There’s an excellent post by Jacob at justcreativedesign.com. It’s all about writing effective titles for your posts. Some very rich and original content there. And before it gets lost in a pile of bookmarks I wanted to share with you his tips.

• Write in the present tense. Use active verbs.
• Put the key words of the story in the main head.
• Get the most important story element in the headline. Headlines should tell readers what happened and why the news is important to readers.
• Avoid puns (or use them to your advantage)
• Be accurate.
• Be interesting and inviting. Headlines should be an advertisement for the story, but they should never be so cute that they fail to instantly tell the news.
• Be creative. Headlines can and should creatively convey a mood or emotion when appropriate, but they must always tell the news in clear and direct fashion.
• Don’t pirate the lead of the story or give away the ending. Stealing the lead means repeating it almost verbatim. You do want to make sure the headline matches the tone of the story.
• Rarely (almost never) use short, verb-less labels as main heads for news stories. They fail to tell the news.
• Avoid headlines. Make headlines conversational.

As a bonus there is also a long list of headline templates. Er…. Do you blog at all?

If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to the RSS Feed. If not let us know how we can improve.

Share This

If you follow some simple rules, you can be a successful blogger. Raising a blog is like seeing a plant grow. And like every game, there are rules to be followed. But unlike other games, there’s quite some flexibility in blogging. Every blogger carries with him a unique style, persona and influence on the web and to their site visitors. Nonetheless, here’s a list of a few things common to all successful bloggers.

1. They make meaning:- The theory goes like “if you make meaning you will make money”. That’s the thumb rule of blogging. While trying to be ‘just another blog’ gets you some visitors, people out there are looking for the value you bring to them. You can write about a thing that everyone is writing about. But to claim visitor-loyalty you have to provide them with value, something unique and of quality that will bring them back to you the next day. Call it your USP.
2. They are regular:- Successful bloggers are regulars. No matter how busy and occupied they are in their lives, at the end of the day they take out 15 minutes to just read and put together a few lines on their blog. That’s what keeps them in touch with their visitors. And that’s what keeps the communication clear and flowing. If you are not regular, you will not get regular visitors.
3. They love writing:- They are committed to the love of blogging. They love writing. There’s no other way you can explain the fact that successful bloggers have expressive content in their posts and a style that catches the attention of the average reader.
4. They research:- Stating the obvious, but somethings are not quite as obvious as they seem to be. To write meaningful and rich content you need knowledge and information. They say “You don’t know what you don’t know”. Successful bloggers reach out and gather information. They seek information and form opinion. That’s how they are a voice which influences masses on the web.
5. They spend time to go through the user comments:- Bloggers are fans of their visitors and reciprocate their expressions. They take out time to catch the pulse of the visitors and even direct their blog to the taste of their visitors.
6. They follow up with their visitors:- Last but not the least. Going an extra step to get in touch with a visitor never hurts. It indeed brings good returns and helps develop a good-will and rapport. This is one thing that sets them apart from the rest. The popularity and reach of a blogger is not just hrdwork but the goodwill and value they bring with them.

So while you are at it and getting started, consciously try and make sure that you pickup these going along the bloggers way.

Image Courtesy: elisa1963

If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to the RSS Feed. If not let us know how we can improve.

Share This