Crafting a Title? Learn From Bloggers
September 20th, 2006, by Michael StelznerTitles do matter. Especially for white papers.
What can we learn from bloggers? More than you think!
Bloggers are constantly writing titles. Once in a while, an excellent blogger shares his secrets to creating titles that get attention.
Brian Clark, of the popular CopyBlogger, recently shared a few valuable thoughts on titles.
Here is what he had to say:
1. Ask a Question: Opening your post with a question is a rhetorical device (hence, the “rhetorical questionâ€) that creates curiosity and gets the reader thinking.
2. Share an Anecdote or Quote: Anecdotes are quick stories that can make people laugh or immediately establish the main point of your post.
3. Invoke the Mind’s Eye: Producing a mental image in a reader’s mind is one of the most powerful things you can ever do as a writer, so expressly engaging the imagination is a powerful opening technique.
4. Use an Analogy, Metaphor or Simile: Analogies, metaphors and similes are some of the most powerful devices available when it comes to telling a story in a single sentence.
5. Cite a Shocking Statistic: Starting off with an interesting factoid is also a great technique.
What are some title tips you can share?
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September 21st, 2006 at 7:26 am
Michael, I use MyYahoo as my newsreader. It’s the title that gets me to click open any particular blog post since the title is all I can see.
Consequently, I’ve been working really hard to improve my own blog titles!
The reason I clicked open this blog post is because of your title — I’ve been thinking for awhile now that having a blog has definitely improved my ability to write catchier titles.
September 21st, 2006 at 9:07 pm
Very good point Dianna. Often all folks see is a title. Even on search engines this is the case.
September 22nd, 2006 at 8:40 am
Hi, Michael!
FYI, you’ve inspired a post on my blog. I may also recycle it into my e-newsletter.
Thank you!
September 22nd, 2006 at 5:40 pm
Susan - Glad to have made a difference
- Mike
September 22nd, 2006 at 6:27 pm
Hi Mike,
interesting question. The two titles I’ve most recently gotten the most response on my blog were “Don’t Buy Into Blogger Fear” and “God Bless Susan”. Another favorite was “Thank You.” I think a key is to make the titles short but also evocative.
Nettie
www.nettiehartsock.com
May 8th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I think using some new hot topics, such as celebrity gossip or something else, as analogy also could attract reader to keep on reading.