So you’ve got a blog or book idea in mind—but you’re not sure what to call it. Does it matter? How much does the title affect your ability to capture readers?
Uh… tons.
A solid title piques the reader’s interest and entices her to take a closer look. It also suggests the type of content the reader will find inside. It is funny, serious, educational, inspirational? Think of your title as a promise you’re making to your readers—to unwrap a particular message page by page or post by post, leading to a clear conclusion or benefit.
Does your title do that?
Here are five tips for choosing the right title for your book or blog site.
1. Keep it short—ideally, three words or less. Shorter titles make a stronger impact and they provide more flexibility for cover or logo design. There are exceptions to this general rule, but in most cases, short is a smart approach. Save your wordiness for the subtitle, which we’ll get to in a minute.
2. Make it memorable. How punchy is your title? Is it easy to remember? Does it roll off the tongue, or does it trip people up? Are the words of your title easy to spell? {One exception is a blog titled after the author’s name. Believe me, few people on the planet know how to spell “Kopitzke” except for my children and my in-laws, but if you’re establishing yourself as an author or speaker, it is wise to title your blog/brand according to your first and last name.}
3. Expound with the subtitle. Since your title should be short and memorable, use the subtitle to explain in plainer terms what your book or blog is all about. {In the blogging world we call this a tagline.} The subtitle can be longer, but not excessive. It essentially tells the reader what he or she will find within your book, what problem it solves or benefit it offers.
Examples of book titles/subtitles:
- The Cranky Mom Fix: Get a Happier, More Peaceful Home by Slaying the “Momster” in All of Us
- Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire With God, Not Food
- Never Unfriended: The Secret to Finding and Keeping Lasting Friendships
- Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- Do It Scared: Finding the Courage to Face Your Fears, Overcome Adversity, and Create a Life You Love
Examples of blog title/subtitles:
- Emily P Freeman: Creating space for your soul to breathe
- Money Saving Mom: Intentional Finance. Intentional Family. Intentional Business.
- Paper & Stitch: DIYs and design for your modern life
4. Be unique. And by “unique” I don’t mean unicorn artsy, necessarily—you just need to avoid duplicating a title that’s already popular. So do some research. Conduct a Google and/or Amazon search for your title. If you discover it’s already being used by somebody else, assess whether the “somebody else” is a big player or small enough not to compete or confuse your readers. But PLEASE do yourself a favor and make sure your title is not trademarked. My second book, Generous Love, was nearly printed before my publisher discovered someone held a trademark on the title (originally Love Forward)—and we had to halt everything and change it. It still pains me to think about it.
5. Own the URL. If at all possible, choose a title that has an available .com URL—then buy it. This is especially critical for a new blog. Readers of My Beautiful Blog will expect to find you at MyBeautifulBlog.com, or at the very least they’ll search for the name of your blog. If your site doesn’t show up in a keyword search because you chose to go with a URL that doesn’t match your blog name, you’ll seriously limit your potential. For books, if the title is not available as a .com, try TitleBook.com (such as GenerousLoveBook.com) as a safe second choice.
The right title can appeal to the right readers for the right reasons. So what titles do you have in mind? Shoot me a message and let’s chat about it. Your title is a critical part of the writing process!
Write on,
Becky
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