Brilliant Tricks To Write a Catchy Title or Headline

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Has this happened to you?  You write an amazing post.  You put your heart and soul into writing this awesome content.  There is no doubt that every one of your readers will want to check it out.

You hit publish and start to share everywhere you can.  The result?  Crickets.  No one clicks.

Honestly, it has less to do with what you write but rather the headline. Without a catchy headline, your post will probably get little traction at all.

So, how do you do this?  How in the world do you ensure that you write an attention-grabbing headline?  Here are some things to keep in mind.

How to write a catchy title (that will make people want to click)

Include captivating adjectives

Certain words lend themselves to catching your reader’s attention and drawing them in. Some of these include:

• Essential
• Free
• Simple
• Must-Have
• Powerful
• Captivating
• New
• Essential
• Strange
• Ridiculous

Check out this example:

100 Ways to Save Money vs. 100 Ridiculously Simple Ways to Save More Money

Which would you click?  Chances are, it is the second one as it is more descriptive and pulls you in.

Add numbers to your title

For whatever reason, numbers work.  If you say, “Tricks to Losing Weight,” the reader is unsure if it is one or two ideas.  But, if your headline reads “Five Secret Tricks to Losing Weight,” that is much more enticing, isn’t it?

As far as the number of items, there is not a good number.  However, I find that it should be one or anything from 3 and up.  

The best number to use is an odd number….but don’t go too high (as if there are too many options in a post, it can overwhelm readers and make them not want to click).

Using two seems to lend itself to a lower click-through rate. However, if you say, “The Number One Reason You Are Not Losing Weight,” – that will pull people in.

Use trigger words in your headline

When you can add words such as how, why, and when, you can add to your blog title. If you can add these to your lists, they can pack a powerful punch.

For example, “Five Reasons Why You Suck at Blogging” provides both the numbered list and a why.  It is answering a question for the reader. (And, for the record, if you keep following me, you will get better at blogging).

Try rationale

If your post includes multiple items (which you will also use with a number), use engaging rationale.  These words can include:

• Tricks
• Tips
• Ideas
• Ways
• Secret
• Facts
• Reasons

The sample headline “14 Secret Tricks to Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night” will pull your reader in.  They want to know the secret.  And, if we are being honest, they can’t help but click because everyone wants to learn secrets!

Educate or promise

More readers will click to read if you are going to teach them or promise them something. They want to know that their time clicking to read will be valuable and take something new away from what you are saying.

Then, make sure you always deliver on your promise.  There is nothing worse than a blog post title that says one thing, but the article does not live up to your reader’s expectations.

Add a call-to-action

These tell the reader what to do.  These are more trigger words that will make them want to click.  Ideas include:

• Quickly
• Try
• Master
• Eliminate
• Get Rid Of
• Use
• Optimize
• Enhance
• Build
• Create

These adverbs can create a bit of urgency for your readers, so try to use them when you can.

The title, “Briliant Trick to Write a Catchy Title,” is the title of my post.  You knew what you were going to learn before you even clicked over.  

You wanted to click as you wanted to learn.  I was able to lure you in with the title of the post.

Consider using negative words

You might think it is best never to use a negative word or phrase, but they can be very effective in writing a great headline.  Look at some of these words:

• Stop
• Quit
• Never
• Worse
• Avoid
• None

If you look at the title I used above, “Five Reasons Why You Suck at Blogging,” you’ll notice that “suck” was used. I did that because it is negative, and no one wants to be doing something wrong. Negative words work because people don’t want to do the wrong thing; they want to do the right thing (most of the time).

Try using a title genererator or headline analyzingn tool

If you are not skilled in writing a great headline, don’t give up hope.  There are generators and even testers to help you create the attention-grabbing headline you want.

I’ve used the SumoMe Kickass Headline Generator and SEOPressor’s Blog Title Generator.

Catchy Title Examples

You know what you should use for your post headline but putting the phrases together can be challenging.  Below you’ll find a link to get more than 100 captivating title ideas but this list will get you started:

The ultimate guide to _____________

How _____________ can inspire _________________

How to start ________________ in ______ easy steps

[Number] Amazing secrets to _________________

What no one ever tells you about _________________

How to unlock ________________

How much should I __________________

The simple ways to master __________________

[Number] Habits of _________________

Why are _____________________

Insider tricks to _____________________

Get 100 title examples and ideas:

Your blog headline is your one chance to grab your reader’s attention and make them not only want but feel the need to click to your site to read more.

Read more:

How to decide on the perfect blog niche
The tricks to writing a killer about page
The smart ways to make your first $1,000 blogging

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