Writing an effective post title is one of the most important steps when creating a new post. You may have created a brilliant blog post, but if you slap a poorly written post title on it, your readers are going to skip right over it. Post titles are what sell your content, so it’s essential they are well thought out and effectively written. Effective post titles will entice your readers to want to read on and share your post with others. Your post title is what represents your content on social media, search engines and in email, so taking the time to create a memorable one is crucial in the overall success of your post.
Below are 6 tips for writing attention grabbing post titles that will help take your post titles to the next level.
1) Keep Titles Short & Focused
Blog post titles should be focused, yet descriptive. Your title should describe in one short, powerful phrase the overall message of your post. Adding strong, relevant keywords to your post title is essential for SEO. Google will cut off really long post titles, so it’s wise to keep your titles shorter than 70 characters.
Templates that Work:
- The Do’s And Don’ts Of _____
- The Impact Of _____
- Why _____Is Harming You
- The A-List Way To _____
- The Precise Way To _____
- What To Do If _____
- The Best Kept Secrets Of _____
- What To Do If _____
- How I Doubled _____ With _____
- The Ultimate Guide To _____
- Tips That Show Anybody How To _____
- Fast And Easy Ways To _____
- Fast Solutions To _____
- Little Known Methods to _____
2) Use “How To” Titles
The phrase “how to…” is one of the most popular search queries out there, so it’s a great phrase to use in your post titles. People love learning useful information fast, which make how to posts a favorite among blog readers.
Templates that Work:
- How To _____ Boost Your _____
- How To Drastically Change _____
- How To Generate More _____
- How To Tell If _____
- How To Rapidly Increase _____
- How To Produce _____ That Gets _____
- How To Profit From _____
- How To Create _____
- How To Make _____By _____
- How _____ Can Inspire _____
- How I Gained _____ In _____
- How To Make a Powerful _____
- How To Unlock _____
- How To Jump Start _____
3) Ask Questions
Asking a powerful, relevant question is a great way to get people to click through to your post. When people read a question, they naturally think of a response. The key to getting people to read your full post is by asking a question that resonates with your specific audience.
Templates that Work:
- Want To Immediately _____?
- Are You Too _____ For _____?
- Do You Want To _____?
- What On Earth Is _____?
- Who Wants To _____ And Get _____?
- Think You Know All There Is About _____?
- Like _____? Then You’ll Love _____
- Want To Drastically _____?
4) Use Numbers & Lists
Readers love a good list because they are easy to scan through. Starting your post title with a number helps it stand out. A list also gives your readers a clear idea of what to expect in your post.
Templates that Work:
- # Ways To Avoid _____
- # Reasons You Should _____
- # Reasons Why _____ Is ______
- # Rules For _____
- # Questions You Should Ask Before _____
- # Proven Ways To _____
- # Secrets To _____
- # Types Of _____
- # Best Ways To _____
- # Essential Tips For _____
- # Ways To Make Your _____ More _____
- # Must Haves For _____
5) Use Solid Action Verbs
Action verbs are words that describe what your readers will be able to do by reading your post. Your readers are thirsting for applicable knowledge and using strong action verbs will entice them to want to learn more.
Examples:
- Beautify
- Build
- Create
- Discover
- Drive
- Eliminate
- Engage
- Enhance
- Establish
- Gain
- Generate
- Get
- Grow
- Increase
- Keep
- Maintain
- Make
- Maximize
- Move
- Optimize
- Organize
- Overcome
- Prove
- Spice Up
- Stop
- Unlock
6) Use Powerful Adjectives
Adjectives are describing words that will enhance your post titles. Using powerful adjectives will make your post sound more appealing to your audience and will increase the likelihood that people will read the full post.
Examples:
- Attention-grabbing
- Best
- Breathtaking
- Clever
- Controversial
- Crazy
- Epic
- Eye-opening
- Fantastic
- Fearless
- Guaranteed
- Insane
- Irresistible
- Jaw-dropping
- Mind-blowing
- Proven
- Recommended
- Secure
- Snazzy
- Spectacular
- Stunning
- Successful
- Surprising
- Tasty
- Tested
- Trendy
- Unbelievable
- Useful
Blog post titles make or break the success of your post and will either attract or disinterest your readers, so really put some thought into your titles and you’ll be amazed at the difference they make in the success of your blog.
If you have any other tips for crafting effective post titles, we’d love to hear them in the comments below.
Kay | KarlaTravels says
What a great list of post titles!
These are useful especially when planning your content for a week, month and even year.
Just started my second blog and need to prepare my editorial calendar and this is pretty useful!
Will definitely be using it.
Thank you for creating it 🙂
Erin says
You are welcome Kay! Hopefully it helps!
NanaPennypockets says
Please give this to us in PDF format to print out and keep. It’s such a great list of helps that I want to have it handy to use.
Erin says
Thanks for the suggestion. We’ll certainly work on this.
Esther @ Chosen & Cherished says
This is awesome!! Such great info!
Lizzie says
I’ve found that the titles with numbers at the beginning or the how-to guides seem to be the most effective for me as a freelance writer. I am in an odd niche where people are searching for help for difficult problems and I set out on a mission to help them solve those problems. They seem to like the “5 Ways to De-Stress from a Long Day” kind of posts more than anything else. (I’m in the mental health niche with a mental illness of my own. So yeah – I’m coming from experience, y’know?)
Janice says
Wow this is absolutely awesome!!! Printing this out for my records now.