hour and a half, and that includes a title. Title written? Then go through the following checklist:

– Is the title useful, does the reader understand what they gain by reading the piece?
– Does the reader feel urgency, do they feel they must click now?
– Do you convey that this is uniquely beneficial?
– Is your title specific enough? What makes it even more specific?

The following 5 titles ensure your title is so catchy that everyone has to read the piece:

1. Solve [problem] once and for all!
If you know what problem many of your readers have, you can be sure they will read your article immediately after seeing this headline.

2. [Subject] – [Confronting question]?
The power of health insurers is growing – What does this mean for you? By clearly placing cause and effect in the title, you make the topic urgent and the reader curious about the answer. Click!

3. What everyone should know about [subject]
Even the absolute expert on this subject clicks on this post, because what if something new has been discovered that they don’t know yet? Even if there’s nothing new, the expert is happy; you’ve just confirmed that they are the expert. Always good.

4. How to: How do I write an article that brings in customers?
Most Google queries are ‘how’ questions, because interest in a topic often starts with a challenge or problem. An article with this title makes the reader eager; who wouldn’t want this?

5. Make a list: Write a well-read and found blog in 7 steps
We use this one ourselves regularly, of course. The power of the list lies in the fact that people know in advance it’s a clear post they can quickly scan and apply in practice.

Did you find our titles helpful? We’d love to hear from you on LinkedIn or Twitter or via the contact page. If you want to talk further with us about content strategy, marketing, or communication, please contact us!