No one wants to read your blog.
That’s just a fact.
People want to be helped, inspired, educated, or entertained, sure…but they DO NOT want to scroll through another blog article that doesn’t help them in any way.
So how can we get our potential readers clicking on and reading our blog posts?
The answer: better blog post titles.
WHY YOUR BLOG POST TITLE MATTERS
People aren’t reading our entire blog posts as much as we think they are.
In fact, some online research suggests that only about 20% of people who read your blog post headline actually open up the article.
This means that average-to-good blog post titles are not gonna cut it!
A great blog post title is going to dramatically affect the number of people who actually open up your blog post and read it. And getting readers to open up your posts and stay on the page will send good signals to Google, which helps increase your blog traffic overtime.
All of this to say: if you want more blog traffic, improve your blog post titles.
10 TYPES OF BLOG POST TITLES THAT GET CLICKS
So, what makes a great blog post title?
As with all facets of blogging, the most important thing is serving your reader.
What are they searching for? What are they struggling with and how can your blog article help them?
Your content (including your blog headline) should always focus on these things:
- Appealing to your target audience.
- Providing value to your target audience.
- Solving a problem for your audience.
With these things in mind, let’s dig into the top 9 blog post title types that actually get clicks!
THE LIST
Titles that lead to a list-style post are always popular. Why?
As I always say, people are busy, stressed, and distracted. If they don’t have the time or ability to read a long, heavy piece of content, they’re going to scroll right past it.
But small, easily digestible bullet points? Bring it on, baby!
If you’re writing a list post, make that VERY CLEAR in your blog post title. Otherwise you’re missing out on the valuable traffic that could’ve been reading your post right now.
Example of a list-post blog headline: 11 Coffee Affiliate Programs that Pay up to 80% Commissions
Remember how we said in the previous section that it’s important to appeal to your target audience and provide value for them?
This article does exactly that! But it also starts off with a number list, which is appealing to readers.
It’s clearly a list post because the title starts with ‘11 Coffee Affiliate Programs’.
It will appeal to affiliate marketers and content creators because it mentions the focus on affiliate programs and high-paying commissions. And once the reader opens the article, they’ll see that it delivers the exact value they were expecting.
It’s also ranking on page one, position three of Google, alongside extremely high-authority sites.
Focus on catchy blog post titles that promise value, and watch the magic that follows!
HOW-TO GUIDES
Remember, people are usually coming to your blog looking for help with something. How-to guides and step-by-step tutorials are among the most popular topics online… for good reason.
If your blog post title demonstrates that you are going to walk me through the process and teach me exactly how to do something, I’m more likely to click on it.
Examples:
- How to Write Blog Posts that Converts to Buyers
- Step-by-Step Guide: How to DIY Build a Treehouse
- How to Learn American Sign Language in Less than a Year
Promise a valuable guide, and make sure you deliver!
And keep in mind, these title examples are just that: examples to help drive the point home. We have not researched or concluded that these specific topic ideas are a good fit for your personal content strategy.
THE COMPARISON
I also like to call these ‘competition posts’. This is the kind of article where you compare two or more things to see which one wins.
Everyone loves a good ol’ friendly competition, especially if it helps them solve a problem or answer a question.
When coming up with the blog post title for a comparison post, always include the “vs” to emphasize the fact that two different things are competing.
Examples:
- WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Which One is Right For You?
- Dodge Charger vs. Dodge Challenger: Comparison Review?
Remember to emphasize the comparison, promise valuable information that will help the reader make an informed decision, and then deliver in post.
THE BEST
Having the ‘top answers’ or the ‘best solutions’ is always appealing to potential readers.
Think about it: if you were trying to start a business or hang a shelf, wouldn’t you want to know the BEST WAY to accomplish this? If you were looking for a potential product or service, wouldn’t you want to know what the best option is?
Including the word ‘best’ in your blog post title is a great way to increase clicks (if it’s relevant to the content within, of course).
Examples:
- The Best Bassinet for Colicky Babies
- The Best High-Paying Affiliate Programs for Bloggers
Don’t be afraid to be bold, even a bit polarizing, when it comes to your conclusion about the winner.
In comparison posts, there is one winner, and you stand by the winner!
THE EASY SOLUTION
When people are overwhelmed, stressed, or confused, they will likely head to Google and start searching for the easiest possible solution to their problem.
A busy, tired new mama might be searching for easy dinner ideas. A stressed digital marketer might be searching for a software that simplifies their life.
What does your reader need and how can you convey that you have the easiest possible solution for them in your blog post title?
Examples:
- Fix Your Credit in 5 Easy Steps
- The Easiest Way to Set Up a Shopify Store Today
- 10 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Moms
Show them that you have an easy solution for them (and then deliver).
Please note: these titles are just examples and are not necessarily a good fit for your content strategy.
THE QUICK SOLUTION
Piggy-backing off of the easy solution, we bring you another popular blog post headline.
Something that delivers a QUICK solution.
People naturally love quick wins, quick answers, and quick solutions. If you can convey one of those, you have a better chance of getting someone to open the article and give it a read.
Examples:
- The Fastest Way to Learn a New Language
- The Quickest Way to Build up Your Email List
Keep in mind that not all of our blog posts needs to provide quick solutions. Some of our content will be comprehensive, some will be short and sweet, some will provide quick wins, etc.
THE TOP SECRET INFO
Another catchy blog post title is the one that makes the reader feel like they’re getting inside info. Learning something exclusive, that not everyone else knows.
Example:
- 10 Pinterest Secrets that Marketers Don’t Want You to Know
- Best Kept Beauty Secrets of Hollywood Stars
Remember that we want to pull our reader in by capturing their attention and enticing them with something valuable.
THE UNPOPULAR OPINION
In certain blogging niches, it’s beneficial to capture attention with polarizing words. The words that push certain avatars away and pull the ideal avatar in.
These unpopular opinion posts can sometimes be seen as click bait, which we don’t want. So when using unpopular opinion posts, make sure they are a good fit for your audience and that they clearly attract the right kind of reader. Also, if you use a polarizing blog post title, make sure it’s explained clearly within the article.
Examples:
- Why You Should Stop Using Essential Oils (And What to Use Instead)
- How to Sleep Train Your Baby (without the ‘Cry it Out Method)
- 3 Reasons Why I Dropped Out of College, and Why You Should Too
Of course, these are just headline examples and not actual articles, be sure to do your own research before writing on controversial topics.
THE ‘BACKED BY SCIENCE’ HEADLINE
Last but not least, we have the blog post titles that come with a bit more weight: the headline that emphasizes scientific proof on the topic.
If you can prove through research that a certain habit, tool, product, or solution can help your audience in some way, it’ll lead to curiosity clicks.
Example:
- New Study Shows how Money Affects the Mind
- Science Explains why Successful People Wear the Same Thing Everyday
- Research Shows that XYZ…
Pique that curiosity, and back it up with facts.
That’s the best way to get people clicking on your science-backed posts.
WHICH HEADLINE SHOULD YOU USE?
When choosing the best title for your next article, consider these points:
- What is the main takeaway that you want the reader to walk away with? Do you want them to feel like they found a quick solution? An easy solution? A step-by-step guide? A critical new perspective?
- What is YOUR main goal for this content? Are you trying to build authority, get ad revenue, get affiliate sales, drive people to your email list, or something else?
- Brainstorm the above points and then come up with 10 blog post ideas. Write them down and choose the best one based on your audience needs and your goals.
That’s all there is to it!
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
As we’ve seen in this list, there are a few important parts of an excellent blog post title:
- Capture the attention of the reader
- Promise them something valuable
- Provide as much info as possible to encourage a click
We want to make it clear to the reader that we have the answer they’re looking for… and always always always, include a keyword in the title.
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