Breaking: Curing "Sleepy Keyboard Syndrome"

One out of three people are suffering from sleepy keyboard syndrome. (According to some probable but kinda reliable data.)

It affects Internet users everywhere. Particularly those who spend their time perusing blog posts on relevant subject matter.

Are you putting your audience to sleep?

Until now, there has never been a cure.

The causes of sleepy keyboard syndrome include; posting the same tweet consecutively over a period of time, it's all about you, and the worst cause; generic and boring blog titles.

But worry not, as there is indeed a remedy for preventing keyboard drool from your blog readers.

Finding the Cure for Generic and Boring Blog Titles

You need an attention grabbing title to pull your readers in. If all blog posts were "How to Blank" they'd quickly lose their lust and no one would see them anymore.

To write a title that will stand out and prevent your readers from drooling, your titles need to be; actionable, brief, keyword conscious, clear, definitive, and intriguing. You want to ensure that your blog title is related to your buyer personas.

When you incorporate all 6 of those characteristics in your blog titles, you'll be writing more attention grabbing blog titles in no time.

As well as, keeping your readers from falling asleep at the keyboard, your ultimate goal should be to get more people to open and read your posts. With remarkable content and attention grabbing titles, you'll give visitors a reason to stay awake. And you never know, they might even download your offers.

7 Tips For Pulling your Blog Readers in

1.  Stand Out from the Crowd

Many of you might be wondering, what makes your content stand out from the crowd?

To put this simply, you need to make your articles different. Writing about the same content and topics every week will be extremely boring not only for you but also for your readers.

Consider writing about topics that you're passionate about. And it's in your favor that your readers will share those interests.

As an IPA connoisseur, our marketing Director wrote a great article linking craft breweries to remarkable content. You should definitely check it out. Or if you're an avid follower of pop culture, you might be interested in "Why Lady Gage is the Queen of Social Media."

2. Create a Sense of Urgency or Importance

Make it appear as if they need to read your article.

Using words like "need to know" or "right now" will create that urgency. When someone sees your title, you want to create the sense of "I have to read this now."

Make them think that if they don't read your blog post, they're going to be missing out on something.

3. How to's

People love "how to's".  A how to post is very specific, and they know exactly what to expect once they open your article. People turn to blogs when they're looking for answers to their questions, and this title will draw them in.

How to's are a great way to help readers that are looking for how to set something up, but over time they can become boring, if you're using them every other post.

Think about using "how to's" like this, you're taking a weekend get-a-way to the beach. The first time you see a seagull you're like ... "O.M.G check out that seagull, he's so cute."

He could be a girl, I'm not really sure, but getting back to the point, within fifteen minutes this will happen. They will be every where you look.

3. How Not to's

These titles don't necessarily have to have the words "How Not to" in them. These titles should tell people how they might be doing something wrong or mistakes they could be making.

You want to give them advice on how they can improve their campaign or how they can make changes to their service related activities.

Some examples of "How Not To's" are:

• A/B Testing Blunders: 5 Things You May Be Doing Wrong

• Your 5 Worst Content Marketing Mistakes

• Fatal Mistakes to Avoid With Your Calls-To-Action

4. Be Dramatic

Give your reader a title that smacks them in the face.

I'm not talking about those infamous V8 commercials.

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You need a "wow" factor.  When your readers stumble upon your article, make them say "wow." They're going to be intrigued.

Who wouldn't want to open your article and read it?

You could also be a little controversial. It's a great way to spark discussion. Just a little disclaimer: don't be controversial just because, you need to have data and well thought-out points to back it up.

5. Provide Stats or Data

How often do you see a blog article with the following title, "59% Say Running a Small Business Is Harder Today Than 5 Years Ago"?

Unfortunately, not that often. I'm not really sure why.

Not only are stats and data a great way to support and add validity to your claim, but they also break up the monotony of your content and tell a better story.

People love data and statistics. Don't wait until they read your blog article to find out there's awesome data inside. Let readers know right off the bat.

6. Give them News

In today's digital age, most people get their news and information from the internet.

A blog post about breaking news and trends is a great way to attract viewers.

If you don't already know this, your blog is a great tool for promoting new offers, products and features. A great way to indicate that your post is about a new offer or product is to use words like "launch", "rolling out", or "new" to indicate the newsworthiness of the post directly in your title.

A lot of blog posts that tell readers about recent events in the news are popular. People like to be told how a new product or feature of something is going to help them, and they turn to blog posts for this information. Let them know in the title that's just what you'll be giving them.

7. Use Numbers

People absolutely love numbers. Some consider 7 to be the "lucky" number. Give your readers some expectations. A great way to set their expectations is to include a number in your title.

Don't keep them guessing. Within the article they expect to find a certain number (4, 10, 15, or even 7) of reasons, tips, stats, or quotes.

Join us in spreading the awareness of sleepy keyboard syndrome.