Like the name of our blog article for this month we are going to give you some truly incredible tips to make people want to not only read from your article but use it in theirs as they move forward. And because this is about blog writing doesn't mean you have to stop there. These tips and tricks will work for email, web pages, and more.
Come up with your title last
You may be asking yourself why you should come up with your title last. The simple reason is you haven't written anything. If you write your title first, then the entire article will be locked into that title. Many times we write (and write) a lot. We will end up with five or ten pages. This is too much for a single blog post. We will chop it up and split it into a couple. From these we will then edit, and edit, until we have it exactly what we want. Then we come up with the title.
Note: We do start out with a generalized subject before we do start writing. The title for this article originally was “__ Blog Title Tips for Business” (the __ is however many items we came up with). As you can tell we changed it up a bit after creating the entire article (and counting) how many tips we had.
Titles with Numbers
Wait you say. This didn't start with a number. No this section didn't but the title of our article does. Whether something is free or not people like to know how much benefit they will receive from something. In our case stating how any title tips someone will receive is our indication of the value of what the reader will receive.
Make a Title Engaging
A title should be engaging and convey a meaning that is valuable to your readers.
Set some Expectations
When we open a good book on a specific title we know that what we are about to read is on a specific topic that will have a beginning, middle, and end. As we progress through the story we are transported into the realm the author has put us into. When someone reads your initial title they already have pre-conceived expectations of what they are going to receive. Make certain that you meet those expectations for your readers.
Make it Actionable
In our article title we have a number. This is an actionable number for our readers of this article. They know there will be a specific number of items that they can use to build up value from. Someone reading this article should be able to read every item and come out with a new piece of knowledge or refreshed an existing piece of knowledge.
Short and Sweet
Everyone likes things that are short as we have a short attention span as humans. We like sweet as for the most part everyone loves sweets. I know we do and enjoy every time we get the opportunity to enjoy something sweet. The world is moving to a more modern and simple lifestyle. This should also cover your blog article.
Not too short
Wait a minute! I thought I was supposed to be short and sweet and now I have to be somewhat long? Absolutely. You need something that is short and sweet but balanced to not be too short that you can't convey what the article is about.
Not too long
Come on now! You are just making items to increase your count. We thought about combining the last two but they are at two different ends of the spectrum and our short and sweet is right in the middle. Your title should be able to fit routinely on a single line, and never three or more lines for the title. A line or row for the title is based on a desktop or tablet computer and not a mobile device as the screens are automatically a lot smaller.
Speaking of Mobile
While on the notion of a mobile device even three or four lines on a mobile screen may be too much. Think about every type of device your article will be read on and adjust your title appropriately for that device.
Politics Matters
We are in a time where people are easily offended. As writers we need to be aware that not everyone will appreciate your titles, articles, or posts that you put online. Make certain what you write is well written for the masses knowing that sometimes you may upset someone.
Your Audience Matters
When you write you need to figure out what your audience wants and needs to know. Just writing to write you can easily do but providing value that lasts and stands the test of time is something that will make people coming back for more of what you write.
Magic of Search Engine Optimization
You might write something but no one will never know about it if you don't get your good word out there. The search engines are a blog writers best friend. Social media can help but having keywords in your title and in your post that show your incredibly detailed message that can last for the ages will make the search engines wanting more.
Go to other blogs and articles
I think you are crazy! That may be entirely true (as we think it too) but that is what makes us different and unique. Take a look at other blog articles on the internet and see suggestions to take your online game from good to great. We know we are not the definitive source for all knowledge and information. We are a source that cares and wants to see your business grow and succeed.
Keeping things about the title special
Below you will see items that you should and shouldn't use when you are creating and writing your titles for your audience.
Should use
- Single dash (-) is a great way of separating words
- Colon (:) (which when you are writing may turn into a smiling face - so be careful!) for separating words
- Question Mark (?) for those times when you will be answering a question (or asking one) of your audience
- Exclamation Point (!) when you want to get your audience excited about a specific title
Shouldn't use
- Well anything not listed above but specifically the items below too
- & as this can cause a problem in your blog url and break your website
- @ is specifically for email and can also cause problems in your blog url
- # or hash symbol can cause problems in your blog url
- Great and Lesser Than (< and >) are special characters that can also cause problems with your blog url
Never forget your Grammar
We all learned basic grammar techniques in school. Some we forget but others become a part of our core being. Make certain to embrace grammar when you are writing to take your audience involved in what you are writing.
One Final Tip
This is the one and truly our favorite tip when it comes to coming up with great article titles. The tip is if after you read the article title you want to learn and read more than you have a winner in your hand.
Don't Stop at One!
Look at that we used that magical exclamation point. This means this is something important. When you start coming up with titles for your blog come up with more than just one. Don't limit your vision into tunnel vision. The extra titles are not a waste either. They can be used for future articles as well (if you like them).
Conclusion
There are many items that can make a great or even a terrible blog article title. Taking your time and vetting it among your team or peers will give you a great article. When you start writing take your time, give yourself a week headway or more so that you can sleep on a title (or in our case titles).
If this still seems overwhelming, and we know it can be, you can use our expert content writers to help you either write the entire article or come up with ideas for a great and incredibly catchy title. We can always be reached online here, through email at sales@FawkesDM.com, or by calling 219-229-1633.
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