Have you ever wondered why the best writers spend most of their time on the title?
Here’s why: they’ve got competition.
Now, you’re competing with Mr. Beast and a million other posts on the feed. How are you supposed to stand out against that?
The sad truth is, you could spend 10,000 hours creating the perfect blog post, and it wouldn’t matter.
If your title sucks, your parents won’t even bother reading it.
Good news, though. There’s hope.
After reading this post, you’ll be well on your way to writing better titles.
Now, pump the brakes. If I wanted to write this article about title strategy, you’d be in for tens of thousands of words.
So, let’s keep it simple. “How to” titles.
Here are some of the best. And why they work so, so well.
Use curiosity in your headline
“How to waste your career, one comfortable year at a time”
– Apoorva Govind
There’s a lot of urgency here.
You think you aren’t wasting your career.
But the twist comes next – did you have a comfortable year? Oh god, are you wasting my career?
This title is like finding a $20 bill on the ground. Everyone wants to find a $20 bill on the ground, and (almost) everyone wants advice on their career.
We’re indexing HARD on the curiosity meter here.
And remember. A title has only one goal. To get you to read the first sentence.
And the first sentence’s goal? That’s right. To get you to read the second sentence.
Keep your headline simple
“How to do great work”
– Paul Graham
I want to kiss this title on the cheek.
It’s so…perfectly simple.
For those who don’t know, Paul Graham puts out banger essays like Taylor Swift puts out albums.
This title is simple, it’s punchy, and Graham has the reputation to back it up.
(That’s a key component here.)
Don’t worry, we’ve got an honorable mention: Steph Smith.
“How to be great? Just be good, repeatedly”
Everyone wants to be “great.” Paul’s name means he’ll teach you. Steph explains, in probably the simplest way possible, how to do it.
But here’s the most important part. It isn’t clickbait.
Paul and Steph spend a LOT of time explaining what they mean. You don’t leave feeling ripped off.
If you’re going to get cheeky with the title, you’ve got to back it up.
Make your headline nice and direct
How To Use Words To Get People To Do What You Want Them To Do
– Sam Parr
Speaking of MrBeast.
Ever wonder why his videos are so popular?
He tricks you. And you fall for it.
You see a title like “Last to leave circle wins $500,000.”
You might not think “yeah, let me watch that whole thing”
You’ll definitely think “well…I’ll just watch the first few seconds.”
Once you do that, it’s too late. You’re sucked in.
Sam Parr knows how to do this too.
His title is like a kindergarten reading level. But you read it, and you’re curious. Sounds simple. And he’s talking right at YOU. What does he mean?
He did break one rule.
Titles should be short.
After all, you’re competing against an infinite news feed of choices.
In this case, it’s an exception. Why? Because the right prospect will read the whole thing. Sam’s blog is all about copywriting, and for copywriters, this title is pure gold.
And there you have it.
- Keep titles direct, simple and short.
- Tug at your audience’s curiosity.
- Make it so they can’t resist clicking.
While you’re here, you might want some help on your next piece. Check out my swipe file.
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