As some of you might know I am associated with an online magazine (The MAG) and as an administrator I am receiving contributions to be published on the site (In case you are interested in having your writing on The MAG, you can email me at editor@themag.in ). So, a friend suggested we should have a set of tips for anyone who is aspiring to write an article for The MAG. And since these tips could be handy even for bloggers, I decided to post them on my blog – one tip at a time.
Giving your article an attention grabbing but relevant title is one of the most important things you can do to get your article read by as many people as possible.
In “Superman Returns” Lois Lane gets a Pulitzer for her article “Why the world does not need Superman”. This is an effective example of using a title to grab the reader’s attention and get him to read your article.
A title can not be very long, so you have to chose each word carefully. And even the punctuation marks have to be used in a way that your title contains the gist of what you are going to say in length in your article. Is it a debate? Is it a how to? Is it a statement of fact? Is it a revelation?
An intelligent reader should be able to make that out just be looking at your title.
Titles gain a greater importance in the online world as an average Internet user is clciking through hundreds of pages on any given day. He can not be expected to read all that, but an interesting title will grab his attention and force him to read the firsts few lines of your article. From there on, it is about how well you have written your piece.
A word of warning here is that in your attempt to write an interesting an innovative title don’t mislead your reader. If the title promises what your article does not deliver, you will most likely lose a reader for life.
What do you think about article titles?
I think that you are absolutely correct! 😀
The significance of a great title cannot be under estimated. A title that is either misleading or does not pique the curiosity of readers can cause very well-written interesting articles to go unread.
A title that not only causes reader interest but also speaks greatly to the central theme of the article will draw in readers every time.
I totally agree. Titles should be catchy, get the reader interested. I have a post called How to Make Money from Porn. Guess what, it’s not about that at all! That doesn’t mean one should choose titles that don’t have anything to do with the post but that sometimes an interesting title will draw some attention you won’t loose!