I know the reality is we want someone to read our post. But they must be interested enough to click on our blog title first. So how do we come up with that so called "catchy headline" we hear so much about?

Why is it important? What words are necessary? How is anyone going to find it or us?

Remember your blog title is the portal through which your present audience and the uninitiated enter and read your awesomeness. So give them a good reason to click on your title and an even better one to read your post.

How to create a blog title people actually want to read

Let's Break Things Down Into Pieces

Why Is Your Blog Title Important?

It is the implied promise to answer a question(s) or an offer of results for your reader. Whose topics they are either aware or even unaware that they have wanted or needed.

What Words Are Necessary?

Power words - Get and command your readers' attention, what you want them to do

Emotive words - Elicit an emotional response in your reader, how you want them to feel

Keywords and keyword phrases - Help people searching for products or services to find you and your business

How Will Your Blog Title/Post Be Found?

Through the use of keywords or keyword phrases. Keywords are necessary to your blog title especially if you have no audience or following. Without them, your only hope is that your audience accidentally finds your post. Not a particularly promising proposition.

Putting The Pieces Together

Creating Your Blog Title

The easiest blog titles to create are How To and List (numbered) titles. Whether you write your blog post first and come up with a title that fits or the opposite is totally up to you as there is no firm and fast rule for a right or wrong way.

What is a definite no-no is the "click bait" title that bears little or no relation to the actual post, I personally recommend that you compose at least 3-5 titles before you choose your final version.

I suggest you use the Headline Analyzer tool from Coshedule. This free tool gives you an immense amount of information about the titles you've created thereby helping you to make the best final choice.

For example, Here is a list of the possible titles I created for this particular post

3 Things That Get Your Blog Title Noticed
3 Special Words That Get Your Blog Title Noticed
Never Underestimate The Influence Of A Catchy Blog Title
The Basics Of Writing A Good Blog Title
Create A Blog Post Title People Want To Read
How To Create A Blog Title People Actually Want To Read

As you can see I chose the last title. I felt this one not only conveyed exactly what I was trying to say in my post but also bore the greatest relationship to the post.

Still as you read through the post you should be able to pick out words or phrases I used that led me to consider those other title possibilities.

The Essential Words We Use

Your title should be specific, get your point across, and pack a punch. Within this framework, you need power words, descriptive words, emotive words, and yes, keywords.

For example, your title could say: Lose 30 Pounds Fast
or, Quickly Lose 30 Pounds In 3 Weeks , While Never Feeling Hungry

The first example tells us we will lose weight fast which might be what we want. Yet the second example is much more descriptive. We know exactly how quickly we will lose the weight, our fears of dieting are allayed by knowing we will not feel hungry, and our keyword phrase can be either lose 30 pounds or quickly lose 30 pounds.

Your Readers Will Find You And Your Blog

If you have no audience it won't happen overnight. But, it will happen if you have written helpful posts that entertain and use the keywords and keyword phrases that you want to be ranked for.

This and attention grabbing blog titles that use the same keywords should begin bringing organic traffic to your blog/website.

Never underestimate the power of social media to help you increase the traffic coming to your blog.

On your business Facebook page, post an excerpt of your latest blog along with its image and a link. Tweet your latest blog title with a link to your post.

Encourage your readers to share your posts with those they feel will benefit from your message.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that it has answered some of the most basic questions you may have had about coming up with a blog title that people will want to read.

If this was helpful to you please share it with your friends. If you didn't like it let me know what I could have done better or what you would rather have seen.

Blogging Allows You To Connect With Your Audience Through Feedback

When you write informative, interesting, and thought-provoking posts don't forget to ask a question or two of your reader. Not just any questions but those you genuinely would like to receive answers for. These answers while helping to forge that bond with your audience, will be information available for your use in a future post or project. Remember you want to build a relationship, so don't forget to thank your readers and respond back to their comments. These comments may be used as an additional way for you to find or refine your niche if you haven't already done so.

Blogging Helps To Build Your Email List

A great blog post that resonates with your readers is a sure-fire way to get them to come back for more. You can remind your readers that if they have enjoyed this particular post that they should sign up to receive alerts for new posts. If this isn't something you offer, then ask them to sign up for your newsletter, or your email list. At the very least, you should have a sign-up form in your footer or sidebar to make it easy for them to subscribe.

Blogging Helps You To Become Known As An Expert In Your Niche

Through your blog, your extremely informative blog, you are going to gain a reputation for being knowledgeable. So give that knowledge away. Make sure that your posts are helpful and actionable if you want to enhance your expert status. When people see you as an expert they are going to want to know what it is that makes you such expert. Share that information with them over time. Why over time? Because what you know today is only a portion of what you will have learned, and can then share next month or next year.

Blogging Improves Your Site's SEO

Now this is super awesome in my opinion. If you have done your work correctly on your blog post, that same delightful content that has caught your readers eye and engaged them has also improved your SEO. A catchy title with your keyword or keywords in it and sub-headings that further reinforce them are gold. You must be sure that the body of your post has the information as promised in your title. The failure to do this not only disappoints your reader but will drop your SEO ranking.

Blogging Increases Your Traffic

This is simple. Your blog gives people a reason to visit your site apart from what you sell, and to spend more time there if they like what they see. Maybe they might even tell their friends. If you make it easy for them. So place like and share buttons on your blog post page. Also, you are going to promote your newest blog post on your various social media platforms, after all, you want plenty of eyes on it.

Blogging Strengthens Your Brand

Again, if you have done your work correctly, this same delightful content is going to tie in with your brand. This is oh so important so as not to confuse your audience. Your blog posts need to sound as if they belong to your business. People should be able to readily see the connection between the products and/or services that your business offers and the written content of your posts.

I want to leave you with two questions. Do you have a blog for your business? Have you seen the benefits of having that blog? While I am interested in the answers to these questions, I am also interested in any other comments you care to make.

~~Joyce

HOW TO CREATE A BLOG TITLE PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO READ