Before you publish any kind of content (whether it's an article, presentation, video, etc.), you should thoroughly work on its title and make sure it's the best possible option. A good title is a significant part in content marketing. There is more and more information on the Internet day by day, which makes your job of catching people's attention much harder.
A title helps readers to determine whether the content is important for them. A poor title will make your material invisible for the audience. A good title is the most important element of articles, blog posts, ads, videos, etc. Even if your content is amazing, bad titles can ruin it all. In this article, I will define the main characteristics of great titles. I'll use the titles of some articles and books for examples.
1. Benefit
Create a title that will inform the readers what benefits they will get by using a described product, service or just by reading your article. A great article promises to solve a problem or help achieving some goals. Compare:
· "Tools and methods of SMM"
· "Increase your SMM level: a guide to advanced tools and techniques"
The first title only says what the article is about and the second title shows the benefits of reading it.
2. Numbers
Numbers convince better than words because people trust them more. Words may seem uncertain while numbers are specific. Using numbers will increase the appeal of your title.
We can take a book "30 Days of Getting Results" by J. D. Meier as an example. Imagine this title without a number - "Getting results" or "A month of getting results". It sounds not so convincing, does it?
Numbers structure information better and help getting to the point step by step. For example, the title "Lose 20 pounds in 21 days: detox program." The title gets appealing when it offers a specific period of achieving a goal. There are many examples of these titles, you probably see them every say.
3. Targeting
The more personal your title is, the more responses it can get. Define the audience your content is targeted for whenever you can. You can name it directly or indirectly, by mentioning their characteristics. The more direct it is, the better. Here are some examples:
· "365 days of a very creative person"
· "Guerilla marketing for writers"
· "The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People"
· "Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors"
4. The perfect length
The researches say that the titles that consist of eight words are the most effective. Why eight? Well, it is just how our brain works. The scientists say that the quantity of objects that that our brain can hold at the same time is 7±2. In addition, researches show that readers pay the most attention to the first three and the last three words in a title. That is why these six words should carry the main message.
5. Subheading
The best titles often consist of two parts (title and subtitle). A subtitle intensifies your title, makes it clearer and maybe explains it. For example:
· "Brain rules. What you and your kids should know about your brain"
· "The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy"
· "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer"