How to Create a Blog Post Title: 10 Tips

  May 2, 2023 blogging tips 🕑 6 minutes read

Crete, Greece

 

(Updated 5-2-2023)

 

Blog post titles serve as packaging for your content. Figuring out how to create a blog post title is an important part of driving traffic.

 

Readers either click through or not based on the title of your blog posts.

 

Spending a few moments thinking through titles can dramatically increase your click-through rate.

 

As a rule, being clear, concise and on topic boosts your clicks.

 

Follow these tips to create enticing blog post titles.

 

1: Have…..FUN!

 

If you have fun, all fear-based mental blocks to blog post titles disappear, allowing a flood of creative, traffic-driving titles into your mind.

 

Enjoy this process. If you feel tense, step away from the laptop, do the worm, or laugh like a sinister cartoon villain. Lighten up. Return to title selection from a fun, relaxed space.

 

I usually pick blog titles after completing my blog post. I brainstorm titles pre-post but finalize titles after writing the blog post. Following this sequence of events allows me to lighten up and have fun with writing the title. Removing all title-related pressure allows ideas to flow.

 

Why blog unless you deeply enjoy blogging? Love blogging. Blogging will love you back.

 

2: Dump Your Ideas

 

Have you ever seen Tokay gecko poop?

 

We see these large house lizards – up to 13 inches in length – all over the tropics in Southeast Asia. Tokays are apex predators in their niche, eating roaches, scorpions, spiders and even massive centipedes. When one eats frequently, one poops frequently. Tokays dump all over the house.

 

I encourage you to dump blog post ideas onto paper or cyber paper like a Tokay dumps last night’s tarantula feast all over the crib. Or for more vivid imagery, puke your ideas. List 5, 10 or 15 ideas. Let your imagination run wild. Whittle down your list.

 

This practice increased my creativity dramatically, in the blog post title selecting department.

 

Do not hold back. Never censor yourself. No blog post title idea is a bad idea. However, title ideas you hold back become stillborn. Never feel embarrassed, ashamed or resistant to any title. Allow ideas to flow freely. Whittle down your title list after performing a brain dump. Get clear after building a big title list.

 

3: Practical Please

 

Create practical tips laden titles. Follow up with a robust blog post.

 

Practical drives traffic. Readers want to know how to do something in many cases. Like how to create traffic-driving blog post titles.

 

Scour:

 

  • Quora
  • Facebook Groups
  • your blog comments
  • top blogs from your niche

 

to spot pressing problems. Or to ID how to empower your readers to live their dreams.

 

Craft titles based on these “how to” ideas.

 

What did you query the last time you Googled anything? More likely than not you wanted to find out how to do something. Readers want to know how to do things, for the most part. Create these title types to appeal to the basic human need of figuring out how to do something.

 

Corey Hinde developed the skill of writing practical, attractive blog post titles. Follow his blog to see a pro in action. Neil Patel is another master in this regard. Do you see how he became highly successful by keeping things practical and simple in regards to blog post titles?

 

4: Go with Flair and Leave Nothing to Spare

 

Sometimes ya really want to let it all hang out with a colorful, funny title.

 

Think the most colorful picture possible. Paint the picture with words.

 

Reading skilled authors helps in this regard. I dig George R.R. Martin, James Patterson, Lee Child and Nelson DeMille.

 

Writing colorful titles appeals the human curiosity. After scanning a title with flair most readers need to know more.

 

Do not play it safe. Never hold back. Let your creativity fly. Relax. Add power verbs and colorful adjectives to your blog post titles, here and there. Perhaps you do not publish flair-ish titles for every post but pepper these in here and there to lighten things up on your blog.

 

5: Toss Salt over Your Shoulder 3 Times Daily

 

Himalayan Sea Salt. Go ahead. Do it.

 

6: Go Big or Go Home (Numbers)

 

Use double figure number titles. People seem to dig double figure numbers. Over-delivering thing.

 

10 tips. 11 steps. 12 reasons. Readers crave numbers because numbers add order to your mind. No one feels confused after reading a double digit themed title because the reader knows the specific number of tips, steps or reasons to expect. Being a large number lets readers know a robust resource awaits, as long as you follow up with a rich, thorough, detailed blog post.

 

Beware going bonkers on the regular. Every blogger takes a different approach to blogging but publishing enough 30 tips type titles scares off readers through the principle of overwhelm. Who has the time, energy and focus to read a blog post laying out 30 tips every single week? Blog readers set at least a basic expectation that posts get the job done in minimal fashion. Anyone craving a 50 tips themed post weekly should simply buy a thorough eBook.

 

7: What? How? Why?

 

Or…ask questions via your title.

 

Works like charm.

 

Or does it? (This is called a joke.)

 

Humans are curious beasts. Train-wreck-effect. Ask a probing question related to your niche. Follow up with a helpful, thorough answer. Watch blog traffic flow in.

 

Nikola Roza does a good job asking questions to pique interest with his blog post titles. Follow his blog to see a pro in action.

 

8: Beware News-Jacking

 

If I write about the most popular news headlines now, guess what happens 3 years from now? People find the blog post completely irrelevant.

 

Example; I initially wrote and published this blog post on September 12, 2017. Hurricane Irma had just ravaged the Southeast United States. I noted this, advising how 3 years in the future no one would know what I was talking about. Sure enough, no one would understand the Hurricane Irma reference on May 18th, 2021, 4 years down the road, save a few folks from the Southeast USA.

 

Beware news-jacking. Topical fades. Evergreen lasts forever.

 

9: Keep it Short

 

Barring the colorful, vivid titles I craft, that go long form, I keep titles short and curt.

 

For whatever reason, these suckers drive traffic like shell-shocked tourists migrating through Times Square.

 

Keep titles short. Sweet. Or sour, depending on your palette.

 

Again guys; bloggers tend to mix up title types here and there to keep things fresh. Perhaps I publish a short, sweet title today but then craft a long form title next week. Trust your intuition on this one. Use the principle of contrast as a title chooser but err towards engineering more short, sweet titles to make an impact.

 

10: Go to The Amazon

 

Get malaria shots. Bug repellent. Bring a tent….no wait. Jungle Flashback.

 

I mean, go to Amazon.com. Research eBooks related to your niche. Model blog post titles on eBooks you peep.

 

Bonus Tip: Beware Manipulation Madness

 

No link bait titles, please.

 

This is when you intentionally lie. Meaning you create a title solely to get clicks on the link. Then readers see the title and post do not match up.

 

Help people. Don’t manipulate them. Ensure your title matches 100% with the content you deliver. Build quality traffic that loves what you have to offer. Create the foundation for a rocking blogging business.

 

Your Turn

 

How are you crafting enticing, traffic-driving blog post titles?

 

Or are you struggling in this area?

 

What tips can you add to the list?

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  1. Hassaan Khan says:
    at 6:48 am

    Hi, Ryan!

    First of all, thank you for writing this blog post. We all struggle time to time when it comes blog post titles or email newsletter subjects. I used to write 10 to 15 titles in advance and choose from the list whenever I sit down to write a piece.

    What happened is that I felt more energy towards the blog post ideas that come randomly into my mind. So I started going with the flow because I didn’t want the ideas to slip away forever. It’s working for me. I thought to share it with you.

    P.S. That frequent pooping lizard reminded me of my younger brother’s childhood. He used to do the same. lol.

  2. Ryan Biddulph says:
    at 9:08 am

    LOL on your younger brother Hassaan.

    Awesome point on energy. Thank you for that rocking share. If I feel resonant, I go with it too. So much of what I do is based on energy-work; doing the inner clearing, relaxing, and allowing ideas to flow my way. It is the way to go, to follow these tips and to nab those super duper helpful blog post titles.

  3. Anda Galffy says:
    at 1:37 pm

    Ryan, reading your posts always cracks me up. “Have you ever seen Tokay gecko poop?” Seriously? You have a special talent to make reading so attractive, that even a small kid would have fun reading your posts. You would make a great teacher! Anyway, back to your post. I have to confess that I struggle a lot with my post titles. Sometimes I try to get some inspiration from book titles or even from movies lines, but like you say, you have to be consistent and deliver what you promise. There is a lot of food for thought and some great tips in your article. Well done, Ryan, like always.

  4. Ryan Biddulph says:
    at 3:16 pm

    Really appreciate that Anda. I feel you choose helpful, appealing titles, from the posts I have read on your blog. Keep up the inspired work.

  5. Mudassir says:
    at 12:04 pm

    Hi Ryan, that’s solid point you have made how some writers focus majorly on forming enticing title and overlook delivering the promise inside with content.

    Before we actually start writing, having a rough title in our mind gives clarity on what to cover and how to. But we definitely need to invest a little time on making a great title post writing.

    Also, cut the fluff – that’s crucial.

  6. Ryan Biddulph says:
    at 12:31 am

    Cutting the fluff is super important Mudassir. Great points bro.

  7. Lisa Sicard says:
    at 3:37 am

    Hi Ryan, LOL – loved this post. I use Google Trends to look for topics and ideas for titles along with it. Funny, that I usually start with the title instead of doing it after writing the piece. I sometimes change it but I should try your method of writing the title afterward.
    Titles can really make a difference and having one that stands out and is what the post is about are both important.
    No one wants to get excited over a title and read the article and not feel like they were tricked.
    Thanks for the inspiration in this one Ryan 🙂

  8. Ayush Mishra says:
    at 8:59 am

    Hey Ryan,

    Another amazing post is here, this post title attract me to read this post thoroughly. Titles are one of the most important thing to increase CTR and get traffic to your blog. Thanks for this awesome piece of content.

    Talk soon
    Ayush Mishra

  9. Ryan Biddulph says:
    at 9:03 am

    Ayush much appreciated my friend. Picking the right title makes our blogging job much easier.

  10. Ryan Biddulph says:
    at 9:04 am

    Good add on Google Trends Lisa; I will check that out. We have all been duped here and there LOL….which makes it important to publish in-depth, helpful content to deliver on the title-promise.

  11. Sneha Rohini says:
    at 11:11 am

    Nice Post! I really enjoyed reading this! Its so well written by you . Thanks for sharing this with photographs!

  12. Ryan Biddulph says:
    at 1:35 pm

    Sneha thanks for checking it out!

  13. Stuart Danker says:
    at 8:36 pm

    Haha, exploring your humorous side I see. I particularly liked the salt throwing and going to Amazon bits. These are the exact posts that tickle my fancy. Again, I have no idea how you keep them coming on such a tight schedule. Keep on keeping on!