Writing an engaging article that attracts a large audience takes a certain level of experience and proficiency. A writer must choose impressive content and write with short, easy to understand sentences. Readers need to be introduced to a subject or topic without being distracted by wordy explanations. It’s not always necessary for writers to use the biggest or the most unique vocabulary. It’s often how they use their words that matter and none more so than the headline.
Many writers and journalists focus too much on providing provocative words that will captivate readers. But every writer has to search for that perfect title to suck the viewer in. Regardless of topic or focus.
It’s possible to engage readers with every aspect of an article. However, the title has a consequence all it’s own. Without a grabbing headline, it does not even matter what you wrote. Review and use the following tip as a guideline to begin consistently creating unique and catchy headlines. And in turn, gaining avid readers and fans.
#1. Choose the right words
Titles should not be long, in fact they don’t even need to be a full sentence. The words of a title are important because you only get a few. So choose them wisely and creatively. You want to reach readers on a personal and psychological level, and inspire them to read your entire article. In such a constantly connected world, people have developed short attention spans. If it gets boring or repetitive, or is too much work to understand, a viewer will move on. A strong title is the first step in determining whether someone will be hypnotized by your content, or not. Picking the most compelling words is essential to obtaining longer reader interest times.
#2. Use the numbers
Review some newspapers, magazine and online blogs. Take note of how often you see numbers in a title or headline. Chances are good, it’s quite often. There is a reason for this and it’s not just that spelling the numbers out takes more effort. The numbers on a page or screen naturally catch the attention of the human eye. No matter which type of article you read, if the title or headlines include numbers, then the article has not been created by a novice. By using this simple tip you’ll attract a great deal of wanted attention.
#3. Do not ignore the available writing tools
Build Your Own Blog – Here you can learn everything you don’t know and find answers to all of your questions regarding blog writing and promotion. You can discover how to form high quality text and copy for your website, and how to create informing, entertaining and engaging material.
Hubspot Blog Topic Generator – This is an extremely useful tool for any writer. Users can generate creative and grammatically correct titles by entering in 3 words. If you have problems finding the perfect title just use a few keywords from your topic. For example, if you are writing about how investing in your health is a good idea, then you may enter the words invest, health, smart. The site’s generator will provide you with endless options, ideas and inspirations.
Blog Title Idea Generator – This is another title generator tool that works almost the same as HubSpot’s option. Users can pick one keyword and the tool will suggest catchy and appealing blog post ideas.
PlagTracker – Never publish copied work. You chance ruining your reputation and destroying hard work. Considering how much information is on the web, this is not always easy. Writers should use Plagtracker (and their unique check system) to be sure all work is unique, and that all citations are referenced correctly.
The Readability Test Tool – This tool calculates the readability score for your website. The software will proofread your content and give you an overall score with details about how easy the article is to read, if the grammar is correct and if spelling and punctuation are intact.
#4. Use adjectives
Any writer should know people love adjectives (sometimes, even more than verbs). An adjective is descriptive and creates emotion. Words like “stunning”, “triumphant”, “killer” or “provocative” are good examples of adjectives that create a feeling with readers. They are more effective than say «pretty» or «win» . Exaggeration in the title is allowed, just as long as it correctly references the tone of your content.
#5. Mention easy-to-remember words
Sometimes writers need to sort of bombard their readers with words such as: reasons, facts, statistics. These easy to remember words may be simple, but they hold weight with viewers. These are words that evoke a certain understanding with readers naturally and instinctively. However, writers should remember that if the word “statistics” is used, then they must provide real facts and numbers in the article. No fake information and all references should be cited properly.
#6. Be provocative
Any title should include provocation to keep the readers engaged. If your title promises to deliver the «top» information, then you’d better deliver high quality. Do not waste readers time, or use their attention advantageously. Get them interested and then stand behind your words.
Writers should start using the mentioned tips above to create original and effective titles. Why wait? Even the best writer uses an editor and outside help.
Title is everything. Your content may be full of useful and engaging material. But without a catching headline, people won’t read it. Don’t waste energy researching and writing something nobody will see. With these tips and the tools technology offers, any writer can gain the attention of their target audience.
Just remember to understand your environment, your audience and the people’s overall interests. Let your creative mind run wild and make intelligent and thoughtful title and headline decisions. And always remember to remain conscious of how your words, structure and writing affect your reader’s behavior and perspective.
Images: ”Title concept /Shutterstock.com“
______________________________________________________________________________
Tweak Your Biz is a thought leader global publication and online business community. Today, it is part of the Small Biz Trends stable of websites and receives over 300,000 unique views per month. Would you like to write for us?
An outstanding title can increase tweets, Facebook Likes, and visitor traffic by 50% or more. Generate great titles for your articles and blog posts with the Tweak Your Biz Title Generator.
