Titles are very important when conceiving and writing a blog post or an email to your recipients, they make the difference between reading and deleting your message. Although in terms of length, the title represents a small part of the entire article, the time and effort spent of crafting it should be greater than for the body article.
So, if we put that in the Pareto rule, we can say that: although the title length versus article length can be represented with 20/80, when it comes to importance and the effort needed in creating them, the rule is 80/20!
Being that important, we need to pay significant attention to our titles, for which I am about to give you 4 simple rules and tips to follow.
1. Tell them what they get – [How to] and [4 Ways] titles
In order to attract readers, you have to offer some benefits like exclusive helpful information. So, by writing a [How to] or [4 Ways] article, you not only offer that information but you also organize the info so that it’s easy to read. What the title does in this case is:
- setting the expectations of what the article contains;
- including tangible information, by offering a sneak peek of what the article will include.
2. Make them curious with a shocking title – e.g.: M. Jackson is NOT who you think he is; Find out the truth NOW!
The example of headline for this rule is only one of different possible ways you can make your readers curious enough to open your emails or read your blog posts. Additionally, you can use your business solutions to attract their curiosity. For example you can use this title: “I can help you double your revenues in one month; money back guaranteed!“
3. Pull at your readers’ heartstrings – e.g.: [Free Ebook] or 7 Myths on Social Media busted!
All brands should rely on emotional marketing, more exactly on emotional content. So if you decide to craft a headline that triggers emotions – may it be fear, hope or joy – make sure you use the appropriate words that appeal to your readers’ emotional side. Even by announcing a free eBook that solves some of your customers’ issues, you trigger an emotion, that being hope; hope that their business will be successful.
4. Pay attention to the title length – so that it fits in one line
The content is not the only rule you should follow when creating a title. The number of words and characters should also be something you think about when writing it. I won’t give you the maximum number of characters you should write; it’s too scientific for a creative job. But I will tell you this: make sure the title fits in one line, so that when the recipient receives it, the title can be entirely read without having to click on it.
Bonus: See what the best and worst words to use in your subject lines are: www.lulisablog.com/2011/05/what-are-the-best-and-worst-words-in-subject-lines/