Headlines are a lot of things. They’re neglected, undervalued, a gateway, and most of all – a pain in the ass to create. If you blog, then you have written a headline before. Whether or not you were aware of it at the time, the headline you wrote made a significant difference in the performance of your post.

The title you choose for your post is the one thing that stands between your article and whether or not it gets read. A quote from Brian Clark with a startling statistic about the true power of headlines:

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.

It is your job on your blog not only to write great content, but to write a headline that draws the attention of a reader so they stay on your blog for a while. Unfortunately, writing good headlines are not a strong point for most bloggers. I only just realized the real importance of a good headline on my blog.

I have been reading around the blogosphere and have found some truly excellent resources for writing better headlines on your blog. I would like to share with you. I recommend you read every article, as every article I picked has something another doesn’t.

1. How to Write Magnetic Headlines

   A list of 11 in-depth articles on how to create a great headline that sticks.

2. 10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas That Work

   A truly invaluable resource, this articles lists 10 headline templates you can use for your own blog. All you have to do is edit a few words and you’re all set to go. This is a resource to be bookmarked and used over and over again.

3. 7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work

   A followup to the above resource, when Brian Clark wrote the first part, it did so well he added seven more. Again, bookmark and use excessively.

4. How to Craft Post Titles that Draw Readers Into Your Blog

   Creating a headline that doesn’t just get read, but draws someone to clicking it is the ideal headline. This list has eight tips for creating such a headline.

5. How To Craft Kick-Ass Title Tags & Headlines

   What a good headline consists of, examples of headlines that work and don’t work, how to optimize your headline for SEO and more.

6. How to Optimize Blog Post Titles

   A unique approach to how to properly sculpt a headline that not only is appealing to users, but works well in search engines.

7. Great Content… Bad Titles – How to Let Your Blog Go

   This article goes over the exact uses of titles, talks a little about the SEO factors of a good title, and of course gives five excellent tips for developing good post titles.

8. How to write blog post titles while keeping SEO in mind

   An insightful article that gives examples of bad titles and explains WHY they’re bad, and a list of good titles that work and explains WHY they work.

9. Write Your Titles CAREFULLY and AFTER the Post

   A method I believe in, Daniel Scocco explains why it is best for you to write your headline after you have written your article.

10. Tools and Resources to Write Compelling Post Titles

    A truly great list of tools and resources for picking the right keywords to include in your “perfect headline.”

11. How To Write a Good Blog Title for High Website Traffic

    An informative post by John Chow, that gives a great overview of how to use Google AdWords to choose the right keywords for your headline.

12. Creating Effective, Attention-Getting Headlines and Titles

    A very long and informative blog post that describes every last little detail of creating a blog headline. From describing the