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In the late 1800′s, Kaiser Wilhelm wanted to get rid of a number of his associates in the German government. Since many of them were old, he decided to set the age of retirement to 65 and successfully forced them out of their positions. To this day, we still use the same retirement age around the world.
If you’re wondering what the point of sharing that was then let me say this: There was no point. My headline led you to read the post introduction, and my first paragraph was good enough to get you to read the second. Since I have your attention, let me tell you one more thing: You have to keep people hooked on your content if you want to get links. People don’t share things they don’t read.
How do you get people hooked on your content? How do you write posts which people are more likely to share with their audience? How can you guarantee that people will read your blog post?
The answer, is to have an awesome idea and write excellent copy. But that’s such a vague response.
They say that around 80% of visitors to your blog will read your post title, but only about 20% will actually read the accompanying post. This means that the best way to get more links, is to get more people reading your post. Since you always get less people reading your post than you do your headline, you have to make your headline amazing, in order to engage as many visitors as possible.
I’ve analysed dozens of blogs to find out what types of headlines result in posts getting hundreds of links. Before I share the result of my findings, let’s give a quick personal example…
Drowning in Link-Juice
Though I think the following analysis is far more important than my own examples, some people will need some “proof” that I know what I’m talking about. For those people, here’s a few of my posts, with their accompanying link count:
- WordPress SEO: The Only Guide You Need – 433 links
- Guest Blogging: The Ultimate Guide – 297 links
- The Highest Converting Facebook Page I’ve Ever Seen – 307 links
And it’s not just in the marketing niche where I can do it either. Here’s an example for a guest post that I wrote in the personal development field:
- 8 Harsh Truths That Will Dramatically Improve Your Life – 225 links
Do you notice anything in common with those blog posts? Since I didn’t link to them, the commonality shouldn’t be too hard to spot. For those of you who are confused, they all – at least, in my opinion – have excellent headlines. They have headlines which make you want to read the post, and content which you’ll get value from.
They are ultimately the type of post that other sites naturally want to link to.
Getting links is so important not only for increased search engine rankings, but for the sheer number of new visitors who can land on your website when other blogs talk about you. As these links can decide whether you rise to the ranks of the A-list or continue to write for an audience of one, let’s look at how you can craft headlines which get read, and get links.
The Item-Hype Formula: Secret Template Revealed
The Item:Hype formula is simply the name I’ve attached to a style of headline I see that is both popular and effective. It basically allows you to create a title that catches people’s attention that can work in any industry. The name of this headline style is actually the headline style itself. Item: is the subject you’re talking about and Hype is the follow up which makes people want to read it.
For example, a post I referred to earlier, WordPress SEO: The Only Guide You Need. The start is the item – the topic I’m talking about – and after the colon is the hype.
Other bloggers have successfully used this title, in cases such as:
- Open Source Blogging: Feel Free to Steal My Content – 1,638 links
- Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks – 1,310 links
This simple strategy can even make shoes and conversion testing interesting. Don’t believe me?
- Vibram Five Fingers: The Barefoot Alternative – 607 links
There’s an alternative to going barefoot? People actually walk around barefoot? The headline creates questions in my mind, and I want to read the post to get answers. If you get creative, you can even flip this format around.
The Last Guide to Writing Headlines You’ll Ever Need…
…could easily have been a suitable headline for this post. It would have been a great example of another headline structure which gets attention, and ultimately links. The aim of this second type of headline is to provide some sort of ultimate ending, or hint of “finality” (I’m sure there’s a proper word for that) in the search for good content on a certain topic.
Based on how it is processed in our minds, it may even lead you to read a post on a topic you wouldn’t normally be interested in, since you don’t want to miss the chance to get the best content on that subject.
“What do you have to lose? It will only take a few minutes to read. I don’t want to regret not having read this in the future.”
That’s the thought process we want happening in the minds of our readers. Some popular headlines in this category include:
- 15 Coolest Firefox Tricks Ever – 697 links
- Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System – 1,277 links
- How to Discover Your Life Purpose in About 20 Minutes – 1,407 links
- The Bloggers Guide to SEO – 2,540 links
The first headline makes me think two things. One, it’s okay that I missed other Firefox tricks guides posted online. Two, no better post has ever been written on this topic, so I should read it. If I was looking for a productivity system, then the second headline assures me that I’ve found the one I should be following.
Explore how you can use the “end of the search” concept in your post titles. Words like “Ultimate”, “Ever”, “Need”, and “Greatest” should help get you started.
Six Examples of Powerful Headlines
You can’t write a post on attractive headlines that doesn’t include the list post. It’s something that has been around for years and remains popular to this day. List posts are attractive because they give the idea of quality, variety, and a post that is easy to read. You can find them on almost every big blog out there, and they can easily go viral if done well.
- 10 Virtually Instant Ways to Improve Your Life – 232 links
- The Not-To-Do List: 9 Habits to Stop Now – 872 links
- 10 Benefits of Rising Early, and How to Do It – 1195 links
- 101 Ways to Build Link Popularity – 5,570 links
- 40+ Tips to Improve your Grammar and Punctuation – 209 links
- 279 Days to Overnight Success – 3,330 links
Of course, putting a number in your headline alone wont help to make the post a success. Think of using a list headline for an idea that already has the chance to go viral. For example, “Virtually Instant Ways to Improve Your Life” and “The Not-To-Do List: The Habits to Stop Now” are good titles, and brilliant post ideas. They’re simply made more attractive with the introduction of figures.
My Best Example By Far
The final headline concept I’ve found to work well is to invoke curiosity. You can peak someone’s interest so much that they have little choice but to click on your post headline — even if it isn’t clear what your article is about. Similarly, you can “tease” people and give them a taster with your headline. If the bait is tempting enough, you’ll get them to read the post.
Some articles that put this into action include:
- Travel Full-Time for Less than $14,000 Per Year – 369 links
- 7 Secrets of the Super Organised – 279 links
- 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job – 3,390 links
The first example is an excellent one in my opinion because it gives us the bait, and promises to solve it with a surprise. Being able to “travel full-time” is going to get anyone’s attention, especially if you couple it with such a low price point. The second headline makes me curious to know what those secrets are, and the third sounds interesting with a bit of controversy thrown in, so I want to read that as well.
Taking the idea from the first headline, I could also use the three other template examples in this post to craft attractive titles around the same concept:
- Travel Ninja: How to See the World on a Miniscule Budget (Item:Hype Formula)
- The Last Guide to Travel Hacking You’ll Ever Need to Read (Finality Formula)
- 21 Steps to Exploring the Planet for Next to Nothing (List Post Formula)
- Discover How Travelling the Globe Is Cheaper Than Renting An Apartment (Curiosity Formula)
It’s so easy to use these formulas to come up with headlines that are going to – quite simply – get a lot more people reading your content. If you just spend an hour or so trying to put these into practice, you should easily be able to come up with 20 ideas which follow a proven methods of getting links.
How to Quickly Make All Of This Irrelevant
It’s going to be next to impossible to get hundreds of links to your post if you read all of this but forget to take something very important into account. If you don’t have the content to “back up” your awesome headline, then it’s pointless crafting such a good headline in the first place.
Your headline, first and foremost, is purely designed to get people to read the rest of your post. Even though they’re reading it, they still have to enjoy it if they’re going to share it. If that wasn’t obvious.
If I’m going to write a post about WordPress SEO and call it “the only guide you need” then I can’t just give a few generic tips on the subject, I literally have to make it the best guide online. If I call Link Trio a “simple, yet powerful, link building tactic” then it has to be both simple to implement and highly effective.
Just adding this in for any nitpickers: The link counts for the posts are never going to be perfectly accurate. I took the counts from both the Yahoo Site Explorer and the Open Site Explorer. The point of the post remains intact: Good headlines help posts get links. Thanks to the following sites for providing me with these excellent examples: DumbLittleMan, ZenHabits, Lifehack, FourHourWorkWeek, Chris Guillebeau, SEO Book, Steve Pavlina and I Will Teach You To Be Rich.
Some of you may think that these sites are big, so that’s why they get hundreds of links to their posts. I would personally argue that they’re big because they get hundreds of links to their posts. ViperChill certainly hasn’t grown to 14,000 subscribers so quickly because I write the same content as everyone else.
I’m giving away a free copy of Cloud Living to whoever creates the best headline, using an above formula, on the subject of kittens. Just leave a comment with your submission.
Update: Since there were so many entries, I decided to pick three winners. They are:
- The 9 Lives of Kittens: Your Ultimate Guide to Longevity – Debbi Lattuga
- I Can Haz Traffic? 7 Reasons Why Thousands of Visitors Read LOLCats Each Day, Instead of Your Website – Sarah Russell
- 7 Secrets to Raising Happy Kittens – Brian
Congrats to the winners, and thanks for all of the entries.
P.S. If you want to read more on this topic, my post 2,897 Words on Creating Viral Content may be just what you’re looking for.
RSS Subscribers: 
Whoo-hoo!! I finally get to write the first comment!
Do I get a prize?
Suddenly this seems anti-climactic…
Great article, as usual.
Thanks, Glen
Dave
You could have given the first, and best entry, to the contest mentioned at the bottom
Yeah, I coulda, but in the time it took me to come up with something clever, someone might have usurped my First Comment title position, and forfeiting that honour might have been something I would have regretted for the rest of my… week.
Anyway, I already own a copy of Cloud Living
And I assume you made that contest in honour of Junior. Btw, orange cats are the *best*!! They have such amazing personalities. Hope he’s doing well.
Dave
Haha yeah, Junior was the inspiration
This is my cat, for anyone interested (and confused): http://bit.ly/hUbMxp
- How kittens are about to unlock the secret to time travel.
- How to use kittens as a *guaranteed* way to getting women into bed.
- Kittens: The 7 ways they can help you *triple* your income in 90 days.
OK, now I have to go write those articles…
Dave.
That cat it so CUTE! It’s obscene how adorable it is with its paw on the trackpad and all :3
It doesn’t work with my site 
I want one!!
Great article by the way
Not sure I’m doing the great titles thing though. I think I am!
Kittens: They Might Just Be Our Secret Overlords
Haha, nice!
10 Reasons I Hate Kittens, and you should too
List post – formula :p
Of course, I don’t hate the adorable little balls of fluff … but I rekcon it would get a fair bit of attention (not to mention hate-mail xD )
Haha
Well played.
As usual, great sharing Glen. If I knew you want to give the Cloud Living today, I won’t buy it last year. Just kidding.
Well, you craft perfectly with headline and first paragraph. Boy, you are born genius in writing.
Thanks! I personally think my writing sucks, but I guess everyone is their own worst critic.
Hey Glen,
I really enjoyed this post and I can tell you really took the time to back up your point with solid research. To me that’s the test of a quality authority blogger, and you’ve got it nailed down here at VC.
Just finished Cloud Living btw, so I’ll spend my time creating my own headlines
Thank you Jerry,
Enjoy Cloud Living!
Awesome post on headlines Glen..
I just wrote a post about crafting an effective blog post and this was definitely the most important point. If the headline doesn’t grab ‘em, you lost.
here’s my entry..
Demonic Kittens: 14 Reasons You Should Never Get Black Cats
Hector
Nice Hector,
The headline definitely is crucial. Thanks for the entry!
Cool article Glen.
I think something important to include here is also awakening people into looking at their stats and monitoring what works for their audience, finding a formula is key and then repeating it will allow for huge results. Too many people neglect their stats and don’t adapt formula’s they’ve found to their actual audiences, which is critical. I totally understand getting someone to want to read a post that isn’t about something they aren’t normally interested in, but getting it right so people who are interested in what you’re blogging about is how you get a targeted and content relevant backlink, ye?
My headline.. “Matt Mullenweg quits WordPress”
har har har
Is there some kitten joke reference I’m missing here?
Nope, but I got your attention didn’t I? *wink*
Definitely. I can relate this back to the split-testing I’m doing on my affiliate sites and a few pages here on ViperChill. It tends to be that the headline I think will perform the best, actually performs the worst.
Haha, yes, touche!
Oh man, you’ve done it again. Analytical post with an awesome intro…still waiting for you to tell me the importance of that intro in relation to the main topic:-)…just being a kiddo:)
So now, here’s my entry!
Kittens: Thinks they are frustrating at times, see they help me get great sleeping time every night.
Tim
Thanks Tim,
I’m glad you liked the post!
Not always true that people don’t share stuff they don’t read, look at the number of retweets to blog posts on the likes of ChrisBrogan.com or copyblogger literally minutes after publishing, these guys get shared based on brand equity a lot of the time! But otherwise you are pretty much spot on
Of course I’m aware of this – Mashable RT’s are the best example – but saying “in most cases” or “usually” takes away from the flow of writing, especially if it’s not the main point of the post.
Thanks though
Of course, I wasn’t trying to be one of those nitpickers you mentioned, just trying to make a point about talking in absolutes… like I said, enjoyed the post though
Another amazing post, Glen.
I just have one question for you: if, in your headlines you always use words like “the ultimate..”", “the definite…” etc, don’t you think people will get bored of your style?
I had a friend who used to say “this story is amazing”, “This is the greatest phone ever” “I bought the most beautiful sweater” and so on. Everything was awesome, amazing, great. After a few months you stop listening to her because not everything can be so great all the time. It’s too much.
Do you think that happens also when you are blogging?
Btw, here is my headline:
13 reasons why I hate kittens but girls can’t live without them
Look at the archives for ViperChill and tell me
Again, if you have the content to back it up then I don’t see why they would. If your friend’s stories aren’t amazing, and it’s continually not the best phone, then she just doesn’t have the content to back up what she is saying.
My blogging strategy – as you’ve probably noticed – is very different from most. I rarely write, and when I do I write thousands of words. For someone who publishes more frequently, definitely ‘sprinkle’ this types of posts in with your regular content, and don’t solely rely on them
Yes, I know your strategy is different from most of the bloggers
Anyway, once more, content is the key. Thanks Glen!
Geez bru, how do you take one of the most stereo-typical things like “Compelling article titles” which we read about each and everyday yet we dont know exactly how to implement it…. and make it so clear and easy to understand. Awesome stuff man
I read this blog post earlier, had a look through my feeds and noticed that soooo many of the people I follow use this formula…LOL…Now everything makes sense…Had to come back to comment
Thanks for sharing dude
Hey man,
Your first comment ever! Calls for a beer haha
You’re welcome
I love this post! I’ve joined cloudlivinghq, but I’d like to take a shot at it.
Here is my headline:
10 Reasons Why You Should Have a Cat Instead of a Dog
Hey Zach,
Thanks for the entry, and I’m glad you liked the article.
– Keep well
Dammit Glen I really wanted to find out how Kaiser Wilhelm’s plan turned out. Face palm.
He succeeded
Really awesome and practical post Glen!
I really love your point and examples concerning traveling full-time with less budget and your titles are so attractive that I will click them even if I’m not interested in traveling.
I know your formula works great because I once copied one of your headlines formula and it brought me great results (Yours was “How I Really Gained 6500 Blog Subscribers” and I used “How I Really Built a Successful Blog in 8 Months”). I’ll be playing with the above formulas to see how they work
Thanks so much and have a great day,
-Onibalusi
Hey Oni,
Thanks for sharing that example. Just stop stealing my headlines
You too!
The 9 Lives of Kittens: Your Ultimate Guide to Longevity
Thank you! My blog post titles are now on steroids.
Debbie
Nice Debbi!
You’re very welcome. Nice wording.
Hi Glenn,
This is a fun post & I like the challenge at the end. I thought of three quick ones -
Here is one for a relationship blog:
7 Ways A Kitten’s Nine Lives Will Dramatically Improve Your Marriage
How about some controversy:
Catnip: Everything You Wanted to Know But Were Afraid To Ask Your Kitten
Here is one that I would love to read:
10 Amazing Tricks Your Kitten Can Teach You
Have a great day!
Thanks for the suggestions Mark!
Great post again….
Perfect viper chilled Kittens: The Only Guide you will ever need!
Thanks Martin,
Very creative
Zombie Kittens: 7 Crucial Tips to Survive the Cutest Hoard Ever at The Apocalypse
Glen,
Thanks for the post.. Just getting started in this. The content you give away is awesome.
Here is my headline:
The single most important thing you need to now about kittens.
I like it.
Probably my favourite so far
I would probably take out the word “now” to improve it a little.
Yeah… I suppose seplling is pretty important when it comes to headlines too.
how about this – How my kitten taught me to type.
Ah, just realized a hype/list combo wasn’t one of the categories to choose from.
Small revision to fit the rules (hype):
Zombie Kittens: How to Survive the Cutest Hoard Ever at The Apocalypse
You can submit a headline using any formula
Thanks for the submission + comment!
Haha – great post, and great idea for a giveaway!
Here’s my headline:
I Can Haz Traffic? 7 Reasons Why Thousands of Visitors Read LOLCats Each Day, Instead of Your Website…
(Hmmm…. actually, I might write that article!
)
Very clever. That site really is popular. t I find so many cat pictures on Digg and Reddit, I honestly wonder how so many “cat pictures” are getting so much attention. You really should write that article! It has the potential to be really funny and informative.
Here is my headline:
Is Your Kitten Really a Rat?
Spotting Sketchy SEO Practices
My headline was inspired by my friday night adventure. My friend and I went out for dinner when we saw a fairly large animal scurrying across the street. I thought it was a kitten. But, when we moved towards it getting ready to cross the street my friend said, “I don’t think that’s a kitten Amber, it’s tail is dragging behind it. It’s a rat!” It was huge! As it crawled into the sewer I shivered. Yuck. I can’t believe I thought it was a kitten.
Hey Sarah,
That is very witty. Good job, congrats on the win and I hope you write that article (I’ll be checking!).
Jon
Perhaps its the “journalist” in me, but I always struggle with over-hyping headlines.
I had a newspaper publisher that went overboard with headlines just to sell a few more papers in the news racks.
We’d have the first good snow of the year… “Snowpocalypse 2003!” in giant bold print.
A fire would break out downtown “The Great Fire of 2004″
And neither story was that dramatic or impressive, but you would have thought the world was coming to an end thanks to the headlines.
So while I’d probably write a headline more like:
“Neighborhood dog hates your cat”
I should probably be writing something more like:
Killer Dog: And why he wants to destroy your cat
Hah, some funny examples.
As I said in the comment above: “My blogging strategy – as you’ve probably noticed – is very different from most. I rarely write, and when I do I write thousands of words. For someone who publishes more frequently, definitely ‘sprinkle’ this types of posts in with your regular content, and don’t solely rely on them
”
Thanks for stopping by, Jonathan.
The 7 Cutest Shelter Kittens and Their Sad Stories
Animal Affiliates: How Junior the Kitten Makes a Fortune Selling Cat-Nip Online
Headline:
Kittens: World’s Most Dangerous Animal (Find out why…)
Article would be about how kittens are lethal to productivity.
Really powerful lessons here Glen. Thanks, I’m off to deconstruct those titles and try them for my posts.
“Dating’s Biggest Secret: 10 Secret Ways Owning a Kitten Can Win the Heart of Any Woman.”
…aww yeah!
Great post Glen. The title and intro paragraph intrigued me, but I always read all of your posts anyway. Haha. I can’t pass up a fun contest, so here’s my entry:
7 Reasons Why You Should Never Give a Kitten Tap Water
Nice post! I’m still struggling to learn how to write excellent article titles.
Here are my entries:
The Ultimate Kitten-Powered Backlink Strategy That Guarantees #1 Rank on Google Everytime
7 Deadly Secrets That Your Kitten Never Wants You To Know
2-Month Old Kitten Made $97,367 in 3 Days: You Can Too!
These are so true..headlines is what separate content from being from crap that don’t get read..
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
Hi Glen, great and informative post as usual. I just like these long informative posts. I also love the fact that one more blogger choose to write long posts like you. You should check out Martyn from twohourblogger.com if you can.
As for the kitten headline,
“6 reasons why kittens rule the web”
list posts rocks!
Nice Post Glen I totally agree with you about those blogs being huge because they write great headlines.
Here’s my entry:
“How to find out what your Cat is really thinking in 4 simple steps”
“The kitten that cost more than a Porche: How my cat left me broke, and the receipts to prove it.”
Great article as usual, with good examples and analysis.
9 Ways To Tell If Your Cat Is Planning Your Demise. (Hint: It is)
ANGEL KITTENS: 3 Never-Fail Steps I Use to Train Kittens
Good post, I especially liked the way you came full circle with the headline. At first it appeared you did a bait and switch then came back to the headline. The article was great without it but that made it more powerful.
Writing headlines are definitely difficult. There is no substitute for experience here. The more you write and test the better you become.
Here is my kitten headline:
Kittens: Why You Need One Now to Save Your Life
(The ‘ol kitten trick eh?)
Ahem…
101 Most Adorable Kittens You’ll Ever See
One and done. Instant viral hit
How One Kitten Scored Me 3 Girls And A Cruise
Or
The Three Types Of Kittens That May Cause Cancer
I make two big considerations when making my headline:
* Does it force me to state what the post is about before writing it?
* Will it get people to look?
The first tends to keep effort on the second from being an epic waste of time.
Hi Glen
Great article try this in for size
Ooops, how I blow up my kitten!?!?
Curiosity formula haha
Cheers
Jamie
Nice article on headlines. Here’s mine:
7 Reasons My Kitten Gets More Credit Card Applications Than You.
Love the new post Glen. A lot of value here & you demonstrate your point with perfect examples.
As usual, I was late… grrr.
I should start emailing you in advance
Thanks Moon!
How De-Clawing Your Kittens Will Save Their Life
Cute Kittens: Photograph Their Cuteness Every time.
A Dog-owners Guide to Raising Kittens.
Kitty Galore: Picking the Best Kitten at the Pet Shop
“Kittens: Paws for thought. How to get you content up to scratch!”
Well c’mon, most red top newspapers use dreadful puns. LOL
The Last Kitten That Someone will Ever Shoot If You Do What You Plan To Do.
or
Raising Kittens: the only guide you’ll ever need
?
:/
Your posts are always so informative and entertaining Glen! Here’s my entry – somewhat deviating from the the literal use of kittens.
6 Ways to Transform Your Inner Kitten into a Roaring Lion
Thanks Paul!
How I Found Cats Have Nine Lives (curiosity)
How My Cat Got Me a Girlfriend
The Last Guide On Cats You’ll Ever Need
Hi Glenn,
Wonderfull as usual, I’ve tried those kind of tactics on my blog and I have saw a lot of good results. I think the headline is important but the content is essential. Thanks for this post. Hi from Mexico.
Here’s my headline for kittens:
“Discover how a little white kitten made 6 figures on just 14 days (And how you can)”
Fantastic post once again Glen. Sitting here trying to think up a great title about kittens that can compete with some of the others above, has just made me realize that I actually need to buy Cloud Living to catch up to everyone… Not even my awesome kitten Diesel could help me craft a decent title… Shocking! I better get to work putting your tips into practice…
Haha
Glad you liked the post Bendon. Thanks!
10 reasons why kittens are smarter than doggies
The ultimate guide to improve happiness of your kitten
5 things you didn’t know about your kitten
Discover the dreams of your kitten.
I love your analytical posts.
And here is my try on the contest.
” Cute Kitties : Shortcut to a girls heart “
Thanks SWW,
Nice headline!
“The 5 Fastest Ways to Meet Hot Girls using Kittens that Shit $50 Bills”
Anything catchier yet?
Need something more realistic
Glen,
How come you dangle all these beautifully titled articles in front of us with no links? I want to read each one ; ) Great post as always man.
Jonathon
I wanted people to focus on the headlines first and foremost. I did link to the websites that you can find them all
How to use Kittens: Become the world’s greatest Pick Up Artist ever.
I can show you how to use your kitten to their max. You will be the worlds greatest pick up artist ever. You will never have a lonley day or night, in fact you will have to put up a do not disturb sign on your front door you will have so much action. Kitten’s the ultimate action tool.
Kitten Trainer is my name: Learn the easy way to herd kittens…
You will be the only one of your friends that can herd kittens. Learn the best techniques to quickly become a kitten herder. Impress your friends with the ease that you round the kittens up and get them in a straight line.
Thanks Lee
Kittens: Shattering the black cat myths
Intriguing!
10 Phenomenal Free Tools to Explode Your Business – Your Kitten Won’t Even be Able to Resist These!
Hey Stacy,
Nice submission. Thanks!
Or you could get hundreds of links to you blog post by writing about getting hundreds of links to your blog post! You are good Mr. Glen…very good. Rock solid content too…but then again, you know that!
It’s nice to hear it
Thanks Marlee!
‘How I Used a Kitten to Attract 17,543 More Visitors to My Blog in 2 Days’
Thanks for all the remarkable content.
@brad_acker
You’re welcome Brad, thanks for the submission.
My submission:
“What my Kittens taught me that helped me gross $1 million dollars ”
Glen I crown you the king of igniting interactivity on the net. Phenomenal has become par for the course.
Hey Pete,
Awesome to see you here. Thanks for the kind words and the submission.
10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Cat
Try to not click it.
*10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Kitten
Whats up Glenn. How about this:
-The evolution of the 5 most UGLIEST cats of all time
-27 Reasons Why You Need To Skin Your Cat
-8 Killer Ways To Drown a Cat in a Bag
-7 Brilliant Ways To Feed a Cat Dog Food
-Is Your 2 yr old smarter than a Cat?
-Cats, they just don’t give a sh%t, heres why.
-David
Whats up!
Thanks for the submissions, David.
“7 Reasons Kittens Aren’t Really that Cute”
Then the article proceeds to talk about how they shit and piss on things and claw up your furniture. With the internet’s insane love for cats, and especially kittens, this will inevitably get nearly anyone who sees it to read it.
Cheers,
Andrew
Nice angle
“How To Stop Your Kitten Mauling You While You Sleep”
I’m sure this is something every new kitten owner searches for after about 2 weeks
Nice post Glen. Very informative and actually useful, unlike the other 12,000 “Best Headline Tips” guides I’ve read out there..
Haha yep. I keep getting woken up by my cat either biting my hand or licking my face.
Glad you liked it, Josh!
Thanks Glen for the good post. Now to the contest for the best title using kittens as the subject.
“Famous Breeder Sells Kittens for a Million Dollars!”
Thanks for the opportunity… Keep writing. I love your candor and pugnaciousness.
Steve Novotny
If you could write that post, then I’m sure it would be a hit!
Thanks Steve
Great post you have here. Thanks for this informative and helpful article of yours.
You’re welcome Aurelius
Kittens in the kitchen: are you missing the secret ingredient that will make your next dish irresistible?
Haha, nice.
“7 Secrets Only a Cute Kitten Can Teach You About Blogging”
or
“8 Coolest Tricks Ever Only a Cute Kitten Can Teach You About Blogging”
you can change blogging with word of your choice: SEO, link building, Social Media, yoga, football…
those kittens are darn good (and cute) teachers
First time commenting, long time following. Beer it is!
Thanks Glen
P.S. Might have to write one of these cute kitten posts now…
Haha, write it up!
Thanks for leaving your first comment. Always nice to bring people in from the wild.
YouTube’s Becomes Serial Kitten Killer, Deletes Many Kitten Videos
was an actual headline http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/101207-093411
Good post, valuable content.
“The Truth Behind 911: Kittens”
…might actually use that myself.
Heh. I would be wary of joking about such a sensitive subject though (if you were serious)
Thanks for the comment Nicky.
Brilliant as always. Can’t wait to turn 21 when I’m 45.
Top 7 reasons never to bring a kitten to a fraternity party
Huh? I don’t quite get the first line…
Glad you liked the post Jon. Thanks for the submission.
What an excellent post, Glen!
I’ve read most of the blog posts you’ve talked about, wow! I’m being manipulated, help!
Here are my submissions for post about kittens:
Kittens: What’s really hiding behind that cute exterior? (item:Hype Formula)
The Last Guide to Kittens you’ll ever need (if you survive)! (Finality + Curiosity Formula)
21 ways Why my kitten is smarter than you! (List Post Formula)
Good luck!
Haha, then you just manipulated me with those headline suggestions
Glad you liked it, Pavel!
How about this:
“Curtness Overdose: 10 Lessons Kittens Can Teach You About Viral Marketing”
Uses the Item:Hype, List and Curiosity Formula
Nice.
Thanks Cosmin
Can I try another one Glen?
“Kittens: 10 Vital Lessons They Will Teach You About Viral Marketing” (I improved it a little)
By the way, looking at some other examples, I guess you found out some things about your audience.
The doctor said I should be fine, I just need to take my medication every day. I had to pinky swear…
Now that is what I call an amazing article.
Here is my top of line submission:
“THE ULTIMATE NEED TO KNOW GUIDE ON KITTENS”
Now that is what I call a headline.
I’m really glad you enjoyed it Judi,
Thanks for the submission.
I gotta Try this out, thank for useful trick. hope this work!!
You’re welcome. I wouldn’t call it a trick, but best of luck!
Great article again, nice work Glen!
Here’s mine:
- 10 amazing secrets on how to communicate with YOUR cat
Thanks for the article, Glenn. Here’s my headline submission:
“Two Kittens Will Be Euthanized in the Time it Takes to Read This Headline: How You Can Stop This Now.”
ChrisW.
My second attempt.
“Student uses the science behind kittens’ cuteness to develop 5 techniques to date anyone.”
“Is Your Kitten the Devil? 17 Reasons Why Kittens are Evil”
Numbers makes headlines more specific. If your headline is more specific, it’s more credible. If it’s more credible than is more likely that people will click on it. Thanks for this guide Glen.
headlines that sell!
Great post
Let’s not forget the adult market
Double Your Kittens: The Definitive Guide To Getting More Pussy
Maybe something went wrong with my first attempt to submit an entry for the contest. Here is my second one:
Experimental White Kittens Turn Black in a Night: Is the Hair Discoloration Process Finally Reversible?
Kittens: Will They Blend?
My Kitten Ate My Homework or Why I Didn’t Finish My Reports on Time
My co-worker just pointed out that my headline was flawed – no numbers. Is this better?
Why My Reports are Late – Reason # 3 – My Kitten Ate My Homework
MEOW: Lose 10 Lbs in 14 Days Eating Kittens?
I am going to disagree with you here.
Ad copy is important but it isn’t the only thing (and not the most important metric either).
The volume of traffic you get can influence links, the perception of your brand in your market is another influencer. The influencers who your engage with and who promote you are another.
Ad copy is important but who you influence and the perception of your brand within the market is far more important IMO
Hey Leo,
It sounds like you’re looking to disagree with something I never actually said — that this is the only thing that matters. Also not sure why you’re calling it “Ad Copy”.
The point of the post was clear: Great headlines help you to get more people reading your content, and thus more links.
How do you think people get traffic, and branding, and influence in the first place? (I’m referring to blogs here, which is what the post was about)
Hey Glen,
Actually the headline is part of the ad copy so when I say ad copy, I actually mean headlines (they are essentially both the same thing…although the headline is actually part of the ad copy).
People get traffic with branding and influence through NETWORKING more so than headlines. The internet is filled with blogs with great headlines and even great information, some much better than the A or B list. The difference between the two is that the right influencers are pushing the blog by promoting it within their network stream.
I think that the headline is important but more importantly are the channels in which the content is getting distributed. Headlines don’t get links by themselves. The best headline in the world can’t beat an influencer promoting your content as good. The headline is the icing, not the cake.
That’s all I am saying. It’s alright. We can beg to differ on this. Debates make the world much more interesting anyway.
Leo I hear what your saying. Yes there are many variables that come into play to determine success. I once had this conversation with someone I was writing copy for when they asked me ” Can you guarantee conversion with your copy ?”
I replied ” Guaranteeing conversion is a fools game based just on copy alone”
As its a bit like a car, there are many parts to a car that make the overall car move forward, remove one of them and you won’t have a working product.
So yes there are many parts to the overall picture BUT having said that, when it comes to blogs Headlines are the initial step forward that unless you get that right. You won’t get people reading your blog, and if they don’t read they are less likely to link to your blog post. Which is what I believe Glenn is getting at in his post above.
Headlines are a vital part of attracting eyeballs, no matter who else is behind sending your site traffic. There are the times of course when NEED out trumps Headlines. I.e someone needs a solution and a blog provides that. In those cases the crapest headline is probably going to do the job. Its a simple case of demand and supply
But at least for this post Glenn is making a good point about One major aspect of getting people to link.
Maybe another post could be done in ” The variables of a successful blog “
Kittens: Alien mind reading Powers
Good Post,
Here’s my entries:
-Kittens: They’re cute, cuddly, and cool. Now get one already. (Item:Hype Formula)
-The last guide you’ll ever need to raising a healthy kitten. (Finality Formula)
-14 cute & creative ideas to save kittens from evil cyborg squirrels. (List Post Formula)
-What you DON’T know about the evil side of kittens. (Curiosity Formula)
I hope I win, and thanks again for a concise, helpful, and straightforward post Glen!
93847191 tips (or a few less) to get more lifes than your cat!
Very informative post Glen. Thanks for sharing
Glen, my first visit and post to your site. Delighted to be part of ViperChill.
I am currently reading your 10k subs kindly donated from the WarRoom.
Thank You!
Thousands of Kittens: The Ultimate Squeee
Who doesn’t want to click on a post hinting at cute kitten photos?
Free Kittens: Tip Number 3 On Feeding Your Snake
Tales of A Kleptomaniac Cat Burglar
Hi Glen:
Great post. I will definitely use this info. Now that I have stopped laughing from reading all the prior posts with headline suggestions, here’s mine:
Kittens: How Many is Too Many?
Kitten-tude: 7 tips to understanding your cat’s personality
How’s that? LOL!
Dee
Here’s my entry:
Kittens: The biological truth that’s been hidden for years
Awesome post !!!
When I surf through my RSS list, this title really stands out from the crowd and attract me to read on to find out more. Thinking that: ” I’m sure there’s something great inside!”
My submission: Habits of Kitten: Top 10 Reason Why Your Kitten Is Same as Your Girlfriend
Hope I can win. :p
Very nice article….
For an interesting/funny headline:
Kittens: Cute and Cuddly or Deceptively Deadly? What You Need to Know
;D
On a more serious note:
Keeping Kittens: What You Should Know
7 Secrets to Raising Happy Kittens
Discover how to turn your kitten into a constant purring machine
10 super easy homemade toys your kitten will go crazy for
Discover how to turn your kitten into your own personal masseuse
Glen,
Excellant post. Only new to this sort of thing and I find post like yours imformative to maybe help inprove my writting. S I will give it a go.
Kittens: How they saved my life.
Well it was worth a try.
Really awesome post! Thanks from Italy =)
This is my headline:
Feed your kitty: how to make him live more than 10 years
The Ultimate Guide to Caring for your Kitten
Kittens: They turn into Cats! What you Need to Know.
10 Hidden truths about owning a Kitten
Great post by the way!
hi Glenn !
first timer comment here. Need to say that u are the best mentor i ve seen on net.
sorry for my english. this is my biggest barrier to write content
*im wondering why is it all about kittens ? or is it compulsary to put kittens on the contest title?
Thank you Budan, that means a lot!
Haha yeah, the kittens comments are people trying to win a free copy of Cloud Living. I’ll announce the winners soon
Loved this post heading and first paragraph – do as I do not just what I say stuff, well done. I would love to get my hands on a copy of Cloud Living and spread the word in Europe.
My heading is:
Sex kittens: from Bardot to Barbie, the essential illustrated guide
That all makes sense; good job.
—
Super Junior: The Only Kitten You’ll Ever Need (Item:Hype Formula)
Finally! A Definitive Guide to Making Your Kitten Care (Finality Formula)
11 Kitten Super Powers Ignored by Modern Man (List Post Formula)
Reduce Junior’s Midnight Mewing with This Secret Formula (Curiosity Formula)
These are great tips for title writing on blog posts. Tim Ferris did a blog post recently about this topic and he said a lot of the same things you mentioned. Great tips.
A word of caution: because of well-meaning how-to articles like this one, many people have learned how to write effective headlines — but they’re ignoring the advice about needing to deliver the goods. As a result, I’m now very skeptical of formulaic headlines, and I don’t click on them as often as I did in the past.
Kitten with a Whip: 5 Secret Tips to Make a Woman Meow During Sex
Everything I need to know I learned from the movies.
What You Must Know About Kittens But No One Told You
If You Love Your Kitten, You Can’t Afford to Miss This
thanks Glen – your website is a goldmine in more ways than one and truly an inspiration.
Tania
7 Reasons Why All Cats are Evil
First time visitor, great post!
Here’s my shot at it:
Celebrity cat whisperer reveals top 10 kitten training secrets
The Best Kitten Trick Ever! Train your kitty in less than an hour.
Cat Whisperer’s Ultimate Guide to Having a Happy Kitten
Stop before it’s too late- Why your kitten is starting to hate you
what about-how to lose 500 links in 10 days?
very nice title
Really good article, thanks for the info…
For cats?
“In 5 minutes: See what Charlie Sheen’s Cat wishes she hadn’t seen”
or
“10 quick ways to avoid being enslaved by your feline friend”
Hey Glen
Just written a very similar post about headlines myself.
Kittens: 10 recipes for a dinner party talking point
Kittens: The Single Greatest Friend on The Planet!
237 Reasons Cats Will Make you a Centenarion
How to Travel the World with your Kittens for under $14000
All you’ll Ever need to know about Kittens… And their Hidden Underground!
For some reason I just see this post now!
Here we go:
- Why Cats Can See In The Dark And How You Can Too
- Link Found Between Shaved Cats And Humans Living Longer
- Why Donating Your Cat Can Help Japan (borderline appropriate but that is another topic)
Might stop here before I get in trouble….
here we go,
1. The cutest kitten in the world, MUST SEE !
2. Review : 10 facts you should know about your kittens
3. Discover a new way to communicate with your kittens !
Hey Glen-
Thanks for the post, it definitely caught my attention!
Kittens: 9 Lives = Bad Karma
awesome post dude ,
you just redefined the importance of attractive titles
Post headline matters a lot and may readers do not read your content only they read the headline and comment on your post without reading the content.
Every one has limited time and i this limited time we have to work all the time so that we can easily get high traffic and maximum readers and huge income in no time
Hi Glen,
even though I didn’t find something new about headlines, it’s still one of the best articles about this topic. I like it, because it’s in-depth (as always), I like your style of writing and you give it a name (List-Formula etc.)
I have to admit that I had to read “How to Discover Your Life Purpose in About 20 Minutes” after I saw the title. Yesterday I skimmed over some Cosmopolitan articles to look for their article with the gorgeous title “A shocking thing 68% of all women do in bed”. Some headlines just don’t give you a choice.
However, even though the List-Formula and Finality-Formula seems to work, I don’t like them. Everybody is using them, this headline-style is a common secret. It’s just another over-promising headline. (I know that you should follow up with content, but not every blogger does, eliminating the trystworthyness of headlines of other bloggers as well.) What do you think about this issue?
What I like is the Item:Hype formula and the Curiosity formula. They are personal rather than similar to any other blogging headline out there. I think both headlines I mentioned above are great, but aren’t list posts or use the finality formula. These headlines are the ones bloggers should learn to write. (Do you agree? If yes, why didn’t use this abgle in the post? If no, why?)
Besides I think you forgot to mention an important formula: HowTo posts. If you dint think they are working, I’m sure your audience would like to know why!
My kitten headline is “Have a lion, want a kitten? 3 simple steps till your cat wants to cuddle all day.”
Best wishes
Florian
PS: Sorry for that long comment.
I hope you reading, because I’m craving fir your answer. ^^
PPS: The lessonI learned from this post is how to effectively get lots of comments, which enhance your social proof. Contest with a prize and a funny task to participate. Great!
Great Post once again!! Posts like this keeps me coming back for more for sure!
Hi Glen,
This was a wonderful read! Thank you. Some posts I comment on (sorry to be so late here – just learned about your blog through Griddy’s Sunday SuperPost roundup.) Some I tweet and some (though rarely) I bookmark. I’m bookmarking this one for future reference.
What I learned: my post today, entitled “Fight or Flight: How Do You Decide?” would have been better as “Fight or Flight: How to Decide.”? What do you think?
Lori
P.S. And some I immediately add to my Reader!
Thanks for the comment Lori.
I think there is still room for improvement. I would need to know what the post is about though
. The section after the colon is used for HYPE!
Hi Glen,
It’s here: http://lifeforinstance.com/2011/03/21/flight-or-flight-how-do-you-decide/
improve away! I’m really bad at headlines!
Lori
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a headline post this good! My headline-writing talents have come a long way, but they could still use some tweaks and improvements. And I think you’ve touched upon an important detail: don’t write a killer headline just to get clicks…it has to be relevant. Make sure your title actually has something to do with the post, otherwise you’re misleading readers (which is tricksy and false)! I’ve been conned by headlines in the past and it doesn’t do much for my trust of those particular sites.
Brilliant post, Glen. I look forward to reading more from you!
Thanks for the post… I´ll try.
Saludos from Spain
Thanks for the info. Very informative reading here.
Thanks so much for this post! I’ve started using the tips and have noticed a huge increase in the number of clicks/reads the posts are getting – one received 138 in a number of hours. Considering it’s a small, localised blog, I was pretty amazed.
Thanks again!
LOL! I’ll add my headline in a second but I just had to share what just happened.
I Subscribed via email RSS (because Im so cut about missing all this headline related stuff since it’s my forte – or so I’m told) and the captcha code presented by feedburner was:
MEOWLK.
SOrry, but all this cat talk seriously is starting to influence things beyond your control!
NICE.
Now, a title so I can put my money where my mouth is (even though it is irrelevant at this point)
KittyLitter vs. Google Sandbox. Which Does My Kitten Prefer?
You are actually… a genius Glen (just a shame you’re a Newcastle United fan).
Awesome post! How about this headline:
How the Pro Bloggers Do it: 75 Do-It-Yourself Tools For Creating a Website That Dominates http://bit.ly/dRbmA2
This was actually the post I dropped today, and only after following your advice. Incredible results. 75% increase in hits using this type of formula.
BTW – I actually list Viper Chill as one of the top resources for getting your head in the game in this post. It’s my ADD interpretation of this whole blogger mess. Would love to hear your thoughts…
Thanks for sharing practical way to get links for a blog post
Thanks bringing this to our attention Glen – it’s amazing how many times we get the basics wrong in blogging/sport/life. I thought the best part was when you clearly stated that “If you don’t have the content to ‘back up’ your awesome headline, then it’s pointless crafting such a good headline in the first place” so in some ways the title of the post is the icing on the cake. Keep up the great posts.
Awesome post Glen! I love the information you just shared, I will definitely try this. Thanks for sharing…
Since it is not so easy to get a good website that accept guest posts, I now offer to everyone who want to promote their health and wellness related website or blog to guest post in the new blog of my Health & Happiness Magazine. You can get more information here: http://www.healthhappinessmag.com/blog/submit-post-guest-blogging.html
I just put in action a great idea from Glen in his http://cloudniche.com and I suggest everyone to subscribe!
I thought this information would be a value added to your readers Glen.
Please, spread the word!
Anna
Where have I been hibernating, not finding your blog sooner. As a healthy lifestyles blogger I need all the help I can get to drive traffic to my site. Your blog is awesome. Thank you.
Better late than never
Hi Glen
Let me start by telling you that this is my first visit to your blog. I found your blog from Brankica’s: “140 Blogs worth hopping” It looks like you are quiet successful and know what you are doing so I think I would be back here soon. From this post I have learned that I would have to make some better headlines to get peoples attentions.
Yes! Your absolutely right.
You’ve got to have a compelling headline to capture attention. Hopefully the flow of reading the rest of the post will follow.
Thanks
Richard
Thanks for the numerous examples of good headlines. My first reaction was to recall some of the extremely poor headlines I’ve seen. I’m often surprised at how little time some people put into creating a compelling headline supporting an otherwise great article, resulting in poor visibiilty.
Kittens: Shattering the black cat myths
The tips you have shared in crafting the best blog post title are indeed superb. I gonna use them in my next blog post. I will be creative this time.
thanks for the advice in this article, Now I can look to improve my headlines when writing articles.
The headines are really everything to get people to read the posts and share them. Thanks a lot for an amazing post!
You are right, the headlines go first, the quality content follows.
Well described in the post, you know to handle with words.
Great work, and i like the research youve put into finding out about the title / headline lilnk juice.
Hey Glen, Do you keep same Post Headlines in both search engines & on your website.
How Do you decide proper url for your long post headlines
You now have another gripped reader bookmarking this post for personal references and sharing to others. Well done.
I agree. Links are very useful for seo program. Thanks for the info.
Great Post! I appreciate the wealth of knowledge! If anyone runs into Frank Amos from Smart Choice Protection – Stay clear of this fraudster! He owes hundreds of thousands to people for services like this and lead generation!
This is great advice and so true. I think the more you right for your blog the more you master creating titles that make people curious and interested.
You certainly got me here with a great title.
Big thanks!
This post was so good I need to go back and read it again. Thanks for actually sharing worthwhile tips instead of just “post quality content”.
Wow I really enjoyed this post. There are a lot of great tips on how to create viral articles. Definitely made me look at article marketing from a different point of view. I wonder how much links to articles effect website rankings after the panda update. Is it still really worth the time to create said content anymore?
I think you have created an excellent post! I will definitely be using your insights to show my viewers how they can heal their own inner fears.
Very helpful info. Thanks
Most excellent post. I just created another “swipe file”
Cheers
Mark
Hi Glen,
great article, I heard about viperchill from another blogger I respect, Pat Flynn and now see why you have the good reputation you do.
Being new to all of this is I feel a little like a pinball bouncing around between various bits of ‘advice’ online about how to grow an audience, get shares, get retweets etc etc etc.
I’m not really a fan of using tricks or tactics (e.g. I hate the idea of article spinning for example) and have settled for now on a conclusion that the best thing by far has to be to concentrate on great content first and foremost and then secondly to try and write titles which draw people to that content – so this post sits very well with me.
thanks for sharing and I now have another site to add to my shortlist of favourites,
take care,
Alan
I thought the 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job headline was the absolute best one as it goes against normal thinking in that everybody knows you HAVE to get a job, right?! Then here comes this guy saying you should NEVER get one
..and with 3,390 links to it only confirms the truth of its effect!
Great post glen!! Lots of excellent info !! Thanks for sharing this epic content as usual
Just starting out in the world of blogging. Thought I’d have a go…
9 reasons why cats are smarter than humans
Thanks for the numerous examples of good headlines. My first reaction was to recall some of the extremely poor headlines I’ve seen. I’m often surprised at how little time some people put into creating a compelling headline supporting an otherwise great article, resulting in poor visibiilty
I love your cat. That´s all.