Too often bloggers use the first cool headline that comes to mind.  Sometimes it doesn’t even make sense or tell the reader what the blog is about!  That’s like labeling a can of peas as “Guess What!”  But even good titles can be improved by using a more powerful word or phrase, one that is proven to work. 

 

The difference in the number of Views your blog gets can be monumental, literally adding another zero or even two zeroes to your normal views!  The results of Dr. Witt’s analysis presented below will give you specific words and phrases that did just that!

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The Power Of Specific Words In A Title

 

Let’s look at specific words and phrases here and later at the use of Number & Symbols, Promises to Readers, Title Length, and accompanying Picture.  Keep in mind this list is not definitive as it only draws on the words actually used in Dave’s titles.  As you learn more from you own blog’s performance, add to these lists.

 

We looked at 22 different words, some of them closely related, like “success” and “successful.” You can view all of the word in tables in the Tables section of this book.

 

Note:  We recognize blog titles are often accompanied by a few lines of text, and that text also plays a role in creating a View.  The title, however, plays the key role as it summarizes (or should) “what’s in it for me,” the key question the reader wants answered. 

 

The first sentence, by contrast, generally introduces the topic, which the headline has already provided.  This is the 5 Second Rule©.  In this book we will focus on the headline, but make some comments about the opening sentence when useful to you.  You should carefully craft your opening sentence, too, to make it appealing.

 

Here are the words we reviewed and their ratings.  If you want to see the Table data, click here:  [Link to Table #1]

 

#1: “Success.” and variants “Successful,” “Succeed”

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Success is a top performing word, showing a 400% difference between its presence in the top and bottom 25% of titles, which means that while not foolproof, it gives you a distinct advantage.  The reason?  One obvious reason is that we all want to be successful. 

 

But a more subtle reason is that we all want to think of ourselves as having the skills to succeed because that makes us special.  Reading about “success skills” makes us believe we are growing our skills (even if we’ve forgotten them within the hour!)

 

To learn more, read additional content in the Deeper Approach section of this book. [Deeper Approach Link #2]

 

#2: “Inspire” and variants “Inspiration” & “Inspiring” -

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This is the only other five star word we found in Dave’s titles, showing a 300% difference between top and bottom titles.  As with “Success,” it shows that paired with the right promise, it can be a powerhouse in getting clicks.  One of Dave’s best performing titles, “25 Quotes to Inspire You to Become a Better Leader” (http://linkd.in/1BmLCVF), got over 877,000 Views!  Also, “The 15 Most Inspiring Videos of All Time” (http://linkd.in/1xlmfCy) 215,513 Views, and the lowest performer “What Inspires People” (http://linkd.in/1DhaEEN) still got 15,650 Views. To learn more, read Deeper Approach.

 

#3:  “You” and “Yours” -

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We are usually our most important concern.  So anything which promises a desirable benefit for us is attractive.  That’s why “You” and “Yours” are high-impact words in a title.  Of course, like the words above, the impact also depends on the promise.  “Ways YOU can Win at Cricket” will have a small click-through rate in the U.S. no matter how big the word “You” is in the title.  The “you” word must be accompanied by a need or desire of your readers.

 

#4:  “Hot” Words -

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Hot Words are our term for words which trigger a small, but important emotional response.  The best examples of Hot Words, neither of which appear in these titles, are Free and Sex.  The old joke that if you put them together, you’ve got a winning headline is actually not far from the truth.  We tend to respond emotionally, that is with perked-up interest, to emotional words.

 

The "Hot" words identified in Dave’s list are below. . .  Imagine how much more you will learn by reading the entire book! -- just click Add to Cart.

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