If you’re an avid user of social media apps, you might have noticed that there are some posts that left you disappointed after taking a look. But why open it in the first place? The answer is simple, the title. Of course, a strong and catchy title can prompt you to see what it’s all about. However, if the content doesn’t match with the title – you get disappointed.

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@1alexkhan”]Do you know why it’s important for you not to overdo your article/blog post titles? Read here:[/tweetthis]

Misleading Titles on Social Media

Nowadays, it’s pretty common to see them on almost every social media platform published by brands big and small. Why is that? Well, first of all, they are tied to this ideology that more web visits is equal to more sales – which is actually not.

More visits do increase the chance of converting them into paying customers for a lot of business. But if they’re disappointed at what they see, they’re never going to visit again. And what’s worst – they’ll probably unfollow you, block you, and spread an awful review.

Although we are tempted to use titles that are sure to generate clicks. But if the content isn’t relevant to it, it’s going to bring you down. Did you know that 80% of your audience will read your title? But only 20% of them will read its content… To put that into perspective, 8 out of 10 people will be somewhat interested in your post, but only two of them will take a look at it. Now, if those two are going to consider its content as irrelevant, then you’ll lose them for good – and the process continues.

How to Avoid a Misleading Title in the First Place

For a start, a good title will consist of about 6 to 12 words and provides a general description of the entire topic. Using the right words will allow you to encourage your audience to read the content, but sometimes, the right words may just be a bit too much.

Consider the content you are writing first – as much as possible, finish the piece before deciding on a title. Write a one-line sentence or summary that best describes the content and another one based on how your readers can benefit from reading it without all the flowery adjectives.

From there, add adjectives that are appropriate. Don’t add false promises or anything that could not be found in the content – make your title factual yet promising. Never exaggerate (although it is tempting), just be honest.

Once you’ve completed the above, try to reduce the words into 6 to 12 while following this formula:

“Number/trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + Effect”