Writing Blog Headlines that Increase Readers

Cory Doctorow, pro blogger, journalist and writer, explains the importance of writing clear, easy to read blog titles.

How do I make my blog into a top blog?

“I don’t have a secret, but I have a single piece of advice that I like to give to people who are starting blogging. One, simple, important thing that people who are blogging rarely do, and can make a huge difference in how widely read your blog is, and particularly how widely read your blog is by people who don’t know it exists, who find it through RSS feeds and through Google, and that’s to write headlines as though you are a wire service writer,” Cory Doctorow explains.

Your blog titles and opening lines are used by readers to help them decide whether they want to take the time to read your article or not. Cory suggests that these elements should contain all the information you need to know to completely skip the article. It sounds counter-intuitive, but in the long term, your readers are happier and more likely to trust your articles in the future.

Take a look at the video, which is dated back in 2007, yet is even more relevant than ever:

I think Cory’s underlying philosophy is to do everything you can to gain your reader’s trust.

In The Blogger’s Guide to SEO, Aaron Wall suggests, “Descriptive headlines help put your story in context, and make people more likely to click on your site when it appears in search results.” He also references Brian Clark’s series on Magnetic Headlines.

What’s your #1 tip for improving blog headlines and readership? Comment below.