How to Take a Great Title and Twist it to Suit Your Blog

You already know how crucial it is to give your blog posts a great title.

After all, the title might well be the only thing a reader sees before deciding whether or not to read your whole post.

But how can you go about crafting a title that really works?

One simple way, especially when you’re starting out, is to borrow from other bloggers.

Is it OK to Use Someone Else’s Title?

While I’d never recommend copying someone’s title word for word, it’s fine to use their title as a template for inspiration: we’ll be looking at exactly how to do that in just a moment.
There’s no copyright on titles, plus most great title formulas are used again and again by many different blogs – so there’s a good chance that whoever you’ve borrowed the title from borrowed it from someone else first.

How to Twist a Title to Suit Your Blog

Here are three great titles taken from different niches. We’re going to look at how to “twist” these to work on very different blogs:

Title #1: No, Content Marketing Is Not a ‘Soft Skill’ (Sonia Simone, Copyblogger)

Title #2: Can’t Pick a Niche? There’s Another Way (Nathalie Lussier, NathalieLussier.com)

Title #3: 6 Ways the Hardback Momentum Planner Can Improve Your Productivity (Charlie Gilkey, Productive Flourishing)

All of these titles are attention-grabbing in different ways. Let’s take a closer look:

Title #1: No, Content Marketing Is Not a ‘Soft Skill’

This title creates some instant intrigue. It’s got a slightly confrontational tone – it’s essentially saying “what you’ve been told is wrong.”

The basic structure of this title is:

No, ____________ Is Not (a) ‘__________’

You could easily create a twist on it to fit your own blog or niche.

For instance:
-No, Leaving Your Baby to Cry it Out Is Not ‘Harmless’ (for a baby/parenting blog)
-No, Guest Posting Is Not ‘Over’ (for a blogging/online marketing blog)
-No, Your Procrastination Is Not ‘Inevitable’ (for a time management/self-improvement blog)

Title #2: Can’t Pick a Niche? There’s Another Way

Again, this title instantly gets the reader interested. It poses a problem they’ve been having – probably a big one – and promises a different way (that, by implication, they probably haven’t thought of).

The basic structure of this title is:

Can’t _____________? There’s Another Way

Here are some ways you could twist it to suit different blogs and niches:

-Can’t Agree on a Baby Name? There’s Another Way (for a baby/parenting blog)
-Can’t Get to Grips with SEO? There’s Another Way (for a blogging/online marketing blog)
-Can’t Get Up Early? There’s Another Way (for a time management/self-improvement blog)

Title #3: 6 Ways the Hardback Momentum Planner Can Improve Your Productivity

I chose this as it’s a solid example of a title that works well for a marketing post (a type of content that can be particularly tricky to make engaging).

The basic structure of this title is:

X Ways (the) ________________ Can Improve Your _______________

Here are some ways you could change that title to fit different blogs and niches:

-3 Ways the New Parents’ Online Conference Can Improve Your Parenting (for a baby/parenting blog)
-7 Ways that Our New Plugin Can Improve Your Blog (for a blogging/online marketing blog)
-4 Ways the Time Hackers Facebook Group Can Improve Your Life (for a time management / self-improvement blog)

I’m sure by now, you’re getting the idea! Just take a look through your email inbox for blog post titles (you can do this with email newsletter subject lines too). What catches your eye? How could you use a similar title on your own blog?

If you need a few titles to practice with, have a go at “twisting” some of these:

Example #1:
Original title: How to Write Short Sentences and Paragraphs the Right Way (and Why it Matters), Ali Luke, ProBlogger

Template: How to ________________ the Right Way (and Why it Matters)

Example #2:
Original title: How to Protect Your Child from Perfectionism, Lisa Parkes, A Fine Parent

Template: How to Protect _______ from ___________

Example #3:
Original title: My 9 Writing Goals for the New Year, K.M. Weiland, Helping Writers Become Authors

Template: My X _________ Goals for ___________

Example #4:
Original title: It’s Not About You: What Editors Want Writers To Know About Pitching, Elizabeth Spencer, Be a Freelance Blogger

Template: It’s Not About You: What _________ Want _______ To Know About _________

Example #5:
Original title: How to Handle Own Goals, Paul Digiovanni, MichaelHyatt.com

Template: How to Handle __________________

Feel free to share your versions – and any other great title templates you come across – in the comments below.

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Original post: How to Take a Great Title and Twist it to Suit Your Blog

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