The Anatomy Of The Perfect Post Title

Picture the scenario. You’ve just put together an impressive piece of content with all the trimmings and you’re looking to give it a title that will grab a global audience and spread like wild fire. It’s a very fine art that very few can truly perfect to a tee, but it is achievable with the right know how.

Over the years there have been several patterns and tricks that have served many writers well. Here we take a more detailed look at what it takes to create the perfect post title and things you should be looking out for along the way.

The Technicalities

Before going too far into it you need to ensure you are made aware of all the basic rules of a post title first. This refers to a handful of aspects, the main ones being the length of the title, the type of language used and what Google might make of it all. The length of a title can depend on the type of content you’re looking to promote.

For instance, an in depth discussion about finance allows for a bigger title margin, whereas a picture heavy post about cats “forgetting how to cat” doesn’t merit the same treatment. The words you choose to use are also something that need to be remembered carefully. There’s a time and place for swears and you need to make sure what you say doesn’t single anyone out or narrow down your audience.

Google plays the biggest factor in all of this as they are likely to ultimately be the main reason for your post getting the most views. Try to figure out what keywords you can take advantage of and make sure the title you want doesn’t already exist elsewhere on the web.

The Subject Matter

The topic being discussed within your content plays a key role in how you structure the title. Obviously it needs to be relevant in some way or another but it also needs to be the kind of thing your target audience is looking for. Try to put yourself in their shoes and see things through their eyes. Let’s use a post about caring for pets as an example.

Animal lovers are primary candidates in terms of readership, but a narrower list may contain those who own pets, those with a specific interest in domestic animals, those with a profession in animal care and so on. These people are likely to want something factual and to the point.

A title such as ‘best flea treatments for dogs’ is going to get more attention than a title such as ‘getting rid of your dog’s fleas for good’ simply because it doesn’t veer away from the point and is a more plausible search term within that particular audience group.

The Description

You’ll find that many post titles include a variety of different adjectives in order to peek the curiosity of those who stumble across it. This can be done in both a positive light and a negative light. If it can provoke our more extreme emotions it is more likely to be viewed and shared. On the positive side you have nice words like ‘best’ and ‘cutest’ but these tend to get overused pretty quickly.

You can easily replace the word ‘best’ with something more thought provoking like ‘most effective’ or ‘undefeated’. On the negative side the same rule applies i.e. the word ‘worst’ can be replaced with ‘most horrific’ or ‘tragic’. You need to be able to hook the reader into wanting to know more by being both informative and animated. After all, titles like ‘Spectacularly Gory Allergic Reactions’ are quite hard to ignore by anyone’s standards.

These patterns may change or vary in the next few years but for now many can still benefit from recognised trends within their chosen sector. If you’re still not sure who to approach it, or you’re struggling for words, why not jot your thoughts on paper. It’s much easier to move forward when all your present thoughts are written in front of you and it can trigger extra inspiration from other areas of your mind. You can even use a thesaurus to help you use more descriptive words if you feel what you have written isn’t powerful enough.