22 Linkbait Headlines Almost Every Blogger Can Use
Written by: Eric Brantner on March 11, 2010 – 12:45 pm
Trying to craft the perfect piece of linkbait to land you on the front page of Digg or ReddIt? Want your post to go viral on Twitter? No matter how great your content is, if the headline sucks, it stands little chance of getting the attention it deserves. That’s why I’ve come up with a list of 22 linkbait headline ideas almost every blogger can use.
I’m sure there are plenty of great headlines I left off, so share your own by leaving a comment.
Note: For the purpose of this post, I’m just going to use the number 10 for any list headlines. Of course, you can change the number to anything you like for your linkbait post.
- 10 Things You Didn’t Know about _______
- 10 Reasons to Hate _________
- 10 Amazing Blogs about ________
- 10 Secrets about __________
- How Does ______ Work?
- How to be Great at _______
- 10 _________ Myths Exposed
- ______ Myths vs. the Facts
- 10 Deadly _______Mistakes You Might Be Making
- 10 Shocking Facts about _________
- 10 Questions to Ask about _________
- Everything You Know about _________ is Wrong
- 10 Amazing ________ Videos
- The Truth about _________
- The Science behind _________
- 10 Inspiring Quotes on _________
- 10 _______ Experts to Follow on Twitter
- 10 Funny Tweets about __________
- 10 _______ Rules You Should Follow
- How I Increased My _________ Success by 200%
- 10 Cool ________Tricks You Aren’t Using
- What (insert celebrity name here) can Teach You about _______
Add your own linkbai
March 11th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Yep, people love short top ten listings. They usually contain the top highlights of a topic and they are direct and to the point.
March 13th, 2010 at 1:40 am
A good list of suggested headlines. The one thing I’d point out is that using odd numbers – like “Top 7 Reasons…”, “11 Questions…” – tend to get more attention. This is something you’re clearly aware of, being that the title of this post begins with “22…”.
The theory behind it is that people have been so inundated with top 10 lists over the years that psychologically they tend to be more likely to skip over headlines that contain the number 10. Good list, though. It’s certainly a good starting point for people who struggle to get the desired attention brought to their content because of weak headlines…
March 13th, 2010 at 6:46 am
Some good basic information on headlines. Definitely useful for those who are having trouble writing headlines that draw sufficient attention to their content.
One thing I'd point out is the importance of choosing odd numbers, rather than doing a typical "top 10" list – like "7 Reasons…" or "11 Shocking Facts…". The theory behind it is that people have been so inundated with top 10 lists over the years that psychologically we're desensitized to them and tend to skip right over titles containing the number 10.
March 13th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
There's no secret that the best promotional tool for your blog post is a great title. Here's a few of my favorites:
-How to Choose a Good ________.
-What to Ask Your _________ Before Hiring Them.
-15 Factors That Affect Your __________.
March 14th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Hi Eric,
Good headlines are those that catch attention. While the headline examples you suggest are good, they may get less attention if overused.
Another headline that may catch attention would start:
-Why You Must Read ……… to Get…….
Vance
March 14th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Here is my:
10 ways to improve___________
10 rules you must follow when_____________
March 14th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
That is a great list! and a great starting point for writing. How about…
10 Best _______ in the world
10 most incredible ________
March 20th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
Excellent ideas for those stuck in a blogging hole aswell, can provide excellent blog topics in any given niche.
March 23rd, 2010 at 11:00 am
yo dawg! i heard you like linkbaits, so i put a linkbait in yo' linkbait so you can get links while you tell how to get links!
March 27th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
These headlines attract traffic but is it the kind of traffic you want? Spammy headlines that get short attention span visitors is not an effective long term growth strategy.
March 29th, 2010 at 3:15 am
I really like this post. This is exactly the way to get people to read your post is to answer the question they have in their head that they are looking for the answer. What better way to lead into that answer than by a short list that give sthem exactly what they want. Very good post.
March 29th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
@Zach–I'm not sure how those are spammy headlines? You'll find similar headlines on all the top blogs and magazines.
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May 30th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
very interesting concepts. thanks for sharing
June 1st, 2010 at 7:16 am
Yes, the 10 best _______________ seems to work quite good!