Blog post titles are more important than you might think. They’re what a reader sees first—on social media and even on your blog. In many cases, it’s the only thing they see: 59 percent of people share something on social media after only reading the headline.
Clearly, the wrong headline can make or break your content.
That’s why I created this list for you. I’ve been writing professionally, for small startups, worldwide organizations, and everything in between, for 10 years. Long story short, I’ve written a lot of headlines. Worse, I’ve done a lot of time-consuming headline exercises; has anyone ever told you to rewrite your headline 10, 20 or 50 times? If you’re like me, your first response is: I don’t have time for that!
So let’s say, “Thanks, but no thanks,” and give you something to avoid that crap. Get the freebie now! (And get some more info about it below)
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Customizable Blog Post Titles
As you comb through the titles I’ve shared (to access them, grab the freebie below), keep three simple tips in mind:
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- Tip #1: Remember that your goal is to solve the pain points of your ideal client or customer.
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- Tip #2: Use these ideas as a template to package those pain points into educational blog posts that are interesting and helpful. The goal of your content should be to build a relationship with the reader. Your secondary goal is to show the reader that you walk the walk and talk the talk—this helps build trust.
- Tip #3: Remember to insert your product or brand into headlines where appropriate. For example, with #22, an email marketer might customize it to say: “How to Use Auto-Send to Reach Your Audience at the Right Time.” Better yet, an email marketing company with an auto-send feature called “Send-It” might make the headline, “How to use Send-It to Reach Your Audience at the Right Time.”
As you read through the list of blog post titles, you’ll notice that they tend to fall into two categories:
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- Listicles: 10 Ways, 8 Secrets, etc.
- How-to’s: How To Clean Your Car at Home, How To Live an Eco-Friendly Life
The reasoning is simple: Listicles are intriguing for many readers because they’re easy to scan. They’re also highly shareable, which is great for the success of your content—the more shares, the more people click to your site, the more potential leads and sales you can drive. How-to’s, on the other hand, allow you to solve a problem for your customer or client before they ever buy a single thing, helping you to build trust that leads to a lead or sale.
Finally, notice that some of the example headlines aren’t spot on with the template—and that’s okay. The template is the base of your headline; it’s up to you to cater it to your audience, voice and unique value using specific phrasing and intriguing angles.