A Social Media Service Designed for Contractors

Writing blog titles that grab readers and winning their attention and their clicks requires careful consideration.

Your title shouldn’t be an afterthought. It’s the make-or-break attribute of your blog. If the title on its own provokes sharing or gets conversions, it’s still a big success. The content of the blog post must follow through on the promise of the title, otherwise you can expect a backlash from readers who feel you’ve been dishonest and wasted their time.

When crafting blog titles, give careful thought to each word used, the order of words, length of title, subject matter of the associated post and its tone. The tone of the title should mesh with your brand. Irreverent and funny are attention-getting, but you have less latitude if you’re blogging for a bank rather than a bar.

Attributes of blockbuster blog titles

• Solution-oriented – Sales and conversions come easier if you’re selling solutions, rather than products, services or blogs. Promise to solve your audience’s problems and they’ll click to read. Click-magnet phrases include “How to,” “in 10 Easy Steps” and “Tips For…”.
• Succinct - Economizing on title length (about eight words maximum) makes social sharing easier and therefore more likely.
• Clear - Blog post titles should clearly convey what the post is about, without ambiguity. Be creative, but avoid a bait and switch.
• Wacky or humorous - Sensationalism and outrageousness have their place, appealing to our natural curiosity and earning clicks.
• Keyword-loaded - The better your title matches target search terms and phrases, the higher it can appear in those SERPs. Your SEO-friendly title will likely become a part of the URL of your post, attracting even more search engine attention. Since skimming is a way of life today, including the most relevant keywords up-front in the title yields maximum clickability.
• Provocative or shocking - Go ahead — create a stir. Go against the grain. Besides active social sharing, you may get a rise out of people. Controversial topics may gain you blog comments, responses and back-and-forth dialogue with and among readers. These discussions themselves can make effective, dramatic content.

Get killer blog titles by the dozen — contact SocialTract.

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