Rhemalogy

Ever hear the age-old riddle, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a noise?” This question stands as an analogy for your writing—How so? “If I write a great article and no one reads it, does it still do the job?”

Common sensically the short and nerve-rattling answer is…Drum roll, please… NO!

You may be the best article writer on the web, but if your article’s title is just some boring label all your efforts would have been in vain, and even more distressing is the fact it will not attract the attention you desired.

Take A Self Examination. Usually when at the grocery check-out you will find many magazines for perusal. While reading the covers of various magazines try to ascertain what is so attractive about them that they reach a reading audience of over a million people in sales each week. Then think about which titles attract your attention and why. Try this method. You’ll be surprised by the answers you can come up with.

Which Article Do You Prefer Reading? It goes without saying—the most important words you will ever write when posting is your title. It is notable to remember that your article title can either draw readers in or turn them off.

Here are two sets of headlines for analysis:

“Activities Children Enjoy” OR “Give Your Children A Memorable Summer”

“Make Staying Healthy Your Priority” OR “5 Symptoms You Just Can’t Ignore”

…but the second title conveys a benefit that might attract a potential reader.

Notice in either case, the titles refer to the same topic, but the second title conveys a benefit that might attract a potential reader. Always use the word “you” or “your” to make the attraction a more personal one. One appeals to a parent’s desire to “accentuate” their children’s (emotional) experience while the other makes one quite curious and perhaps even fearful.

And from a statistical perspective, you are most apt to choose the second article above the first one when they both showed up on a search engine.

Not The Yawning Effect. Your article titles should invite further investigation or at least some level of curiosity. But certainly not a yawn or “I’ve already read something like this before.” It might take you some time to come up with an eye-catching title but trust me it is worth the ingenuity and effort.

There are several methods to create article titles that put you a cut above the rest. Here are some examples:

–-Fill in the blank: “How To ________,” “From ________ to ________,” or “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About ________.”
-–Make your title a question: “Which Road Are You On?”
–-Use numbers, such as “3 Top Tips That Will Enhance Your Email Marketing” or “7 Little Changes That’ll Make a Big Difference in Your Writing.” It is not necessary to limit the number titles to list-style articles. Most articles can be broken down into a number of steps or explanations.
-–Compare something to something else: “Are You A Beauty Or A Beast?”

And occasionally, when I am really in a time crunch and my mind is overloading I will use a Title Generator.

Reflect On The Best Meal You Ever Ate, Then Write. Writing a great headline is like eating dessert before the main course. Your article is the steak, your resource box is the potatoes and chives, but your headline is the promise of the sweetest things to come.

Alright, let’s get those creative juices flowing and start pecking those darn keys! Until next week…Thank you for your continued readership and support.

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