How to Write Attention Grabbing Post Titles
Do search engine keywords really matter in post titles? There are really 2 school of thoughts when it come to this question. Many pro-SEO bloggers often preache and promote the idea of writing post title with keyword and will never be caught publishing any articles without first researching some sweet keywords for their titles headlines.
On the other side of the fence, the purist will question the point of search optimized post title if the content of the post pales in quality and no one read or link to it.
Whichever schools you belongs to, writing attention grabbing titles, search optimized or not, is a great way to intrigue the readers and make them curious enough to want to read more. Here I list 12 of my favourite headline grabber, some I’ve used before and some I’ve seen used in other blogs to great effect.
1) How To…
A “How To..” headline is an effective attention grabber because it tells your readers they are about to learn something new that could benefit their blogging or lifestyle. The headline should grab their attention and explain how to get their benefits faster, cheaper, easier, etc.
Example:
“How To Get Out Of Debt In 1 Year Or Less!”
2) Inside Secrets…
An “Inside Secrets…” headline grabs your readers’ attention because they will feel that if they learn more information they’ll belong to a select, privileged group of people. It also adds a rareness to your post. Rare is valuable.
Example:
“The Inside Secrets Of dot com moguls Under The Age Of 30!”
3) How I…
The “How I…” headline will grab your readers’ attention because it shows that you, not some big corporation, have benefited and are showing them how to get their desired benefits. It reach them on a more personal level and will draw your readers into your article. The little guy wins!
Example:
“How I get 50000 unique visitors in One Week!”
4) …Doesn’t (Don’t) Want You to Know
The “…Doesn’t (Don’t) Want You To Know” headline will grab your readers’ attention because people want to find out about those things industry experts are trying to keep from them, especially if it stops them from getting their desired benefit.
Example:
“Top Ranking Secrets Search Engine Experts Don’t Want You to Know”
5) Ways To…
The “Ways To…” headline grabs your readers’ attention because you are going to tell them something they might not know; that which will improve their blogs and give them the benefits they seek. They will have to learn them all. They will lose if they don’t. Even better is to quantify your ways, for instance, “10 Ways To….”.
Example:
“Top 5 Ways to attract free traffic!”
6) Step-By-Step…
The “Step-by-Step…” headline is synonymous with “How to” tutorial post and grabs your readers’ attention because people don’t want to be confused, they want simple take-you-by-the-hand steps or instructions.
Example:
“An Easy, Step-By-Step Guide to Web Site Design That Takes Newbies By The Hand!”
7) Stop…
The “Stop…” headline grabs your readers’ attention as people have been trained their whole life to stop when they see a “Stop” sign or told to stop. It’s a natural reaction. Works better when the word ’stop’ is in the red color too.
Example:
“STOP! Look here for How To Reduce You Monthly Gas Bill By 50%!”
Make Money…
Who doesn’t want or like the idea of making money online or offline? The “Make Money…” headline is an attention grabber because most people want to know
how to make more money.
Example:
“How To Make Money Working From Home!”
9) What If…
The “What If…” headline transports your readers to a wonderland wherein they already have their desired benefits or goal accomplished. They need to read the rest of your post to make it a reality.
Example:
“What If You Could Make $10,000 A Month?”
10) Celebrity
Quotating a celebrity lends a lot of weight to your post. A celebrity has that fame and name recognition that brings a lot of credibility. People will believe them. Your readers figure the celebrity wouldn’t want to risk their reputation. That celebrity at least needs to be a considered one or a recognized expert to gain your target audience.
Example:
Darren Rowse says, “This autoresponder service blows away the competition!”
11) Don’t Read This
The “Don’t Read This…” headline uses reverse psychology to draw attention to your readers. It catches your readers off-guard and inject doubt in their mind and make them wonder why they shouldn’t read it. They also become more curious by the prohibition.
Example:
“Don’t Read This If You Want To Go Bankrupt!”
12) Myths
The “Myths…” headline will cause your readers to view some imagined things, myths, fears holding them back from getting their desired benefits. They will click and read the rest of your post to de-mystify those fears.
Example:
“8 Blogging Myths That Are Holding You Back!”
Good observation. I have seen many things like the same headings which you have said. As you said they are the ones much noticed. Good analysis. I saw one ad few days ago saying “Don’t Click Here If you Don’t Want To Earn Money”. Cool ad. It must have got many clicks.
True, true. Almost every popular post in the big blogs have headlines that start like these.
Nice observation.
Great post betshopboy!
I did gave this some thought waoy back. . But i couldnt take up a list of 12. This is very handy for people like me who’s just starting to make their blogs a worthwhile experience for their readers.
seems like they are advertisement and i would skip such headlines.
This is a great post. Thanks for the tips.
Ram, such keywords or attention grabbing headlines can be applied to ads as well as our blog posts.
rks, if the big boys writing at big blogs are using it, it shows that it’s a proven method.
kirbitz, glad you like it and find it useful for your blogging needs.
Hey Adam, glad you like it.
Great post and should come in handy as I re-write the titles of many of my articles!