4 Tactics to Generate Killer Blog Titles
BLOG.. everyone is telling their customers to blog. I do it, most of the experts I follow do it. It’s the perfect way to get more exposure for your company, and show your potential clients what you are all about.
But what do you blog about? What should you say in your blog? How do you start it? What do your followers want to read?
I have about a thousand ideas for blog posts, seriously I have so many it’s more difficult to focus on just one when there is so much I could write about. My problem is: what should I say now, what’s the most important and impactful thing I could write about?
The Truth- I just need to write, and so don’t you. Grab a topic, and start pouring out your ideas. So to get you started on some ideas here are my ways of finding topics to talk about.
Ideas for Blog Titles from Industry Blog Feeds
Don’t copy their posts, rewrite them or rehash something unique they’ve said, but by looking at several titles in your industry can help you come up with your own.
Here’s how: Find several (atleast 5) blogs related to your industry, and subscribe to their RSS feed. I recommend Feedly. Now go to Feedly and look at the lists of each blog, you’ll see which have been shared most, which titles they’ve used, etc. Here is what my Feedly looks like:
I could come up with several ideas, both titles and topics. Such as 5 ways to customize your fanpage, or how to get more leads from using twitter. Topics like generating leads, building trust, and newsjacking ideas for the Oscar’s and SXSW.
Hijack Ask Me Anything Sessions
Search Google for Ask Me Anything in your industry or with a specific name and you’ll find experts telling their followers to ask them anything about a topic. This is great because the expert usually has such a large following that many ideas are suggested.
Since most of the time the expert is giving their own answers, and isn’t usually blogging about the topic you can use those ideas for your own posts. Of course, you shouldn’t copy their answers if they had them, but you can reference them, and share them as a resource with your followers.
The beauty of this tactic for getting ideas is that the questions are asked by real people- people want to know about these things, you can help them.
I find Ask Me Anything is common on Reddit, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, in fact Jon Loomer does Ask Me Anything sessions on Facebook all of the time and that is where I got the idea.
Answer Questions Your Prospects Have
When someone emails you asking about your services or products, what do they ask? These are the questions you can answer on your blog.
Not only can you provide a link to the person asking the question later on, but if they have the question, someone else does as well. Later you can gather these posts to have a FAQ’s area on your site, or even turn them into a download of most frequently asked questions.
Here are some examples:
Industry- Selling Appliances- Questions:
- What are the best brands to buy?
- Which brands last the longest?
- Where can I find the best price?
Industry- Animal Shelter- Questions:
- What happens when an animal is surrendered?
- Do you run a no-kill shelter?
- How long does it take an animal to get adopted?
- What is a better option for rehoming my dog?
Headline Hacks for Blog Post Titles & Topics
I have found several blogging experts that have put together great lists of titles ANY INDUSTRY could use. Here is a short list, you do have to sign up for their emails but it is worth it.
Boost Blog Traffic– Jon Morrow
Inbound Now Headlines Generator
Just Creative- Ultimate List of Blog Heading Titles Template
Take Action- Make a List of Blog Titles to Write
Using these tactics, you should be able to fill up your editorial calendar for a couple of months (or longer). Start writing down your ideas and publishing content for your followers.
Do you know of any lists like these that could help other bloggers? If so, could you take a minute to share below?
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Writing headlines is something that I find to be really challenging, so thank you for these tips.
Hi Marc, Glad to help. I have a board on Trello I can share privately with you, if you’d like. Just send me an email [email protected]