Let's make titles a little less exhausting

When I started writing online in February 2023, I found the topic of titles both intimidating and exhausting.

It felt like my success rested on this skill I’d never developed before (I’d considered putting “sucks at titles” on my resume), even as the writer in me complained that so much shouldn’t rest on just one thing.

What about, you know, the writing?

But the hard truth is that if people don’t click on your article or story, it won’t get read. Your first job is getting people to click.

This creates all kinds of conflicting advice and ridiculous titles, as people clamor for the attention of clicks:

  • Be bold—but not aggressive

  • Pique curiosity—but don’t be vague

  • Make a promise—but then deliver, or you’re clickbait

  • Keep it short and sweet—except when you need 17 words

  • Use strong language and power words—but not the same ones everyone else is using

The advice out there is so contradictory it nets out to no advice at all.

Just remember 3 things

Keep it simple. Remember:

  1. Don’t be clickbait: if you promise something, deliver.

  2. Accept that you’ll never nail every title.

  3. Experiment

Jay Clouse has an idea called the “regret test.” It means that people should never read your work and feel regret that they clicked on it. To me that’s a great definition of clickbait: it gets the click and then lets you down.

(no, I’m not going to Rick Roll you now)

And you’ll never nail every title, so don’t spend more time debating them than you have to.

If you ever find that every title you write seems to work, then chances are you’ve grown a big audience and people click on your work because of the implied credibility—and not for your wicked title techniques.

Make a list of “keepers”

I don’t find it useful to make lists of title types, or to analyze all the categories they fall into. Honestly, I’m too lazy for all that extra thought and analysis.

The biggest thing that’s worked for me so far is simple: creating a list of “keepers.”

I add to it when I see a title that made me click, or one that got lots of other people to click. And then I just list them in order. That’s it.

When I need ideas I scroll through my keepers, and it always helps me find a starting point to build from.

Here’s my latest list, to help you either add to or start up your own.

  • 4 Things I Did to Improve My Vocabulary

  • 4 Things That Will Make You More Intelligent, Focused, Inspired, and Caring

  • 4 Ways to Get Your Communication Tight without Saying A Word

  • 5 Perfect Books for When You Only Have A Few Minutes

  • 5 Unconventional Tips to Make Hard Tasks Easier

  • 6 Habits of Generous, Successful People

  • 6 Quotes from a 6-Year-Old That May Make You Stop and Think

  • 7 Habits That Will Help You Have More Fulfilling Days

  • 7 Ways to Stand Out Without Showing Off

  • 8 Questions to Ask Yourself If You’re Struggling to Make an Impact

  • 10 Helpful **[INSERT THING] For [OUTCOME]

  • 10 Little Behaviors That Attract People to You

  • 11 Phrases That People Love to Hear

  • 13 Mindset Shifts I Learned From Creators Much Smarter Than Me

  • 20 Things In Life That Just Aren’t Worth It

  • 21 Signs You’ll Become a Writer Who Makes Six Figures

  • 22 Lessons on Life, Love, and Choosing What Matters Most

  • Are You Aware of the Nasty Habit Killing Your Dreams?

  • Ask Yourself These 2 Unconventional Questions to Stand Out in 2022

  • Create More Opportunities By Asking Yourself This One Question

  • Don’t Listen to Productivity Gurus: Why Waking Up at 6am Won’t Make You Successful

  • Everyone Who Says You Should __ Is Wrong

  • How My Friend Made $400k From Selling an Insanely Simple eBook

  • How to Level Up Your Writing In 3 Minutes

  • How to Make Any Person Open Up and Feel Deeply Connected to You

  • If You Only Do A Few Things Every Morning, Do These

  • It Will Take Seven Jobs Before You Find the Work You Love

  • My Life Became Richer the Day I Stopped

  • Please Do Not Write a Book

  • Read This Before You Hire a _

  • Stop Trying to Reinvent Yourself and Get to Know Yourself Instead

  • The 5 Levels of Remote Work—and Why You’re Probably at Level 2

  • The 5 Most Important Questions To Answer If You Want To

  • The 7 Phrases You Should Never Say to Anyone

  • The Exact Steps I Followed to [ACCOMPLISHMENT]

  • The Future Belongs to Storytellers — Here Are 9 Ways for Your Stories to Beat the Machines.

  • The German Idea of “Hate Days” Helps Me Power Through My Most Annoying Tasks

  • The Lazy Way to Reach Financial Freedom: 9 Things You Probably Haven’t Thought Of

  • The Most Important Question to Ask Yourself When Building Your Brand

  • The One Productivity Tip I Wish I’d Followed When I Was Younger

  • The Only 4 Pieces of Advice I’d Tell My Younger Self

  • The only thing you have to do before 9am

  • The Power of Doing Nothing At All

  • The Shy Person’s Guide to Starting Conversations with Strangers

  • The Two Minutes It Takes To Read This Will Change Your ___ Forever.

  • The Ultimate Communication Skill: Learning When to Keep Quiet

  • This Doctor Used His Math Skills to Lose 26 Pounds in 12 Weeks

  • This Is How to Make a Passive Income Machine in 12 Months

  • To Retire Forever (And Do the Work You Love), Stop Doing These 10 Things

  • To Write Stories That Stick, Hone These 5 Proven Habits

  • Why You Shouldn’t Share Your Goals

  • You’re Not Good Enough Yet and That’s a Great Thing