It is human tendency to be drawn to things that instantly catch our attention. Be it a book, a research paper, or a blog, the number of eyeballs your writing attracts depends on how catchy the headline is.
Choosing the perfect title is one of the most important parts of writing. But more often than not, people tend to underestimate the power of a catchy title.
Before we dive into the how-tos of writing the perfect title, it is essential to know about the different styles of titles. Here are seven widely used ones.
1. Asking a Question
One of the easiest ways to make a dull headline catchy is by asking an intriguing question. An article with a simple title like “Ways to Get Rich” can be made really appealing by turning the title into “Do You Want to Know the One Trick That Will Make You Rich and Wealthy?”
2. How to
Another popular type of headline is to offer tips and solutions to one’s problems by adding “how to” in the title. It is also SEO-friendly as many students search using the “how to” keyword followed by their query.
For example: “How to Improve Your Grades in College” sounds much better than “Improve Your College Grades Today.”
3. Listicle Style
Listicles are a huge hit among millennials, and they often trend on social media sites as well. If your article/blog has multiple points discussing the topic, then the listicle title style can be a great way to enhance your writing.
Examples: “9 Must Read Books This Summer,” “7 Styles of Titles to Choose from for Your Blog”
4. Opening with Interesting Facts
People often stick to conventional styles of title writing without realizing what impact one interesting fact mentioned in the headline can have on their article. If you have some mind-boggling statistics or some lesser-known facts in your write-up, you can use it as a surprise element to grab more eyeballs.
For example: “3 Out of Every 10 US Students Drop Out of College Every Year”
5. Starting with a Why
Nothing stimulates the human brain more than the quest for knowledge. We are always driven to discover the motive behind every action. So, including a “why” in your title can be quite impactful.
For example: “Music Is Good for Improving Memory” can be turned into an infinitely better headline by adding why – “Why Music is Good for Memorization.”
6. Stating a Claim and Showing Proof
One way to attract readers is by writing a title that claims something that is against popular opinion. Controversial headlines often work wonders as they play on the beliefs of the reader. It is a tricky style of title writing as it may backfire if you don’t have enough proof to support the claim in your copy.
For example: A headline like “Charles Dickens Was Sexist and His Writings Are a Proof of His Misogyny” can raise a few eyebrows and certainly attract readers.
7. Clickbaiting
The age of the internet and social media has given rise to one of the most frowned-upon title styles – clickbait. A clickbait unnecessarily sensationalizes a title by adding excessive adjectives and slang words such as OMG, WTF, SHOCKING, etc. Clickbaits are known for misrepresenting information in order to get clicks. Students are widely discouraged from using clickbaits in the titles of their blogs, articles, etc.
For example: A headline reading “10 Unknown Facts about Star Wars (8th One Will Blow Your Mind)” will make you want to click on it immediately. But if the article contains lousy facts that every Star Wars fan already knows about, then the reader is bound to feel cheated.
To conclude, a perfect title is essential for the success of a blog, book, or paper.
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