How do you write blog headlines?
Blog comments are a fantastic source of article topics, and a recent comment on davidairey.com from Dustin Brewer reads:
I find that the best way to write a headline is before you start writing the article. This may not work for everyone, but I know I feel a lot better about the headline if I throw it out there in the beginning.
When planning a blog post, I normally begin with a headline in mind. However, that doesn’t mean I use that headline once the article is complete, and I’m curious how many of you keep the original headline you thought of.
I begin with a headline, write the article, then end up tweaking or changing the headline to match what I’ve written. This is because I can sometimes run off on a tangent, usually to add more depth and interest for you.
How do you match your headlines to your content?
Do you write first, then think of a headline? Do you have your headlines set in stone before writing the first sentence? Or do you write using a mix, similar to me? I’d love to know you think works best.
It’d also be interesting to read the thoughts of great writers such as Mike at Writing White Papers, Tom at The Copywriter Underground, Kirsten at Inkthinker, Matt at The Copywriter’s Crucible, and Dawud at dmiracle.com.
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27 appreciated comments to “How do you write blog headlines?”
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Good timing — you caught me fresh from my vacation.
And it’s a rare headline that survives the writing of an article or post on any of my blogs. Even if the focus hasn’t shifted, I’ve processed the subject some simply by writing about it, and if the trip between thought and writing hasn’t resulted in better words, than I probably need to rewrite the bugger.
I use much the same method as you David – idea, headline, content, tweak headline if necessary.
Sometimes the title can drive the post if it’s good enough.
Nothing wrong with the deleted post in my opinion, and no need to apologise.
David – I usually start with a headline in mind, but then I write the post. Once the post is done I tend to tweak my original headline to fall in line with the content better and to make sure it is relevant for the search engines too.
In the media headlines are normally written after the article. That’s not to say that the journalist wont write with a headline in mind and put a headline to their work, but as soon as it gets to the editor the headline will be reviewed and probably rewritten by someone else.
In that sense I think bloggers should do the same: writing with a headline in mind is fine, but as soon as you’ve finished the article you should think about the headline again – I suspect 95 per cent of the time you can improve on your original headline.
(which is what everyone above seems to be doing… :) )
I hope the vacation was a good one, and you recharged the batteries.
It seems like you, along with Chris, Char and Aaron, all have a similar method to me. Thanks for leaving your take on things.
Chris,
Thanks for mentioning the apology. I’m all for the non-offensive approach, so if it’s easier to remove the content that’s the road I’ll follow.
Char,
If your headline doesn’t match your content, is there some sort of penalty given by search engines? I know it helps to have them match, but just curious if the opposite is doubly detrimental.
Aaron,
Seems we’re already know a little about good practice then, which is all good. When drafting this post, I hadn’t thought about how newspaper editors reword the headlines at the end – very valid.
I think there’s so much importance on your blog post headline, that it’d be foolish not to rethink it once your body text is complete.
Cheers everyone.
Sorry a little off topic… but I really enjoyed that post you made of that artist Blu. A lot of designers are artists as well.
Also, I dunno about the other readers, but I would like to see some more commentary posts. Like if their is a design issue out there that you don’t agree with I’d like to hear your thoughts about it, and I think it would generate a good discussion as well. Just a thought.
Anyway, keep up the great posts, David.
David;
Considering what I write (white papers), I never start with a title and I teach people to do the same.
I like to say that the great title comes from “the wreckage” of my writing.
It eventually emerges and goes through tons of revisions.
I do the same thing when I blog post.
I start with a topic and end with a title.
Mike
David, have you been reading my mind? I’m working on a very similar post myself. Oh, well… looks like I’ll have to link to you from my post when I publish it :-)
Your Arresting Headlines…
There has been much talk about headlines lately in my circles—and for good reason.
In a noisy world, good headlines are like mute buttons: They stop people in their tracks.
So I would like to show you and have you show me some excellent headlines.
Th…
You do exactly what I do, David (and Char, Chris, Tom and Aaron). Often I’ll think I have a catchy name for an article and write it out but then end up changing it after I’ve written the article. The same goes for the intro. I often end up writing that several times (don’t laugh, I have more articles written than just the two that are up right now!)
I won’t pretend that I am any expert about writing headlines, but I agree with Tom and some of the others. My headline begins as the initial concept for the post. Writing and processing the information for the post can definitely change your concept.
The headline for my post on Alexa, Valuable Tool or Technical Stalker? completely changed after I had written the post. Initially the post was to be an overview on using Alexa.com as a metric for your blog. After additional research and reading the privacy policy for the Alexa Toolbar, I changed the focus of the post and had to rewrite the headline. This even generated a follow up article.
I keep my eye out for sites that seem to consistently write good catchy headlines. Until then I am working on writing better headlines.
I start with the headline, then write the story, or whatever I need to write lol. It’s easier to think of it before you start writing, that way you won’t have to re-read what you just typed and think, “Now, what was this about again?”
No worries about your off-topic comment. It’s always good to read what you’d like to see more of here on my blog. I’ll see what I can do RE more commentary type posts. They usually take more time than normal to piece together, but it’s all about my readers.
Mike,
Good of you to leave your process with us, and always interesting to hear from a professional copywriter.
Lauren,
I’ve seen a lot of very popular bloggers advise us not to launch our blogs before we have 5–10 pillar posts up and running. That way people who don’t know us won’t think the place is a little empty when they visit.
I say that, but I did exactly the opposite, and had mine running from day one (and zero posts)! It’s great that you’ve launched yours though. My only suggestion is not to publicise it until you have a few more of the drafts published (which I guess you’ll know already).
Thomas,
You know, I’d wondered to myself if your focus had shifted with that article. ;) I’m sure if I was researching a post on how to use Alexa.com, and found out what you did, my focus would change too!
Sean,
Great to ’see’ you again. You’ve been busy, I know, but I hope you find time to publish some more very soon, and thanks for commenting.
I’ve been focusing my physic powers around the Canada area, so there’s a good chance I picked up on your article idea. Looking forward to your take on it!
I was planning on not working too hard on publicizing it until I get a few more posts up. But thanks for looking out for me all the same! I appreciate it :)
I start with a headline too, in fact lots of them. In my saved posts I have lots of headlines. A lot of them don’t even have content but are almost a prompt for something I intend to write later on (so I don’t forget). I quite often change them after I have written the post too.
David, thanks for letting me know about your physic powers :-)
I’ve posted a preamble to my headlines post today, the other one is coming up soon ;-)
I write my headlines much the same way as I write the whole post. Compile my notes, have a little think, hammer out the first draft and then keep going back through it until I think it’s ready to publish. Quite often I’ll get new ideas whilst I’m writing which can lead to a change in emphasis and this has to be reflected in the headline.
So, I think I’m prettty much in agreement with everybody else here; don’t set your headlines in stone.
I’m similar to you in that if a thought for a headline / article comes to mind, and I’m at my computer, I’ll create a draft article in WordPress with just the headline, and perhaps one sentence or link. I’ve a few drafts like that just waiting to be researched.
Vivien,
No problem at all. I normally don’t like to mention my powers, because some people think it’s bragging. Looking forward to your headlines post and will stop by to read your preamble.
Matt,
Yep, I think we’re all in agreement there. Thanks for commenting.
Previously my blog was like any other journal, it wrote and went on tangents and I’d write about everything in one post. That’s fine if you’re my friend and just want to catch up on what I’ve been doing, but it’s not that helpful when trying to find specific information. So since I changed to a Copyblogger based theme, which has better SEO I’ve tried to post on individual topics and write more comprehensive titles. I don’t know if it’s done much, since I don’t seem to have many readers… but you managed to find my related/similar posts plugin post!
You can’t go far wrong with a Chris Pearson theme, and you’ve customised yours quite nicely.
I found your related / similar post using Google’s blogsearch. I use it most times when I’m writing a new blog post, and glad I found your site.
I always start with the headline, and have advised others to do that as well, but I think it’s really just whatever works.
I started doing that based on the advice of people like David Ogilvy and Gene Schwartz (hard to go wrong with advice from those guys), but they were talking specifically about writing ads.
I often save my ideas for future posts in the form of a headline, and that usually lets me know if the topic is worth writing about in the future. But it’s also true that the headline often changes when I sit down to actually write.
Another reason I may not actually be any different from those who write the headline last is the fact that I often compose the entire article in my head first. I’ll do anything to avoid actually sitting down and typing. :)
For sure, when you’re getting advice from David Ogilvy and Gene Schwartz it’s worth paying attention.
There are quite a few draft posts I have showing just a headline and perhaps one line of text or a link to an article, and I know what you mean about thinking the content through in your head. Sometimes, when I’m trying to sleep, I can’t get an article idea shifted from my thoughts, which keeps my mind buzzing. Part and parcel of self-employment I suppose.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I always write a title in first. It doesn’t often turn out to be the title, but I put it there as an anchor. Usually it’s that phrase that’s been buzzing or that I’ve scribbled onto a teething rusk wrapper or a grocery receipt. It takes a while to figure out, like Kristarella, how to keep from going off on tangents and this is one of the ways I (try to) do it.
But sometimes that phrase is the whole of what needs to be said. Writing a personal blog, many posts are about abstract concepts. Putting things into words is always a labour of love whether you’re telling a story or trying to provide information. But there are times when we try to communicate things there are no words for (like my recent post on friendship) when that phrase doesn’t need to be rethought (although it does need to be re-checked!) because it was never an anchor to begin with; it was the destination.
I find this all sooooo interesting! Normally, I have the concept of what it is I’m going to write about and I’m searching my brain before I sit down, what kind of title to use for the posting. Since I come from a Sales & Marketing background, for me, I like to think of a “killer” headline and then build everything onto that in layers.
An example would be the headline of: “U.S. Navy Vessel Swarmed in Seattle…” Now, that got some serious attention! Here’s the link: http://situseattle.wordpress.com/2008/06/04/us-navy-vessel-swarmed-in-seattle/
Normally for me, the post comes naturally after I’ve come up with a heading I like, not the other way around. Just like I do when I write ad copy or some incredible postcard campaign. Dunno. Seems easier that way.
Smiles from the NW corner of these GREAT United States!
Auntie Rita
You do what I do, placing a title there first, which often changes by the end.
Rita,
Glad your article got great attention. Sounds like you’re definitely on the right track.
Well, my headlines are pretty straightforward and are supposed to describe the article. I don’t generally use wacky off-the-wall titles (though it would be fun every now and then)