Even if you don't have a blog of your own, you might want to write the occasional blog post for large sites (some authors do this to promote their books; some freelancers use it as a way to build name-recognition and market their writing /
editing services).
The most crucial part of any blog post is the title. It needs to get readers' attention – some won't see anything but the title – and it needs to make a clear promise that (crucially!) you can actually fulfil in the post.
So what does a bad title look like? A little like one of these:
- Writing Dialogue (much too broad and vague – might work for a book
title, with a catchy subtitle, but not for a blog post)
- If You Read This Post, You Will Win Every Short Story Competition You Enter (really..!? Impossible promise to keep, and sounds over-hyped)
- Que Sera, Sera (could be about almost anything at all; no particular hook or reason to read)
To get titles right:
#1: Be Clear and Specific
A clear, specific
title not only helps readers know exactly what they're going to get ... it helps you to write a focused blog post too.
Titles like "writing dialogue" and "parenting toddlers" and "morning routines" aren't really titles at all: they're topics. To create a title, you need to think about one particular angle of a topic that you could cover.
#2: Where Appropriate, Use Numbers
While you don't have to do this
for every blog post you write, do use numbers where it's appropriate. "7 Mistakes Writers Make With Character Arcs" is better than "Mistakes Writesr Make With Character Arcs": the "7" makes it very clear to the reader what they're going to get.
If your title uses a number, don't forget to number the sections or points of your post too.
#3: Use Adjectives and Adverbs
A few weeks ago, we
looked at whether you need to cut out all adjectives and adverbs in your writing (particularly if you're a fiction writer). You don't, of course – but most of the time, it's best to use them sparingly.
Titles are an exception. It's often a good idea to use at least one adjective / adverb to create a stronger promise for the reader; for instance:
- 5 Easy-to-Fix Dialogue Mistakes
- 7 Simple Ways to
Stay Focused When You're Writing
- How to Get Your First Freelancing Clients – Effortlessly
#4: Make it Clear, not Clever
Although it's tempting as a writer to want to craft intriguing, clever titles ... this doesn't help readers much. Avoid literary allusions, complicated plays on words, or in-jokes that won't mean much to most people.
Unless your blog is very much a
personal journal (in which case, please do whatever you like and enjoy it!), you want readers to be able to easily find your posts. This means using the sorts of words they'll be searching for, and making your title clearly relate to the content of your post.
#5: Borrow from Other Bloggers
There's no copyright on titles, and while I'd never advise using someone else's exact title, it's often a great idea to
save good titles and see whether you can use something in a similar format.
Here are a few recent titles of posts on the Aliventures blog:
- Seven Things to Do When You Feel Like Giving Up on Writing
- The Four Essential Qualities You Need for Freelance Writing Success (and How to Develop Them)
- How to Write Character Descriptions That Work [With Examples]
With a bit of tweaking, you could easily turn any of these
titles into something appropriate for your blog. For instance:
- Seven Things to Do When You Feel Like Quitting Your Degree (student blog)
- The Four Essential Qualities You Need for Weight Loss Success (health / weight loss blog)
- How to Take Family Portraits That Work [With Examples] (photography blog)
The basic structure of the title – and possibly of the post too – is exactly the same, but the
content is completely different.
Have you got a question about blogging or writing that you'd like me to cover in the Aliventures newsletter (or on the blog), or a topic you'd like me to write more about? Drop me an email at ali@aliventures.com any time.
:-) 
