How to Write Click-Worthy Blog Post Titles and Headlines

The title of a blog post is one of the most important sentences you will write as you craft a new post. The headline of your blog post must inform the reader of what the post is about, hint at how it could help them, and grab their attention from the get-go. Writing click-worthy blog post titles and interesting headlines is an art form and today I’m here to help you hone in.

The headline or title of a blog post can make or break the page. It determines whether a potential reader is interested enough to click through to the post or move on to something else.

You can write the best blog post on any topic, but if you don’t properly title it, you’ll have a hard time getting people to read it!

A good headline will entice the reader to click through and read your post. 

Of course, you definitely don’t want to mislead your reader just to write an attention-grabbing headline. You want to keep things realistic and truthful so that everyone keeps reading your blog. If you mislead your readers in any way, you’ll lose their trust fast! 

A good blog post title also has the ability to move your post up in the Google search result rankings. Google ranks blog posts higher that users click on. You should try to put the keyword you are targeting in the article as close to the beginning of the title as possible.

Blog Post Titles

There are a few key blog post headline formats that can really grab the reader’s attention in a truthful way.

I’m going to share several blog post title formats for headlines that have worked for me time and time again in growing my blog’s readership! 

Here are the major headline formats I use on my blogs:

The Listicle

Example: 10 Ways to Make Money Blogging

Listicles are one of the most popular types of blog posts to write and for good reason. They command traffic like crazy! Listicle is just a combination of the words “list” and “article.” People are incredibly drawn to articles comprised of a list of things that the post is about.

Here’s a tip for this type of post: Go with an odd number.

I know it seems counter-intuitive! With the exception of the number 10 which is a pretty standard number to write a listicle about, people tend to click on odd numbered listicle posts far more than even numbered ones.

I can’t say why for sure, but I recall reading about this a long time ago and the working theory was that odd-numbered lists seem more truthful than an even-numbered ones. So a potential reader might assume that a list with an even number of items was “rounded out” by the writer, but an odd numbered list truly contains just the necessary information.

I have no idea if it’s true, but ever since then I always go with odd numbers for my lists.

5 and 7 are awesome numbers for listicles. 15 is a really great sweet spot for longer posts. I avoid 13. For Christmas themed posts, I try to go with 25 as the holiday falls on the 25th of December.

You get the idea!

The Best 

Example: The Best Ways to Find a Job

“Best” is a very enticing word to potential readers. The word best signifies to the public that you are an expert on that topic and you have something really good to share.

You better be sure what you’re sharing is truly the best when using this word!

I use the “best” type of post when writing many of my affiliate marketing focused posts. People often search for the word “best” as a pretext for a certain product they’re looking for. Google has picked up on this and thus tends to show many e-commerce retailers when people search for something preceded by the word “best.” It shows that the searcher has buying intent.

The How-To

Example: How to Start a Blog

“How To” posts are very popular with readers because they are generally looking for instructions on how to do something like complete a task or accomplish a goal.

How To posts are straight to the point, and generally target a specific topic, rather than provide an overview of many different ways to do things.

I love How To posts when I’m looking for answers fast!

The Shocker

Example: Why You Shouldn’t Market Your Blog on Pinterest

Shocker posts are posts that are intended to stop you in your tracks because they start off by saying something contrarian. I’ve definitely found myself clicking on the “shocker” type of post before. These posts offer opinions that often go completely against a commonly held view.

You mean I shouldn’t be devoting my time to content creation?

You’re saying that Pinterest is a complete waste of time? Really? !

Sometimes bold statements that go against the norm can make for click-worthy headlines!

And you better back up your bold statement with some solid, reliable information, too!

Laughs aside, I strongly recommend treading with caution with this type of post. These types of posts can sometimes be lumped in with “clickbait” articles and if you publish too many of them, people will get a spammy vibe from your site. That being said, I have occasionally read some Shocker posts that did provide genuinely interesting information.

The One Thing

Example: The ONE Easy Thing I Did To Catapult My Business to Success

Writing an article about one thing that drastically changed your life, business or finances is a great way to attract attention.

Again, tread carefully as it can come across as spammy.

We all know that the majority of challenges in life cannot be solved by doing just “one thing.”

But, if there really is one thing you did to achieve an amazing result, then go ahead with this eye-catching blog post title idea!

The Statistic 

Example: How Pillar Content Grew My Traffic by 200% in Just 3 Months

I love using statistics in my blog post titles.

For some reason, quantifiable numbers immediately grab people’s attention. I think people like to read about someone achieving a specific result and imagine themselves achieving that result too.

Titles like “I lost 30 pounds in 30 Days. Here’s how I did it” can immediately place the reader in your shoes. They see a specific number and a specific time period and start to say to themselves: hey if that person did it, I can do it too!

Post titles with statistics in them can work for so many niches.

Monetary figures are another winner. “How to Negotiate a $10,000 Salary Raise” reads way better than “How to Negotiate a Huge Salary Raise.” The word “huge” means something different to everyone! Be specific about the sum and people will come flocking.

I recently wrote about my SEO boost as a result of my work developing my pillar content. I made sure to highlight the fact that I tripled my traffic in only six months. Two specific numerical figures helped draw readers to this post.

Had I chosen a title like “Why Pillar Content is Great for Boosting Traffic,” I think the post would have been far less enticing. Having a quantifiable result promised in the article headline is what told people that it is worth their time to read it.

The Audience

Example: The Beginner’s Guide to Investing

Acknowledging your target audience is a great way to attract readers through the title of your post. In the above example, it’s clear that the blogger is targeting a beginner audience. You can also write “for women” to target a female audience. There are many ways to narrow down your audience and make people feel that the post was written for them, specifically, so they are more likely to click through!

The Year

Example: How to Start a Blog in 2021

Another strategy many blogger’s use is to add “in 2021” (the current year) to the end of their blog posts. This helps the reader feel that the content is new and up to date. I don’t use this strategy as often because then I have to back at the beginning of each year and update those articles. But it’s a common practice so I thought I would mention it!

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I hope this post helped you understand how to write the better blog titles that will grab viewers attention and entice them to click through! Let me know if you have any other amazing blog title hacks in the comments below!

Lastly, be sure to install the free tool Grammarly to check your grammar as you write your blog post!