After two decades of developing
and editing content on a variety of platforms, I’ve discovered one of the
easiest ways to improve your articles is by spending time creating compelling
titles. As attention spans continue to get shorter, it’s even more imperative
for writers to draw in readers from the start.
If we fail at the title
level, then we fail the rest of the way. If we can’t compel readers to get past
the title and into the crux of our writing, then we have lost the battle.
Here are three quick tips I’ve
learned to help writers develop titles that will inspire readers to want more.
1. Invite the reader into the article.
Admittedly, this is often
easier said than done. However, readers will more likely read past your title
if they perceive an invitation or opportunity to join you in the story.
Instead of a “me-focus” on
the title, consider a “reader-focus.” Avoid words such as “my” or “I” and focus
more on an “our perspective” approach. Readers will more likely read an article
if they perceive that it someone relates to them as opposed to the article just
being about your struggle or your journey.
2. Demonstrate some emotion
Take a glance at an academic
journal and read the title page. Most of the articles are very specific
indications of an approach to a topic without any emotion or feeling. And in
that genre, it works.
However, if you’re writing
popular works and hoping for a broad-based readership, you’ll want to provide
some level of emotive roadmap of what’s to come. Now, we’re talking about
titles, so we can’t include tons of words that describe what the reader can
expect.
Yet if we don’t at least
provide a snapshot of what to expect, we are putting up our own roadblocks to potential
readership. If your article is a serious, emotional approach to fighting MS,
allude to that in the title. If your article is a humorous look at parenting,
make sure the reader knows that by the title.
3. Consider asking a question or including numbers
One way to attract attention
is by asking a question in the title. If the topic is of interest to the reader—and
oftentimes even if it’s not—people will want to read on to discover the answer.
Try to make the question simple,
broad and compelling … so simple that a reader will remember the question long
after he or she reads the article.
Another option is adding
numbers (much like the title to this article). Adding numbers sticks out to the
human eye and tells a reader that there are simple and doable suggestions to a certain
topic.
Titling an article “5 Simple
Tips to Better Health” is easy, broad and compelling. And it conveys the idea
that the suggestions are attainable and can be incorporated into my life.
These are just a few
suggestions to consider as you title your next article. Most of us, when we
write, spend copious amounts of time refining, editing and proofing our
articles. And we should.
But how many of us spend a
decent amount of time developing compelling titles—titles that will draw in
more readers and expose them not only to the topic at hand but to our broader
writing and publishing?
For more ideas and help on
writing, editing and content development, visit noblecreative.com.
