Suggestive and Summative Titles Make Bloghoppers Stay
I see the biggest challenge to blog authors today as keeping visitors on their site long enough to have an impact through their writing. I’ve seen and heard the effective traffic brought on by games and gimmicks for shiny items like designer jewelry. I wonder if that traffic really reads their stuff though. Readers that stay is what I am always thinking about when I create and innovate my blog.
Going down my reading list of blogs today, I found that a few blog titles really stood out and urged a comment out of me without me even reading the post. As I went on to read the post my idea changed a little, but the gist of my comment came from that initial reaction to … the title.
As a teacher of writing, I have told my students for years that what sets a good article apart from a great one is its creative, thought-provoking title. Now, as a blog writer, I see that is all the more true in electronic medium. There are two types of readers among many that visit your blog:
- Quick hoppers: These folks are looking forsomething they don’t find at your blog, or they are just trying to get EC points for Entrecard. Whatever the reason, their intention is not to stay long. These people might be the ones to consider in a creative, innovative title. Even more so if you have a SUMMATIVE title. I’ll give an example shortly.
- The second kind are people who are looking for something and found it through a search on your blog. There are more than these two types, but when talking about summative titles, you should consider these two. So, howabout that example … okay … patience my good friend:
Imagine you have two blogs to read that you have starred for later. You look at the title of the first one and it says:
“As if …”
Then you restar that because your are not quite ready to let it go and you come across one that says:
“Songs that Stay in Your Head.”
The first title requires guessing (brain strain) and curiousity (again, brain drain). Nowadays very few readers will bother with a post like this unless they are good friends of yours or extreme fans of your personality etc. The second title is suggestive. It doesn’t even require the reader to finish the post in order to leave a comment. As Entrecard and “blog hopping” becomes more of the social norm in blogging, you should do all you can to get a comment, if not just get hoppers to stop and read the words you worked so hard on.
I think titles are something I’m going to do a series on. They are scantly addressed in the blogosphere
To Entrecard hoppers and other speed-readers: “Would that be something you’d enjoy, and stay awhile for? Wait, don’t answer that, I know you’re in a big hurry ;)
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Tags: art, blog, Blogging, blogosphere, brain, Creating, creative thought, ec, electronic medium, Entrecard, gist, idea, initial reaction, innovate, intention, patience, personality, reading, social norm, SUMMATIVE, teacher, writing
This reminded me of my high school journalism teacher. She always said, “Headlines are the only hook you have for reeling in a reader.”
I completely forgot that until I read your entry. I agree that this is even more important when you are trying to get someone to look at your website for more than 10 seconds. My journalism teacher was also big on photos. I think photos and videos are another way to capture your audiences attention, so that they consider reading your content.
beeker’s last blog post..Do you remember your childhood playground?
Definitely a provocative topic and one I have been dweeling on myself as I wonder if readers are leaving or people have just stopped commenting, my numbers look good, so I guess I bring them in somehow.
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Titles are important. I need to work on them (among other things). It is not that I don’t think about them, I don’t think about them long enough — or often enough.
Looking forward to your articles on it, Damien.
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Sometimes I think I’ve made a mistake using song titles as my blog post titles. At times, it’s a challenge to come up with a song title and/or lyrics for my posts. But, I am the rock chick….gotta have a niche!
This bloghopping trend really makes the titles worth some thought. You are the Rock Chick!
This will be interesting! I can’t wait to see more of your entries on this topic. I’d love to know how to keep readers at my blog for longer!
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