92 Formulas for Creating Click-Worthy Blog Titles
We’re going to share with you 92 different formulas for creating blog titles that people will notice and click through to see your blogging content (the quality of your article is still up to you!)
Yes, 92. You’ve got this.
98toGo marketing and business consultant Matthew Bivens is a blog-writing machine. How does he keep his blog titles engaging and creative, even when he’s not feeling especially engaging or creative?
Coming up with creative blog titles is one of Matthew’s least favorite recurring tasks. We asked him for ways to keep blog titles compelling, and holy cow, he gave us 92 ideas.
“Personally, I extremely dislike writing blog article titles (also referred to as headlines). When that task pops up in my calendar, whether it’s for my own blogging efforts or my clients, I cringe and go to a dark place. I’m just being honest here. I find it difficult, tedious, and at times creatively frustrating,” he says.
“But instead of moaning about it each week, I set off to find the most helpful and immediately actionable information online about writing effective blog article titles.” Thank heavens. Now, with his blessing, let’s steal all of Matthew’s ideas.
The Magic of Using Formulas for Blog Titles
In his research, Matthew found about a dozen different articles citing and sharing blog title formulas, and he synthesized his findings here.
Using the formulas is simple: just fill out the [brackets]. Because one size doesn’t always fit all, plan on tweaking the formula/title to best suit your needs. These formulas should not replace your own creative thinking, rather they should be used as a jumping off point to inspire your title creation. Each formula has a few examples so you can see how the formulas can be used.
How-To Formulas (16)
How to [Blank]
Examples:
How to Read
How to Write Headlines That Work
How to Increase Your Blog Subscription Rate by 254%
How to Be [Desirable Quality]
Examples:
How to Be Interesting
How to Be Creative
How to Be a Savvy Investor
How to [Blank] (Even If [Common Obstacle])
Examples:
How to Lose Weight (Even If You Can’t Stick to a Diet)
How to Make Money Online (Even If You’re No Good with Computers)
How to Be the Life of the Party (Even If You’re a Closet Introvert)
How to [Blank] Without [Objectionable Action]
Examples:
How to Find Your Prince Without Kissing Any Frogs
How to Take Your Family to Disney World Without Spending a Fortune
How to Work at Home Without Quitting Your Job
How to [Do Something] While You [Do Something Else]
Examples:
How to Get Smarter While You Watch Television
How to Be Productive While You’re Waiting in Line
How to Create Dreamy Content While You Sleep
How to [Engage in a Leisure Activity] and [Achieve Result Associated With Labor]
Examples:
How to Work from Home and Get Twice As Much Done
How to Do Less and Get More
How to Eat Junk Food and Still Lose Weight
How to [Do Something] That Your [Target Audience] Will Love
Examples:
How to Pick a Movie Your Date Will Love
How to Give a Toast Your Boss Will Love
How to Build a Treehouse Your Kids Will Love
How to Use [Blank] to [Blank]
Examples:
How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business
How to Use Food from Your Freezer to Make Cleaning Supplies
How to Use the “Rule of Three” to Create Engaging Content
How to [Blank] in [Year]
Examples:
How to Write an Ebook That Sells in 2017
How to Meet Your Soulmate in 2018
How to Dress like a Rock Star in 2019
How to [Blank] — The Ultimate Guide
Examples:
How to Attract Links and Increase Web Traffic — The Ultimate Guide
How to Conquer Writer’s Block — The Ultimate Guide
Speech Recognition for Bloggers — The Ultimate Guide
How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb [Group]
Examples:
How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb Drivers
How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb Shoppers
How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb Investors
How [Your Field] is Like [Blank]
Examples:
How Social Media Marketing Is Like “Dungeons and Dragons”
How a Restaurant’s First Year is Like the NFL
How PR work is like Middle School
How [Someone] [Did Something Unbelievable]
Examples:
How One Non-Profit Is Raising Millions Using Facebook
How I Bought My First Home by Investing in Light Bulbs
How Our Gym Revolutionized Cardio for Women
How do you do [Activity]?
Examples:
How Do You Balance Your Checkbook?
How Do You Ensure Your Architect Knows What They’re Doing?
How Do You Use Twitter Lists?
How [Blank] Made Me [Blank]
Example:
How a “Fool Stunt” Made Me a Star Salesman
How an Obvious Idea Made Me $3.5 Million
How Moving to Iowa Improved My Sex Life
Numbers Formulas (16)
[#] Warning Signs That [Blank]
Examples:
5 Warning Signs That You’re About to Get Audited by the IRS
10 Warning Signs That You Chose the Wrong Blog Topic
7 Warning Signs That You’re Drunk on Your Own Words
[#] [Blank] for [Event/Cause/Process]
Examples:
101 Hors D’oeuvre Ideas for Your Next Dinner Party
21 Traffic Triggers for Social Media Marketing
72 Home Remedies for Curing Insomnia
[#] Killer Resources for [Audience/Process]
Examples:
72 Killer Resources for Modernizing Your Kitchen
87 Killer Resources for Incoming Freshmen
101 Killer Resources for Making Money As a Stay-At-Home Mom
The Top 10 [Blank]
Examples:
The Top 10 Beaches in South America
Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2018
The Top 10 Anniversary Gifts Your Wife Will Adore
[#] [Blank] Secrets Every [Audience] Should Know
Examples:
7 Heart Health Secrets Every Patient Should Know
14 Bedtime Secrets Every Parent Should Know
5 Secretarial Secrets Every Salesperson Should Know
[#] Surprising Reasons [Blank]
Examples:
7 Surprising Reasons You Feel Depressed During the Winter
11 Surprising Reasons Cops Pull You Over (and Not the Guy Beside You)
21 Surprising Reasons Why Your Teenage Son Won’t Talk to You
The [#] Laws for [Blank]
Examples:
The 10 Laws of Super Bowl Parties
One Dad’s 7 Laws for Dating His Daughter
The 5 Immutable Laws of Persuasive Blogging
[#] Steps to [Blank]
Examples:
7 Steps to a Seven-Figure Restaurant Business
10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer
3 Surefire Steps for Beating the Boring Content Blues
Get [Blank]! 10 Ideas That Really Work
Examples:
Get More Traffic! 10 Ideas That Really Work
Get a Great Man! 10 Ideas That Really Work
Get Rich from Home! 10 Ideas That Really Work
[#] Things Your [Target Audience] Needs to Hear You Say
Examples:
7 Things Your Teenage Son Needs to Hear You Say
Want a Promotion? 6 Things Your Boss Needs to Hear You Say
5 Things Your Wife Needs to Hear You Say on Your Anniversary
[#] Ways to [Improve in your Role]
Examples:
10 Ways to Make You a Great CEO
50 Tips to Maximize your Marketing Ability
10 Rules-of-thumb to Make you an Accounting God
48 Tweetable Stats To Make You An Online Marketing Smartypants
Do You Recognize the [Number] Early Warning Signs of [Blank]?
Examples:
Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of High Blood Pressure?
Do You Recognize the 6 Early Warning Signs of an Employee Meltdown?
Do You Recognize the 5 Early Warning Signs of Internet Addiction?
[#] Ways to [Blank]
Examples:
101 Ways to Cope With Stress
21 Ways to Live a Better Life With Less
5 Ways to Write Killer Headlines
[#] Lies About [Something Common]
Examples:
12 Lies Real Estate Agents Are Telling About the Housing Market
8 Veterinarians Tell About Canine Heartworms
9 Lies About the Job Market from Your Career Advisor
[#] Ways to [Do Something]
Examples:
73 Ways to Become a Better Writer
10 Effective Ways to Get More Blog Subscribers
5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post with a Bang
10 [Things You Need to Know in Order to Succeed at You Job]
Examples:
10 Social Media Facts, Figures And Statistics You Need To Know
10 Strategies for Surviving a Call Center
10 Examples of Failed Cafes (and How you can Avoid their Fate)
Simplicity Formulas (13)
The Minimalist Guide to [Aggravation]
Examples:
The Minimalist Guide to Twitter
The Minimalist Guide to Cooking a Nutritious Dinner
The Minimalist Guide to Homework (Keep Your Good Grades!)
[#] Shortcuts for [Completing Tedious Process] in Record Time
Examples:
10 Shortcuts for Becoming an Authority in Your Field in Record Time
7 Shortcuts for Building a Company Website in Record Time
21 Perfectly Legal Shortcuts for Finishing Your Taxes in Record Time
Get Rid of [Recurring Problem] Once and for All
Examples:
Get Rid of Your Yellow Toenails Once and for All
Get Rid of That Squirrel in Your Attic Once and for All
Get Rid of Comment Spammers Once and for All
How to End [Problem]
Examples:
How to End Your Fight with the IRS
How to End Writer’s Block Forever (And Make Readers Fall in Love with You)
How to End a Dating Disaster Without Being Rude
How to [Blank] in [#] Minutes
Examples:
How to Reduce Your Junk Mail in 5 Minutes
How to Write an Article in 20 Minutes
How to Knock $127 Off Your Phone Bill in 15 Minutes or Less
[#] [Blank] Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for [Blank]
Examples:
101 Headline Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Writing Headlines That Explode Traffic
21 Homework Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for Doing Your Homework in One Hour or Less
37 Income Tax Hacks: An Insider’s Guide to Hidden Deductions
Here’s a Quick Way to [Solve a Problem]
Example:
Here’s a Quick Way to Get Over a Cold
Here’s a Quick Way to Potty Train Junior
Here’s a Quick Way to Backup Your Hard Drive
Give Me [Short Time Period] and I’ll Give You [Blank]
Examples:
Give Me Five Days – And I’ll Give You the Secret of Learning any Subject!
Give Me Three Minutes a Day – and I’ll Give You a Better Complexion.
Give Me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make You a Better Blogger.
The Lazy [Blank’s] Way to [Blank]
Examples:
The Lazy Woman’s Way to Riches
The Lazy Dad’s Way to Quickly Getting Dinner on the Table
The Lazy Blogger’s Way to Write Great Post Titles
See How Easily You Can [Desirable Result]
Examples:
See How Easily You Can Learn to Dance This New Way
See How Easily You Can Own a Lamborghini Miura
See How Easily You Can Increase Traffic With Social Media
You Don’t Have to Be [Something Challenging] to be [Desired Result]
Examples:
You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Retire on a Guaranteed Income for Life
You Don’t Have to Be a Geek to Make Money Online
You Don’t Have to Be an A-Lister to Be a Kick-Ass Blogger
Get [Desired Result] in [Desirable Time Period]
Examples:
Fix Your Poor Eyesight With a Simple 2-Hour Procedure
How To Become Debt-Free in 90 Days or Less
Master the German Language in Record Time
Can’t Keep up? [#] Ways to Simplify Your [Blank]
Examples:
Can’t Keep up? 11 Ways to Simplify Your Gmail Inbox
Can’t Keep up? 21 Ways to Simplify Your Search for New Clients
Can’t Keep up? 7 Ways to Simplify Your Wardrobe for 2018’s Trendiest Looks
Mistakes Formulas (9)
Do You Make These [#] [Blank] Mistakes?
Examples:
Do You Make These 9 Parenting Mistakes?
Do You Make These 7 Mistakes When You Write?
Do You Recognize These 10 Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking?
[#] [Blank] Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb
Examples:
7 Email Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb
Five Grammatical Errors That Make You Look Dumb
9 Silverware Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb at a Fancy Restaurant
[#] [Blank] Mistakes That Make You [Look/Sound] Like a [Blank]
Examples:
5 Grammar Mistakes That Make You Sound like a Chimp
7 Resume Mistakes That Make You Look like a Loser
10 Overreactions That Make Moms Look like Maniacs
[#] [Blank] Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
Examples:
11 Fashion Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
21 Accounting Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
5 Cholesterol Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making
Don’t Do These [#] Things When [Blank]
Examples:
Don’t Do These 12 Things When Writing Headlines
Don’t Do These 5 Things When Passing through Airport Security
Don’t Do These 7 Things When You’re with a Guy You Just Met
Are You Making this Mistake that’s [Leading to a Bad Result]?
Example:
Are These 6 Stupid Blog Mistakes Costing Your Business Leads?
Have you Fallen into the Shoe Store Trap?
Is Your Revolving Debt Lowering Your Credit Score?
Get Rid of [Pain/Problem] Once and For All
Example:
Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All
Get Rid of That Carpet Stain Once and For All
Get Rid of That Mullet Hairdo Once and For All
Do You Make These [Kinds of] Mistakes?
Examples:
Do You Make These Mistakes in English?
Do You Make These HTML Coding Mistakes?
Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Blog?
Fear Formulas (12)
How Safe Is Your [Valuable Person/Object] from [Threat]?
Examples:
How Safe Is Your Marriage from Your Husband’s Secretary?
How Safe Is Your Family’s Land from Developers with Powerful Friends?
How Safe Are Your Shoes from These 10 Types of Dogs?
Warning: [Blank]
Examples:
Warning: Use These 5 Sure-fire Headline Formulas at Your Own Risk
Warning: These Over-The-Counter Medications Can Kill Your Dog
Warning: Testimonials Without Proof Can Land You in Jail
Can We Really Trust [Person/Company/Product]?
Examples:
Can We Really Trust the EPA?
Can We Really Trust PayPal?
Can We Really Trust Tylenol? 7 Things You Should Know
The Shocking Truth About [Blank]
Examples:
The Shocking Truth About Facebook
The Shocking Truth About Wells Fargo
The Shocking Truth About Tiger Woods
The Great [Blank] Hoax
Examples:
The Great Achievement Hoax
The Great Botany Hoax: What Are Scientists Really Hiding?
The Great Income Tax Hoax: Proof That Taxes Are Unconstitutional!
How [Blank] Gamble with Your [Blank]: [#] Ways to Protect Yourself
Examples:
How Doctors Gamble with Your Life: 7 Ways to Protect Yourself
How Clients Gamble with Your Reputation: 5 Ways to Protect Yourself
How Banks Gamble with Your Money: 11 Ways to Protect Yourself
[#] Lies [Group of People] Like to Tell
Examples:
9 Lies Telephone Con Artists Like to Tell
14 Lies Cheaters Like to Tell Their Dates
7 Lies the Media Likes to Tell About North Korea
13 Things Your [Trusted Person] Won’t Tell You
Examples:
13 Things Your Financial Advisor Won’t Tell You
21 Things Your Website Designer Won’t Tell You
7 Things the Teacher Won’t Tell You about Your Child
[#] Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your [Blank]
Examples:
5 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Divorce Settlement
7 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Search Engine Rankings
9 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Baby’s Intelligence
[Your Audience] Alert: The New [Blank] Scam to Avoid
Examples:
Mom Alert: The New Daycare Scam to Avoid
Home Buyer Alert: The New Financing Scam to Avoid
Traveler Alert: The New Airline Scam to Avoid
If You Don’t [blank] Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later
Examples:
If You’re Out of the Market Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.
If You’re Not at SXSW this Spring, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.
If You Don’t Start Medication Now, You’ll Hate You Later.
[Threat] + [Promise of a solution]
Examples:
Keep SIDS Away: Put Your Baby to Sleep On His Back
Avoid a Leaky Basement In 5 Easy Steps
Don’t Let Democracy Crumble: Volunteer in Your Nearest Swing District
Insider Advice / Expert Advice Formulas (9)
New [Never-Before-Seen Thing] [Does Something Revolutionary]
Examples:
New Phone App Makes Home-Delivery a Breeze
New Micro-Durable Fiber Changes Winter Jackets Forever
New Technology Makes your Blueprints Obsolete
Exclusive Strategies from [a Sector Expert]
Examples:
23 Pay-Per-Click Lessons From Marketing Masterminds
10 Tips for Keeping You Looking Young (from the Health Guru)
A 25-year Middle-Manager’s Guide to Staying Sane in your Cubicle
The Secret Trick to [Achieve a Goal]
Examples:
4 Journalist Secrets Every PR Person Should Know
The 10 Secrets For Keeping a Non-Profit Afloat
15 Corporate Law Secrets you Weren’t Taught at School
Who Else Wants [Desired Result]?
Examples:
Who Else Wants a Higher Paying Job?
Who Else Wants More Fun and Less Stress When on Vacation?
Who Else Wants All Desserts to Taste This Good?
The Secret of [Specific Subject Matter]
Examples:
The Secret of Successful Podcasting
The Secret of Protecting Your Assets in Litigation
The Secret of Getting Your Home Loan Approved
Here is a Method That is Helping [Specific Person(s)] to [Get Desirable Result]
Examples:
Here is a Method That is Helping Atlanta City Councilmembers to Connect With Residents
Here is a Method That is Helping Children Learn to Read Sooner
Here is a Method That is Helping Bloggers Write Better Post Titles
Little Known Ways to [Get A Result]
Example:
Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill
Little Known Ways to Hack Google’s Gmail
Little Known Ways to Lose Weight Quickly and Safely
Now You Can Have [Something Desirable] and [Another Desirable Outcome]
Example:
Now You Can Quit Your Job and Make Even More Money
Now You Can Meet Sexy Singles Online Without Spending a Dime
Now You Can Own a Cool Mac and Still Run Windows
[Undesired Result] + [Mysterious Solution]
Examples:
How To Avoid Public Embarrassment: A Professional Speaker’s Secret Revealed
17 Little Known Email Hacks That Keep You Out of Productivity Hell
A Misunderstood Home Remedy For Reducing Heart Disease
Do Something Great Formulas (6)
[Do Something] Like [Famous Person]: [#] Ways to [Blank]
Examples:
Launch Like Steve Jobs: 7 Ways to Build Buzz for Your Next Product Reveal
Eat Like Oprah: 20 Ways to Be Your Own Celebrity Chef
Run Like Adrian Peterson: 10 Ways to Be the Back They’ll Never Bring down
[Famous Person’s] Top 10 Tips for [Blank]
Examples:
Meghan Markle’s Top 10 Tips for Finding Your Prince
Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips for Writing Well
David Bach’s Top 10 Tips for Saving for Retirement After Age 50
The [World-Class Example] School of [Blank]
Examples:
The Tony Soprano School of Leadership
The House M.D. School of Torturing Your Employees
The Yogi Berra School of Persuasive Writing
The [World-Class Example] Guide to [Blank]
Examples:
The Pixar Guide to Storytelling
The Hasbro Guide to Winning at Scrabble
The Warren Buffet Guide to Responsible Investment
Secrets of [Elite Group]
Examples:
Secrets of NFL Hall of Famers
Secrets of the Fortune 500: 22 Tactics That Keep Them on Top
Secrets of Hollywood A-Listers: How to Look like a Movie Star
What [World-Class Example] Can Teach Us about [Blank]
Examples:
What The Great Depression Can Teach Us About Resilience
What Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson Can Teach Us About Marriage
What the Watergate Scandal Can Teach You About Opposition Research
Powerful Results Formulas (11)
How to Take Charge of Your [Unruly Problem]
Examples:
How to Take Charge of Your Credit Card Debt
How to Take Charge of Your Junk Mail Folder in Microsoft Outlook
How to Take Charge of Your Blog’s Comment Section
[Amazingly Awesome and/or Sexy Things] you Should Read About
Examples:
3 Awesome Ways To Identify Your Biggest Fans & Collect Customer Testimonials
10 Amazing Strategies to Ensure Your Pet Store Succeeds
5 Life-Changing Choices to Help You Run Without Pain
The Zen of [Blank]
Examples:
The Zen of Rush-Hour Traffic
The Zen of Writing with Kids Around: 11 Ways to Quiet Your Mind
The Zen of Team Meetings: How to Never Lose Control Again
[Do Something] like [World-class Example]
Examples:
Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat
Direct Like Spielberg
Lead Like Lincoln
Have/Build/Create/Get a [Blank] You Can Be Proud Of
Examples:
Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of
Have a Smile You Can Be Proud Of
Build a Blog Network You Can Be Proud Of
What Everybody Ought to Know About [Blank]
Example:
What Everybody Ought to Know About Diabetes
What Everybody Ought to Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages
What Everybody Ought to Know About Writing Great Headlines
Are You [Blank]?
Examples:
Are You Ashamed of Smells in Your House?
Are You Ready to Learn Chinese for Your Next Job?
Are You a Courageous Marketer?
If You’re [Blank], You Can [Blank].
Examples:
If You’re a Non-Smoker, You Can Save 33% on Life Insurance
If You’re an Accountant, Our Frequent Flyer Program Really Adds Up
If You Love Scuba, You Can Dive Belize This Week for only $199!
[Provide Social Proof] [Ask a Compelling Question]
Examples:
Millions of Dollars Refinanced: Can You Afford To Ignore Changes In Mortgage Rates?
Good Enough for the Queen: Do You Know Why Corgis Make the Best Pets?
Do You Know Why Thousands of Cancer Survivors Gather In Central Park Every October?
The [Previously Untrusted or Unproven Product] That [Authoritative Person/Group of People] Now Endorse
Examples:
The Emerging Trend In Skin Care That Julia Roberts Swears By
A New Way To Talk Business: Why Every IBM’er Is Now Using Android Mobile Phones
The Water Substitute Thousands of Fitness Trainers Are Using To Hydrate
[Respected Person/Group of People] + [Exclusive/New Information]
Examples:
Tim Cook Reveals All About Apple’s Revolutionary Security Process
A Fresh Look At An Ancient Problem: How Los Angeles City Planners Overcame The Energy Crisis
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Latest Film Technology from Walt Disney Feature Animation
Creative Ways To Use These Blog Title Formulas
There you go! Ninety-two blog title formulas that you can use today to fill out your editorial calendar!
Not only do I want you to have these formulas, but I also want to give you some clever ways to make the best use of them. Here are some ideas:
- Do a “How-to” series that you publish once a week for a set number of weeks, then repurpose those blog articles into an ebook!
- Focus on each category for a week/month. Let your subscribers know that you’re doing an “Insider Advice” month or a week of “Simplicity” themed articles.
- Customize one title from each category and produce a blog article for each. Start over when you reach the end.
- Write your own versions of all 92 titles, and have enough content for months!
