Surprising Blog Titles

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“If it is broken, don’t fix it”, reads the tile of an article in this month’s issue of Indianapolis Monthly. (Wait — what?) Experts advise, the article relates, that, if it’s going to cost more than 50 percent of the value to fix an item, you’re better off replacing it with a new one. The author was apparently following a piece of advice from the Rob Powers Business Blog: For a catchy title, use the unusual insight, delivering the unexpected. “Write a headline that makes people do a kind of double-take when they read it. Make them wonder and ask if it’s even possible,” says incomedieary.com, citing a National Enquirer piece titled “How Jack the weakling Slaughtered the Dance Floor Hog”.

In two-part titles, we teach at Say It For You, the first part (the “huh?”) needs a subtitle to make clear what the article is about. The second part (the “oh!”) clarifies what the focus of the piece is going to be. Another title from this month’s issue of Indianapolis Monthly is an example of a “Huh?-Oh!”. The “Huh?” – Street Wise (this part could be about a variety of things from infrastructure to drug trafficking). The “Oh!” – : “A new retail space angles to be both sanctuary and style inspiration”,  with the article providing details about new streetwear retailer Sanctuary by Streetly.

To a certain degree, in business blog writing, we don’t have the luxury of using totally “mysterious” titles, since search engine algorithms will be matching the phrases used in our titles with the terms typed into readers’ search bars. For that reason, composing business blog post titles involves a combination of art and science, arousing readers’ curiosity and, at the same time, satisfying search engines. The title “Wink Wink”, for example, while a cute name (for a piece about tweed multi-effect eye shadows, is unlikely to link to a search for makeup options. The “Oh!” part of the equally enigmatic “Jump In”, on the other hand, explains that that the article features Bloomington’s Hopscotch Kitchen. “Slice of Life” is about Bargersville Pizza and Libations, while “Make a Break” is about Tennesee’s Maker City. The winning combination, it seems is to arouse curiosity to the point that readers want to find out what the devil that first part of the title means.

Where a lesson learned in one field of activity is applied to a completely different field of activity, those headlines grab people’s attention because they offer a completely new perspective on something, Rob Powell goes on to explain. Promise readers to help them avoid pain or failure, solve problems, and gain insights, but the story begins with surprising blog titles.

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Variety is the Spice of Blogging

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“Variety is the spice of life, and of reading,” Diana Pho writes in Writer’s Yearbook 2023. “Watch how you balance dialogue, narration, and exposition on the page….Break up your sentence structure to keep your reader’s attention,” the fiction editor advises. “Break up your sentence structure to keep your readers’ attention.” While you’re at it, a second Writers Digest advisor, Steve Almond, suggests, “Why don’t you consider a new POV (point of view)?”

In business blogging, it’s generally a good rule to keep sentences short. Short sentences have power, we teach at Say It For You, and, particularly in titles, can more easily be shared on social media sites. However, not every sentence should be kept, and long sentences can be woven in with shorter ones. Then, once in a while, it’s a good idea to add an extremely short statement to add “punch” to the post. What’s the definition of a long sentence? According to thejohnfox.com, any sentence of more than 100 words is “almost guaranteed to be complex, complicated, and enormous”.

“The purpose of paragraphs is to break up an article into its logical divisions so that readers can easily grasp the thought,” explains freelancewriting.com. Each paragraph contains a single phase of the subject. Paragraphs in journalistic writing are usually shorter than in other kinds of writing. While varying the paragraph size in each post is a good idea, long paragraphs can be perceived as off-putting “wall of text”. “Start with a sentence that makes the reader ask a question, Wayne Schmidt suggests. (People hate unanswered questions.) It doesn’t have to be a literal question, just something that piques the reader’s curiosity.”

In blog marketing, variety is important not only in terms of sentence and paragraph length, but also in terms of the layout of the post itself. Different Layouts, writing coach Tony Rossiter explains, fulfill different purposes, including saving space, attraction attention, and raising questions. When it comes to business blogging, the placement of Calls to Action needs to be varied. Variations in the way the content itself is presented include beginning with the conclusion, then using the remainder of the blog post to prove the validity of that assertion. Bolding and bullet points add variety to the visual; impression.

Variety is the spice of blogging!

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Blog Topics Have Ninety-Nine Lives

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“How often do we celebrate the life of a cat?” asks Kostya Kennedy in the special LIFE issue of Cats – Companions in Life. Drawn by the pictures of adorable kittens to purchase the magazine, I found quite a number of valuable blog content writing pointers. The entire issue, with all the articles focused on cats, is proof of the fact that the same general topic can be approached in a myriad of ways. In fact, in order to add variety to a blog, I teach content writers to experiment with different formats, presenting the same business or practice from different vantage points, purposely tailoring the content to different segments of the customer base. We need to remember that, even within smaller segments of a target market, individual readers’ need for information, products or services was born in a slightly different space and has traveled a different path.
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The History of the House Cat
Once upon a time, we learn, the ancestor of today’s domestic feline was a wild creature prowling the deserts of the ancient Middle East. As hunter-gatherers turned into farmers, the found cats useful in getting rid of mice. The calmness of cats made them good house pets. In a blog, introducing the readers to the history of the brand, using stories about founders, current employees and alumni to “humanize” the content. Sharing history makes the focus less on what the company does and more about what it is. What’s more, sharing memories of the “good old times” that weren’t really so good in terms of efficiency and convenience, you have the ability to share with blog readers a sense of look-how-far-we’ve-come togetherness.

Secrets of Cat Behavior
What is a cat trying to say when it purrs? Why do cats like catnip? The blog content should share with readers the owners’ unique point of view within their own profession or industry and within the community. Myth-debunks are a great use of blogs, I’ve found, because many of the misunderstandings about a product or service present themselves in the natural order of business, in the form of questions and comments from readers and customers. The very word “secrets” is a draw in a blog post title, and shining the light of day on that misinformation shines light on your own expertise.

Shelter-Cat Success Stories
LIFE highlights stories of seven cats who, despite illness and injury, somehow beat the odds. Thanks to a network of compassionate humans… In your blog, customer success stories and client testimonials boost your credibility with new prospects, helping them decide to do business with you. Perhaps even more important, website testimonials foster commitment from those providing the testimonials and sharing success stories around using your products and services.

Just as the LIFE issue on cats takes a single topic, dealing with it many different ways, in blog content writing, today’s post can slant in one direction; tomorrow’s can take the same theme and highlight different aspect, perhaps appealing to different segments of the business’ (or the practice’s) audience. Blog topics can have, not just nine lives, but as many as ninety-nine!

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Take Care of Your Shoes

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As many as four buyers will intentionally take note of the condition of your shoes during a sales call, Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman of the Sandler Sales Institute caution. If prospects see worn or broken shoelaces, or worn heels and soles, they’ll lose confidence that you’ll pay proper attention to the details of their order. For blog content writers, there’s a lesson here…..

Realistically, online searchers who land on your blog are already interested in and have a need for the type of products or services you offer. The opening lines of your blog content then can offer “signs” to those readers that they’ve come to the right place:

  • You and your employees have the training and expertise to be able to deliver the desired advice, service, and products.
  • You’ve kept up with what others are saying on your topic, what’s in the news, and what problems and questions have been surfacing in your industry.
  • As a business owner or practitioner, you’ve stood by your work.
  • Your blog has used images, photos, graphs, charts, or even videos to add interest and evoke emotion.
  • The layout is targeted towards your target audience (Are they deal seekers looking for bargains on products and services they already use? Are they enthusiasts looking for information to support their hobbies and beliefs?).

But what about your blog’s “shoes”??

As a corporate blogging trainer, my favorite recommendation to both business owners and the freelance blog content writers they hire to bring their message to customers is this: Prevent blog content writing “wardrobe malfunctions”, including grammar errors, run-on sentences, and spelling errors. As Writer’s Digest Yearbook points out, unconventional or incorrect grammar may be seen as an indication of carelessness or ignorance. The result? Readers may take the content itself less seriously. At its worst, failure to use proper punctuation and sentence structure in blog posts can make content difficult to comprehend.

“It’s one thing to lose a sale because you can’t solve the buyer’s problem,” Deep and Sussman stress. “It’s quite another to fail because you didn’t fit the image of a professional salesperson.”

The message for content marketing professionals? Take care of your “shoes”, meaning the details of your blog posts!

 

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Starting the Year with Same-New, Same-New Blog Posts

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One concern I hear a lot from business owners or professional practitioners is that sooner or later, they’ll have depleted their supply of ideas for blog posts. “What else is left to say?” is the common thread in the questions I’m so often asked. Well, won’t we? (Run out of new ideas, that is.) But, wait! Isn’t that precisely what business blogging is, continually approaching the same core topics from different angles?

Smart blog marketers know there are many subsets of every target market group; not every message will work for every person, and online searchers need to know we’re thinking of them as individuals.

“If you’ve told the story before, explain why you’re repeating it now,” Elizabeth Bernstein advises in the Life & Arts section of the Wall Street Journal. There may not be the need to repeat stories, but there is a need to be alert for anecdotes about customers, employees, or friends who are doing interesting things or overcoming obstacles. Real-people stories of you, your people, and the people you serve are always a good idea.

Just like the recurring musical phrases that connect the different movements of a symphony, business blog posts are centered around key themes. As you continue to write about your industry, your products, and your services, you’ll naturally find yourself repeating some key ideas, adding more detail, opinion, and story around each.

In writing for business, as blog content writers soon learn, the variety comes from the e.g.s and the i.e.s, meaning all the details you fill in around these central “leitmotifs” . Different examples of ways the company’s products can be helpful, along with examples of how the company helped solved various problems.  It’s these stories and examples that lend variety to the blog, even though all the anecdotes reinforce the same few core ideas.

Start your year with “same-new” blog posts!

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