The theory of "Called Shots."
When Brad Andersohn introduced the new "Called Shots" badge on ActiveRain a few days ago, I thought it was a great idea. The potential to flag posts for feature status has always been there and I've used it many times in my time here at ActiveRain. While there is always a raging debate over what gets featured and why (and who), the idea is to write great content and give readers something of value in each in every post.
With the introduction of a coveted ActiveRain badge dangled in front of the network's members, I suspect the flagging of posts will increase and the likelihood of any given post to be featured to decrease (more entries, more potential featured posts...your chances decrease). Hopefully, it will give many more people a chance to be featured than ever before.
You want me to click where?
I read a lot of posts here at ActiveRain and I'm more than willing to click the "Suggest" button for a post I think is excellent. Here's the problem. I have to read the post in order to click that button. I have a list of blogs I follow on ActiveRain and many of them are friends or people I admire - so they already have a certain built in support from me. If I'm reading their stuff regularly, chances are, I like most of what they write.
In order for me to add more posts to the growing number I already read, I need a hook. Something to compel me to read the post. Guess where that comes from? You guessed it - the title. Now, I'm no expert on title writing, but I do know what I like. Problem is, I couldn't explain it if I tried. Your title needs to state your purpose without being boring. For whatever reason, it needs to catch my eye (and the eye of every other ActiveRain visitor if you want your blog to be successful). A good title will draw me in every time.
I don't often read local posts or listing posts (unless you're in an area I have a vested interest in), so those are out. Keyword stuffing in posts bores me to tears, so that's out. Clever titles will always catch my eye, so those are in. Informative titles about topics that I need/want to know about, those are in.
It's time to take the title back!
So next time you're writing your title, think of me. Okay, maybe forget me and write for your audience (they're more important than I will ever be), but whatever you do, give that title some thought. I often start each blog with a title, but by the time I'm done writing the post, my title seems irrelevant, so I go back and change it. Same goes for my photos actually. I rarely rewrite my posts, but I always find myself adjusting titles.
There you have it, how to win me over and get me to suggest your post for a feature. Remember, when looking through the most recent blog posts on ActiveRain, the title makes or breaks if someone even clicks on it and reads the content. Of course, if you click on the title and the post isn't quality - well that's a whole other blog post.
photo courtesy of Tambako The Jaguar
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