As you may recall, in Part 1 of this series we talked about what to do and not to do when writing headlines that will lead to someone reading your post.  In Part 2, we will present some proven formulas for building compelling headlines that have been used by successful bloggers.

First, we’ll run through a quick overview of the various types of post, and then we will present the formula for writing headlines, with examples, and the post types they work best with.

So let’s get started!

Main Post Types

This is not a definitive list, but it covers the types of posts that you see most often in the blogosphere.

1. News posts provide current, factual information that is of interest to your audience.
2. Informational posts are similar to news posts, but they are focused on the niche as opposed to current events. They are an excellent way to establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
3. Instructional posts tell the reader how to do something.
4. Entertaining posts are funny, silly, shocking, or in some other way entertaining. They are meant to be fun and are very shareable.  Cat pic posts fit into this category.
5. Personal story posts tell your story.  How you did something, what you learned from experience,  how you handled a transition, and so forth.
6. Case studies are similar to personal stories but they are about someone else.
7. Cheat Sheet posts provide information on a vast subject in a condensed and concise fashion. They are short on details, frequently taking the form of a checklist or tips & tricks.
8. List posts are a big favorite of bloggers and readers alike. They grab readers’ attention, keep them on your site while they click through, and they are very shareable.
9. Wake up calls are intended to snap your audience out of some sort of misguided habit or behavior. They start with something the reader is doing wrong, then encourage the reader to change, and then give them advice on how to do so.
10. Product reviews tell readers what a product is like before they buy it.
11. Opinion pieces are written to present your perspective.  They are designed to create discussion, offend people, rally the troops, rally people to a cause, challenge their beliefs.
12. Articles in a series present information on a large, frequently overwhelming topic, and then break it down into standard post-size chunks (like this one).

Now that we have the basic post types defined, we can look at some basic headline formulas, with examples, and the post types they are most commonly used for.

Formulas

[sociallocker id=”1785″]One last thing.  The formulas presented below are by no means definitive.  My suggestion is that you start off with determining what type of post you have written.  Once you have done that, you can refer to the formula table and see which formulas are best for the type of post.  Then you can play with plugging in the variables until you come up with something you like.

Oh, and don’t forget to apply the tips from Part 1.

Do you have another formula for headlines you have used successfully in the past?  If so, let us know in the comments section.

As always, happy blogging!

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