Creating Killer Titles for Magazine Articles
A reader opens a magazine and flips through the pages looking for something interesting, something that catches their attention. Most readers stop at eye-catching photos, relevant graphics, and strong headlines.
I’ve crafted some clever titles throughout my career as a freelance writer. I once wrote an article about dog agility competitions and titled it “Dog Afternoon.” On another occasion, I wrote an article summarizing the health benefits of consuming honey. I titled it, “Honey Almighty.” I recently published an article I wrote about aquariums and titled it “One Fish, Two Fish”.
Crafting a strong title can grab the reader’s attention and encourage them to read your work. Here are six tips for creating killer titles.
1. Play numbers
Readers love to browse lists, so you can entice a reader by incorporating a number into your headline. For example, “Six Tips for Writing Strong Headlines,” “Ten New Year’s Resolutions,” “Top Ten Weather Apps,” or “A Dozen Bakers.”
2. Use sticky words
Include sticky words in your title. Easy, great, cheap, cheap, tips, solutions and fast are words that attract attention. Examples include “Easy Eats Under Ten Dollars,” “Quick Ways to Save Money,” and “Your Guide to Cheap Vacations.”
3. How to use question words in titles
Prescriptive nonfiction articles (also known as how-tos) are popular these days, so a reader may pause if they see a title with “How To” or “What Is” in the title. For example, “How to Snake-Proof Your Garden”, “How to Train for a Marathon”, “What is Fortune Telling?” or “When is a good time to buy a house?”
4. Languages
Consider using an idiom in your title. For example, “High on the Hog” might describe an article about living in luxury, riding a motorcycle, or eating pork. “Knock on wood” could be the title of an article about a master carpenter. And sometimes, I replace a word in a common language with a word that rhymes. For example, a fitness article on abdominal exercises might be called “Roll with the Crunches.”
5. Singing in the rain
Consider using the title of a popular song or the lyrics of its title. For example, “Blue Moon Rising” could be used to title an article about lunar anomalies, “Crocodile Rock” could be used to title an article about crocodiles, or “Living in a Material World” could be used to title an article about the decline of fabric stores in America. .
6. Seductive Alliteration
Sometimes, when I can’t think of a clever title, I use alliteration. Alliteration is the appearance of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely related words. Examples include “Seaside Splendor”, “Facebook Frenzy” and “Fearless and Female”.
Much of writing articles is trial and error. Make a list of several titles and ask your friends and family which one appeals to them the most. With a little practice, you too can create powerful titles for your articles.