I have written thousands of titles for blog posts, and while I don’t claim that makes me an expert, it does mean I have thought an awful lot about writing titles.
First, titles are really important if you want people to read your blog posts. Most people will encounter your title first, whether they see your post on the front page of your blog or flashing by in their Twitter feed. In the latter case, the title is the only thing they will see, but in either case, your title is what the reader will use to decide whether to click on your post and read more. In other words, if you write amazing posts and give them crappy titles, there is a good chance nobody will ever read them.
As I said, I don’t claim to be an expert. It feels like I am wrong about what titles will work as often as I am right. But for what it’s worth, here are some of the qualities I think a good title should have:
- Descriptive. It must tell the reader what the post is about. Titles like “In This Sadness” (a great post with a vague title) are even less compelling than vague Facebook updates like “Some people are jerks.” Avoid broad titles, like a description of a topic or subject area. Topic titles like “Blog Post Titles” or “Defending a Deposition” are broad and bland, and don’t say anything about this specific post (unless it happens to be a comprehensive guide to the subject).
- Compelling. The function of a title is to get the reader to click on your post and read more. Whatever else your title is, it should do that. Provocative titles are often the most compelling, but they get old, especially if the post they belong to is not actually all that provocative. But, provocative or not, your titles should not be misleading.
- Accurate. Make sure your post delivers what the title promises. If your title says “A Comprehensive Guide to Traffic Stops,” it had better not be 300 words of fluff.
- Statements. I generally avoid question marks in titles. I just don’t think questions are very compelling, in general, although there are definitely exceptions.
If you want to get into the nitty-gritty of title-crafting, Copyblogger has a pretty good breakdown of the different kinds of titles, and a bunch more posts on titles, besides.
Want some examples? Here are a few recent titles from Lawyerist that I think got the job done pretty well:
- We Can Close the Access-to-Justice Gap, But You’re Not Going to Like It
- The Gentleman Lawyer’s Guide to Facial Hair
- 3 Things Your Law Firm Website Should Have
- Will Computers Become Better Lawyers Than Humans?
In the end, I haven’t reduced title-crafting to a science, or anything; I usually go with my gut and hope for the best.