How to Write Killer Blog Titles

Ilia Jones | August 2019

Digital content is the bread and butter of your online strategy. If you have a lovely website filled with beautiful images of beautiful people but there is no context around it, you need to revisit the strategy there.  Blogging is just one piece of an effective content marketing strategy, but it’s an important piece. 

In order to generate interest in your blog posts, you have to have a title that resonates with your audience and makes them want to click. Easy enough, so let’s get into how to do just that. Follow these three simple guidelines to slay the blog title game and get more eyeballs on your blog posts. 

Make Your Title one of Three Things

There are many formulas around creating blog titles. Using a number in your title gives your readers a sneak-peek on what to expect, and following “How To..” with something your audience wants to know how to do is a pretty good way to get them to read your stuff.  But there are three things I want you to consider when writing your blog titles beyond including a number, adjective, and rationale. This is because we are all human, and we want to engage with something that’s interesting, and that stands out from the other thousands of blogs we’ve come across this week *I’m exaggerating*. 

• Actionable

An actionable blog title puts your reader in the driver’s seat. Find out what your audience wants and don’t overthink what they want to read.  If your audience wants to increase leads, give them a title that shows them how, and title it in active voice:  Generate More Leads for Your Business with This Simple Swap. 

Another Example: Boost Your Content Strategy in 5 Easy Steps. 

• Intriguing

As previously stated, as readers and especially as consumers, we want to engage with something that’s interesting. Something that’s well, intriguing. This should go without saying, but don’t create a title for something you can’t deliver.  If you don’t actually know anything about digital marketing, then don’t use the example below. But if you do, create a title that will make your readers stop in their tracks and take the time to read your post. 

Example: The Secret Sauce Your Digital Marketing Strategy is Missing 

• Emphatic 

What is the problem that your audience is facing? This is something you should have discovered when creating your marketing strategy. Use this to your advantage and write your titles with this in mind. Is your audience struggling with their brand voice? Speak to that. Are they struggling to create engaging video? Call it out. Using an emphatic tone in relation to their interests or pain points will increase the likelihood that they’ll read your post, because it speaks to them. 

Example:  Is your Brand Voice Alienating Your Audience?  

Keep It Brief 

Under 70 characters will avoid getting cut off in search engine results. Don’t drone on and on in your title, you’ll bore your readers. Likely, even if they could have really benefited from your blog, they won’t bother to read it if your title is too wordy.  Keep it simple. 

Include Your Keyword 

Notice that we said keyword? 

It’s singular, focus on the keyword that is most relevant to your topic and leave the rest for the body of the post. 

Before I sign off, I want to leave you with this, when writing a blog title; be as clear as possible. 

As soon as you post an irrelevant or clickbait-y blog, your audience will assume that’s all you’re doing.  Don’t lead them astray, be clear and honest in your title. It should mirror almost exactly what is to come in the rest of the copy.