How to Write Catchy Blog Post Titles That Drives Attention & Traffic!

Writing successful blog titles or headlines is definitely a challenging one for many bloggers. But considering the importance a blog title commands in the overall success of your blog content, learning to write attention grabbing and awe-inspiring titles is a skill you wouldn't want to ignore.

You must understand that no matter how valuable and expertly written your blog post is, if the title or headline fails to attract the desired attention, that piece of content is simply a waste of effort! It's important therefore that learn the secret strategies that other bloggers are using to craft catchy blog post titles.

In this post our focus is on how to write discoverable and sharable titles and headline that actually work. It doesn't matter the industry or topic you are writing on, using these techniques will help you craft titles that are not just catchy but are optimized to drive traffic and conversions, whether it’s from the search engines or social media sites.

But first,

Why Catchy Blog Post Titles?

Someone may want to ask, why care about writing attractive blog titles?

The simple answer is…

Your post title, most times, is what will make a browser decide on clicking on your link and then visiting your site to read the whole article.

It’s the post title that appears in the search engine results, RSS feeds, social media sites, links from other blogs and websites, and even you blog archives. When anyone sees your blog post titles on these platforms, their decision to read your “killer” content depends solely on how much the title is able to entice them.

In most cases, it is the first contact point between your content and the reader.

Crafting Catchy Post Titles That Get Attention & Traffic!

Over the years copywriters and content merchants have tested and proven some workable techniques for writing titles that get attention and traffic. It doesn't matter if you're writing for an online or an offline media. These techniques can be applied to any market or niche.

Here are some common techniques to empower your post titles:

1. Get Attention through Curiosity

Curiosity is definitely a powerful force. Plain straightforward titles may be effective but they can never be compared to a title that arouses interest and curiosity. Your success with this tactic will depend on how much you are able to intrigue the reader with your choice of words. Do this very well and they would be eager to click on the link to read your whole post.

2. Communicate a Benefit

One thing you must understand when crafting your blog post titles is the fact that the reader doesn’t care about you. His one concern every time is, “What Is In It For Me!” So, any time he comes across your post titles whether on the SERPs or on any of the social media platforms, what will make him want to read the whole post is if there is a benefit for him.

One of the strategies I normally use is what I call the MWR (Most Wanted Response) strategy. This strategy is all about knowing what your readers desire most from your content and then crafting your post titles to reflect it as a benefit.

3. Keyword-Optimize Your Titles

When people turn to the search engines for information they usually use keywords for their query. And you can use this to your advantage by using keywords in your post titles.

One area this can be so useful is that with keywords in your post titles you can easily attract the attention of anyone who queries the search engines with a similar keyword. In this way, your post title will not only help in boosting your ranking on the search engines but also help in driving targeted traffic from Google and other search engines.

You can combine this strategy with any of the other two mentioned above to produce a killer headline any day!

4. Make a Big Claim and Back It Up!

Just like #2 above, this one takes the benefit you are offering to a level that makes it impossible to ignore. The only caveat is that you must be ready to back up your claim. Tricking people into reading your blog post with the title and then leaving them disappointed with the content will do more harm than good. So, if you must use this technique you must ensure that you deliver on your promise.

Now, let's take a look at some ways you can apply these in writing your titles and headlines.

5 Quick Examples of Crafting Catchy Blog Posts

1. The How-To Titles

This is definitely the most common headline types. And why is it so common, you might ask? 

The fact that you see it everywhere in use attests to the fact that it works! It is not only easy to write but it also plain with what it aims to do.

The reader has no ambiguity about the post; it's exactly what it says – how to do….! Simply reading the title the reader understands what problem the post is promising to solve.

It is best used for posts that list the different steps of doing something.

2. Thought Leadership Titles

Depending on the niche you're writing on, you will want to make use of this strategy to set yourself apart. Its purpose is to position you as an industry expert. You’re not here trying to necessarily solve a problem but to convey your thoughts or opinion on a particular topic.

You could also use it to provide a general commentary on an industry trend.

The success of this type of titles/headlines is the supportive facts you provide. You should delve into this type of blog titles only after you have done extensive research.

3. News Jacking

This is another very good way of crafting sharable titles with ease. It is an attempt to “ride the wave” of a news cycle to get your content some wide coverage in a short period of time.

For example, when a news item appears to be gathering some popular attention, you could find ways or an angle to apply it to your niche and then craft an article that would take advantage of the public’s interest in that news story.

To be successful with this you simply need to put your eyes open for what is trending in the news.

4. Humor/Absurdity

There is no doubt that a good number of people go online in search of fun. They seek after entertainment and this could be an opportunity for you to drive some extra eye balls to your niche offerings.

To be effective, your story must have some link to your niche site so that when this people visit they could have the opportunity of further exploring the site.

One good advantage of this type of titles/headlines is that they are more open to sharing on social media sites.

5. Breaking News

This is somewhat different from news jacking. In news jacking, the news item may not be directly related to your target niche but a breaking news title on the hand should be industry-specific and announce something new.

I did something similar to this recently on my Niche Site 2.0 Blog. Just last week a new breakthrough finding in my target niche that promises both an effective solution at a reduced cost was announced by a research group. Immediately I go to know of the news, I quickly read the story in a few of the news sites that reported the breakthrough and then I went on to put together a blog post and also a press release which was quickly published in 3 different PR sites!

This type of headlines can help drive a surge of traffic if the topic is really an interesting and a popular one. To take advantage of this you can use services like Google Alerts to so when something new is in the market you will be among the first to get the info.

Blog Title Success Take Away!

Your blog title or headline may just be a few words compared to the rest of your post but it is indeed the most important part of the whole content! It is what will determine if the right people visit and read the post. Paying attention therefore to writing attention-grabbing headlines for your blog post is something you must invest your time in.

Before crafting your blog title do a research to know what your readers' Most Wanted Response (MWR) is and then offer it as a benefit in your post titles.

And now it’s Your Turn: What strategies do you employ when crafting your blog posts’ titles? Share with us in your comments below. And if this post was in any way useful please help promote it by sharing on your preferred social media.