Thursday, October 20, 2005
What makes people want to read what you write on your site? Take a look at titles that other people have written and you can quickly sort what you'd like to read from what you wouldn't.
I subscribe to a number of article announcement services to keep an eye on what kind of articles are being written on the Web. And though I generally don't use those articles on my site, I find them to be a great education on what makes people want to read an article.
The Ugly
- Collectin Past Due Accounts - Notice of Collection
- Landscaping - An American Pass Time
Anyone want to read either of these? I thought not. Yet somebody submitted these articles with obvious errors in spelling or word usage in the titles and figures people will want to read them. Always be professional.
The Bad
- A Work of Art
- Swimming Pool Accessories Overview
- Men's Neckties
- Types of Motor Homes
- First Aid: Something We All Need To Know
These aren't terrible, just boring. I get the feeling as I look at them that I'd find a ninth-grade caliber essay beneath them. The titles are nothing but blank statements of generic topics—nothing to connect to our needs, nothing to draw us in.
The Good
- 10 Home Based Business Niches You Can Use Now
- 6 Easy Steps to Separating Your Personal Life From Your Business
- How to Waterproof a Canvas
- Dating on the Internet for Guys: Entry Level
Now we're getting somewhere. Each of these has an implied problem and a promised solution to that problem to connect with our lives. The first two suggest tightly focused and easy to understand solutions to common needs. The third suggests we'll find a step-by-step process for solving a problem. And the fourth suggests we'll find easy to understand tips. If you have any of the problems that the titles suggest, there's a chance you'd read them.
That said, they're still a little bland. They speak to specific problems instead of just stating a general topic, but they still do nothing to grab us.
The Great
- Think INSIDE the Box to Balance Creativity and Accomplishment
I had to throw this one in that I mentioned yesterday because it has such a great title. We always hear about thinking outside the box. By reversing that cliche, the writer crafted a compelling title that actually nags us into reading it. Our brain latches on to that reversed cliche and wants to know how thinking inside the box can be a good thing. So we read it.
You don't grab people's attention by writing bland, generic title. You want your titles to connect with their problems. AND you want to stop them in their tracks with something they simply can't pass by. It takes a willingness to stop hiding behind the generic and put a little bit of ourselves into our writing. But contrary to the impression that attracts many to start businesses on the Internet, the way to succeed on the Internet is to offer something with a personal—and definitely not generic—approach.
Jeff
© 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Jeff Baas, One Stop Web Support
