Writing a blog post is easy. Crafting a headline that makes people stop, click and read that blog post takes finesse.
Over the years, I’ve absorbed dozens of tips and tricks for writing headlines.
One of the speakers at the New Media Expo this past spring talked about using words that drum up emotion, such as love, hate and die. Another talked about telling the story without giving away too much. Others focused on incorporating SEO keywords into your blog post title. Some recommended newsjacking popular trends to get extra readers.
I share six ideas for putting together successful headlines in my post, “These Words Make or Break Your Blogging Popularity.”
As you work on the creative writing aspect of writing a headline, don’t forget about the technical part too. Here are a few less exciting tips to help you put together a headline that will perform well online.
- Headlines shouldn’t be too long. Aim for six words.
- A headline with 55 characters or less is preferred by Google’s indexing function.
- Avoid punctuation. Apostrophes and hyphens don’t play nice in URLs.
- Although used often, “How to” is a great start to a headline.
- Headlines that promise a list are enticing. For example, try “16 Ways to” or “60 Places you Must”.
- When in doubt, short, witty headlines that make a promise work well.
Do you have a tip for putting together a fabulous headline? Share in the comments below using your Facebook account!
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