I recently assumed responsibility as an Editor and as such I am spending a lot of time reading and also editing a few. However one consistent flaw that I have noted with every article I have read is that no matter how good the information in the article, the title of the article is so weak that people won't bother reading it. I mean, they won't even know what the article is all about in the first place.
And yea, just to clarify, I am not talking about SEO or keyword stuffing here. Just talking about the title. As a writer, you guys should be able to title your articles effectively. Killer titles can sometimes alone make your content go viral.
Now to demonstrate my point, I would like to put forth some example of bad and good titles:
Bad Title: Can't Study, here's how to study?
Good Title: Can't Concentrate on Studies?Here's a list of 10 surefire techniques that will make studying a breeze
Bad Title: Boss Scolded Me
Good Title:Having a Bad day at Work? 5 Things to do When being Scolded by a boss
Bad Title: Mahabharata
Good Title: Read the Best Tales from the Best Epic in the World; "Mahabharata"
or
Why Mahabharata is called the best epic?
The above are just examples and you should always title your article according to the content. Never mislead.
Here are few tips you can use to produce a killer title:
1. Ask Questions. A question title most of the time reflect the query of the user and hence a reader would easily connect with you. Question title don't produce a dramatic or emotional signal in the brain but they are the most effective one.
E.g. What is the best smartphone today?
What to do after 12th Grade?
2. Use a cliff hanger: If you are writing something interesting and valuable and want to make sure reader reads through the end, use a cliff hanger.
e.g. Want to Make Money Online?3 tricks to make money that no one is telling you about.
3. Be Descriptive: Your title should be self explanatory and not misleading in anyway. A reader should upfront have the idea what he is going to expect in your article, else he would leave the site pissed off and vowing never to return.
The above tips are just starters and there is a hell lot more to writing effective titles. However, if we start implementing the above, the change would be drastic and for the best.
I hope you found the above suggestions useful. If you have any queries, feel free to ask me.
20 Replies
I think I need to work on my titles. B) I got editor comments regarding the title for one of my articles.
I have a doubt here should we not refrain from using long titles? Is it OK to use titles up to a sentence (say 7-15 words) long?
Lengthy or short......it should be impressive.......I think both, too short and too lengthy titles are not good.
If we are able to tag our headings as question......
For example.......one of the most recent submitted articles....
"Do you know the significance of Ramayana month?", a viewer who doesn't know its significance will surely open the article to read.
Let me give you a few impressive titles of my articles here, which I liked most....
Green tea - Modern Mritasanjeevani
Silent spring@50
If a butterfly flaps its wings, can it form a hurricane? (submitted yesterday, yet to be published)
Welcome to freshers - The newly found species of earth
Olympics in the backwaters of Kerala
Do you want to stay young?
Is it really time for a breakup?
Attukal Pongala -When Ananthapuri turns to another Yagasala
Feng Shui -Chinese Vasthushastra for building our prosperity and health
Can a deadlock be resolved completely?
How a thread differs from a process?
For recipes also, we can provide impressive titles...for example
Celebrate this Easter with two non-veg dishes
How to make soft Idlis?
Secret chicken from my kitchen
Titles are many.........you can check my articles
Spend a little time before giving titles.......also, if admin is impressed, we may get more credits
Green tea - Modern Mritasanjeevani
Silent spring@50
If a butterfly flaps its wings, can it form a hurricane? (submitted yesterday, yet to be published)
Welcome to freshers - The newly found species of earth
Olympics in the backwaters of Kerala
Do you want to stay young?
Is it really time for a breakup?
Attukal Pongala -When Ananthapuri turns to another Yagasala
Feng Shui -Chinese Vasthushastra for building our prosperity and health
Can a deadlock be resolved completely?
How a thread differs from a process?
For recipes also, we can provide impressive titles...for example
Celebrate this Easter with two non-veg dishes
How to make soft Idlis?
Secret chicken from my kitchen
Titles are many.........you can check my articles
Spend a little time before giving titles.......also, if admin is impressed, we may get more credits
I agree that titles are very important, they should be catchy and also should give an insight as to what one can expect from the article ..The length should neither be too long nor too short nor should it be in complicated words .It is better to have simple and straightforward titles that tell you in a nutshell what to expect from an article ..
I think I need to work on my titles. B) I got editor comments regarding the title for one of my articles.
I have a doubt here should we not refrain from using long titles? Is it OK to use titles up to a sentence (say 7-15 words) long?
I was the editor to make the comment and I made it because your article had so good information that it really pained me to see that not many would read your article. I mean I am an Editor so I have to read every article, but think from a point of view of user/searcher/reader or anyone who have found your article elsewhere.
Ashii, hypothetically speaking, suppose I am a social activist but an atheist, so if I stumble across your article, would I be likely to read it after I see your title? Not highly likely.
But if the title had been descriptive enough as to what it is about, I would have certainly clicked through and read it.
P.S. Please take all of the above as constructive criticism, nothing personal. You are a very good writer and I would want your work to spread to a much broader audience. So gave you suggestions. Hope you don't mind. :)
I think I need to work on my titles. B) I got editor comments regarding the title for one of my articles.
I have a doubt here should we not refrain from using long titles? Is it OK to use titles up to a sentence (say 7-15 words) long?
Lengthy or short......it should be impressive.......I think both, too short and too lengthy titles are not good.
If we are able to tag our headings as question......
For example.......one of the most recent submitted articles....
"Do you know the significance of Ramayana month?", a viewer who doesn't know its significance will surely open the article to read.
A heading should be catchy so as to attract a reader. Title is gateway to article. Length of title matters. This should not be too long. A complete sentence or paragraph will not make good title.
I agree that titles are very important, they should be catchy and also should give an insight as to what one can expect from the article ..The length should neither be too long nor too short nor should it be in complicated words .It is better to have simple and straightforward titles that tell you in a nutshell what to expect from an article ..
I agree totally with your views. A title should really convey what the article is all about and at the same time be attractive and appealing enough to want the viewers to click on the link to read it further.
The 'Meta Key Words' and 'Meta description' also need attention of authors. although authors are careful in writing articles and giving a suitable title, they in some cases ignore writing key words and description. The description should not be brushed aside in just three or four words. This should be substance of the main article. The reader first reads the description in Articles Index and then move to articles. If the description is attractive, he will move on to read the whole article.
I think I need to work on my titles. B) I got editor comments regarding the title for one of my articles.
I have a doubt here should we not refrain from using long titles? Is it OK to use titles up to a sentence (say 7-15 words) long?
I was the editor to make the comment and I made it because your article had so good information that it really pained me to see that not many would read your article. I mean I am an Editor so I have to read every article, but think from a point of view of user/searcher/reader or anyone who have found your article elsewhere.
Ashii, hypothetically speaking, suppose I am a social activist but an atheist, so if I stumble across your article, would I be likely to read it after I see your title? Not highly likely.
But if the title had been descriptive enough as to what it is about, I would have certainly clicked through and read it.
P.S. Please take all of the above as constructive criticism, nothing personal. You are a very good writer and I would want your work to spread to a much broader audience. So gave you suggestions. Hope you don't mind. :)
I am working on it and hope to enhance my work here. All points noted! And I fully understand that is for my benefit. :)
some authors do not give adequate attention to key words and description both. Key words are just some important words in the article and these need be given. some write instead long sentences instead of key words including same word multiple times. Also description is supposed to be brief summary of main article and it is no use just writing casually ore or two sentences only.
some authors do not give adequate attention to key words and description both. Key words are just some important words in the article and these need be given. some write instead long sentences instead of key words including same word multiple times. Also description is supposed to be brief summary of main article and it is no use just writing casually ore or two sentences only.
Yes key words are very important esp so when we get paid for page views LOL...but it is necessary here as well since we get paid precisely because of page views through which the site earns.Description too is very important since it creates an interest and also tells the readers what they could expect in an article...
Some authors make too many mistakes. It is not very easy to learn grammar quickly. But just take following steps:
(1) Write only simple sentences. This is easier: Avoid complex and compound sentences. These are formed by joining two or more clauses.
(2) Be careful about verb form.
(3) Use present indefinite or past indefinite instead of continuous. many write continuous unnecessarily.
(4) Remember that THIRD PERSON SINGULAR has a different verb form. so be careful about third person singular only. e.g. He, she, it, some one (Hari, Seeta, geeta) are third person singular.
(1) Write only simple sentences. This is easier: Avoid complex and compound sentences. These are formed by joining two or more clauses.
(2) Be careful about verb form.
(3) Use present indefinite or past indefinite instead of continuous. many write continuous unnecessarily.
(4) Remember that THIRD PERSON SINGULAR has a different verb form. so be careful about third person singular only. e.g. He, she, it, some one (Hari, Seeta, geeta) are third person singular.
Topic Author
A
Arun Jain
@arunjain
Topic Stats
Created
Wednesday, 26 September 2012 19:52
Last Updated
Tuesday, 30 November -0001 00:00
Replies
0
Views
2.1K
Likes
0