I can’t stress enough the important of a truly remarkable headline. Yesterday I talked about the second most important thing in a post, and now I want to help you with the most important thing. The headline.
I personally find that one of the best ways to attract someone to your headline is to create some form of excitement, or hype. When you see a headline like “50 mind-blowing ways to become an instant success,” you might actually stop for a second and contemplate what that article might be about.
Chances are, with a headline that has as many exciting words in it as that example — you would click it. And read it.
The only problem is creating excitement through written words is a lot tricker than doing it through spoken words. So, a lot of us who write our headlines miss out on this great opportunity to excite someone. I like to talk about exciting stuff, and I like people to read what I write. So I came up with this list of 45 words you can use to really bring some excitement into your headlines.
If you just read them and figure out ways to incorporate them into your own headlines, I think you will understand the effectiveness of excitement in a post headline.
Of course, excitement isn’t the only way to grab people’s attention. I have talked about other headline techniques in the past, and each is just as effective as the next. But what do you think? What do you think is one of the best ways to grab the attention of someone on your blog?
45 Words to Build Excitement
- Killer
- Serious
- Stellar
- Tremendous
- Rockstar
- Capture
- Amazing
- Unreal
- Easier
- Ultimate
- Perfection
- Major
- Striking
- Secrets
- High-qualiy
- Quick
- Powerful
- Dangerous
- Clever
- Exciting
- Stunning
- Phenomenal
- Significant
- Next-level
- Immense
- Guarantee
- Incredible
- Conquer
- Perfect
- Boost
- Free
- Fresh
- Strange
- Fantastic
- Brilliant
- Best
- Latest
- Mind-blowing
- Creative
- Mega
- Excellent
- Ridiculous
- Exceptional
- Intelligent
- Absolutely
What do you think? Do you think that these words could create any kind of excitement in a reader? I think if used right, they very well can make some headlines really stand out. But are there any words up there you don’t think are that great?
What would you add?
I would love to expand this list to more than 45 with your help. What words do you think could make a headline sound exciting? Suggest anything, and I will gladly add them to this list. I want to make this post a great reference for all of you who need help writing standout headlines to come back to and find new inspiration each time.
Words From the Community
- Explosive
- Dynamite
- Awesome
- Extremely
- Unbelievable
- Sexy
- Spicy
- Dangerous
- Wicked
- Worst
- Top
- Now
- Recent
- Current
- Weird
- Why
- Hilarious
- Ever
- Eye-jerking
- Effective
But I... 
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This is a truly great list. Very helpful. Thanks!
Here are a few more that I use from time to time:
explosive
dynamite
awesome
extreme(ly)
unbelievable
Steven Corbett´s last blog ..New PHPmotion Thumbnails Mod!
Thanks for the words Steven, I’ll add them to the list!
Thanks for sharing!
I will be applying this on my next blog posts.
Palabuzz´s last blog ..Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera spending some time on Benguet this Holy Week
You forgot the single most important word: SEXY. Trust me. It doesn’t take a scientist to figure it out.
Tony´s last blog ..8 Twitter Problems and How You Can Solve Them
you are right…SEXY is a word that will attract everyone who read the headline whether he is a male or female, nerd, geek, cool, passtime, 17 year old or 70 year old
IndianCashMaker´s last blog ..Why Online Money Making is Awesome?
That is a pretty exciting word. I’ll add it.
46. Spicy
That is the word that drew me to this post and I decided to read it even though I’m tired. How are you doing, Alex?
Nick Tart´s last blog ..How to Professionally Conduct a World-Class Interview
Hopefully the post woke you up a bit. :p Glad “spice” worked, I should have added it originally haha.
Great tips Alex!
That’s a great list of words. I learned a lot from this post. I may have to implement your strategy and use some of those words next time I post a blog!
Hi Alex, always you are giving something different information, this time also. Your post is really amazing. Your post will be definitely to other blogger.
Really Great List. I am trying to add this exciting words in every headline. Not in english but i think the result is the Same
mac Finanzierung´s last blog ..Computer, Laptop und Zubehör auf Raten kaufen – Welche Online Shops bieten eine 0% Finanzierung?
Awesome! I really needed this one.
Thanks a ton.
I think I am gonna use all of them in upcoming post.
King Sidharth´s last blog ..Classy Guide to Meditation & Dance – the Supreme Combo
All of them? That’ll be one pretty exciting headline I guess.
Great list here! I would add that a controversial headline is a great way to attract visitors too.
Kevin M.´s last blog ..Most Christians are not faithful
Definitely! What words do you think would work best for creating a good, controversial title?
18. Dangerous
I’m always drawn to my middle name.
Rob Stretch´s last blog ..What Color is Your Hat?
Originally when I read your comment, I came up with a funny response to it…but I seem to have forgotten it.
I’ll keep you posted Rob. :p
Not all that good at creating hype with a headline, but will tell you one word that is a real dud is the word “constipation”, ruined a perfectly good article during a great traffic week with a headline using this word.
marcelino´s last blog ..Everything you Know about getting Fired is Wrong
What exactly is your niche? I don’t think “constipation” is a good word to use, ever. Unless the headline is “How to cure constipation.” :p
Haaa! what a great list
Is “wicked” old fashioned? I’m not sure because I’m not a native English speaker
Omer Greenwald´s last blog ..My Guest Post Experience
Wicked is kind of corny now, but it’s good enough that I’ll add it to the list.
Worst
Top
Now
How
Jodi Kaplan´s last blog ..Is Your Email Viral or Vile?
ha… number 14… I’ve got that!
I’m going to use ‘Mind-blowing’ in my next blog just to see where it takes me. My headlines are usually questions, but this could be fun to test. I do like Steven’s ‘Explosive’ as well, even though it reminds me of a really bad commercial…
You should go back through your blogs and see how many of these Exciting Words you’ve really used in the past month. That would be interesting to see.
That’s actually how I came up with some of these words, I went back through the archives here. I also discovered posts I never knew were on this blog, interestingly enough…
Shows me how much I know. I thought this was your blog.
Alex no doubt a great list, I will definitely use this list in next posts. i would add:
Recent
Current
Weird
Why
Funny
Profitable blogger´s last blog ..Tips to become a successful & profitable blogger
Thanks! I’ll add them to this list.
Now find the synonyms to these words and bingo!… you’ve got 450 words!
Instant Fundas´s last blog ..Spiceworks IT Desktop – Toolbox for network administrators
I think if everyone keeps contributing new words like they have been, we can hit 450 without focusing on synonyms.
But really, we’re looking for words that are exciting, so (in a sense) they are already all synonyms.
Great post, one idea I’ve been pondering is writing a wordpress plugin called something like “Headline Helper” it would be a plugin/server side app which would show you popular headlines (swipe file style), adding popular words would be also good … allowing the writer to best pick a good headline.
Dimas´s last blog ..How To Switch To Gmail — Special Report
That sounds like an awesome idea, I would absolutely install it here. I know there are plugins that help you with keywords, so your idea is definitely possible.
Keep me updated!
Oooh, I love the list. Words like the ones listed do make a difference on reader attraction. I do find myself clicking and being more inclined to click on a striking headline.
Thanks for this post Alex!
Laters,
Arie Rich
I think “ever” is always a standby.
But I have to say, I don’t like this strategy. I’ll admit, a bad headline can take a great post an get it unread. But at the same time, headlines that overpromise and underdeliver are annoying. I’ve written about this before on unique blog.
Also, a lot of these words are abused, so they lose the oomph they once had. Food for thought.
What other methods do you prefer rather than excitement?
I think as long as you do deliver, then you can use the craziest words you want. I do think that some people take advantage of these words, no doubt (I may have even exaggerated some of my headlines as well). But, it’s their loss if the under deliver as the viewer will most likely end up disappointed and just leave the blog.
Good thoughts Eric!
This article has reminded me that I need to strive to make exciting and attention grabbing titles. All too often, we get caught up with trying to optimize our post titles with strong keywords for the sake of SEO. I’ve found that when I just throw caution to the wind and write a really zany title, it’ll actually rank better than ones I’ve loaded with targeted keywords. Who knew?
If you can figure out how to combine excitement and good SEO, then you will find a lot more success in your headline crafting. Now, doing the two is hard as hell, so it may take a bit of patience for sure.
I wrote an article once title “10 Tips to Awesome, Eye-Jerking Post Titles” and I still get search engine traffic on it. So I would add the phrase “Eye-Jerking” to the list.
But the search queries that are sending people to that article was the phrase “Jerking Tips” so I actually think that Google misinterpreted what I was communicating in that title. Other than that, though, that title worked great for the actual readers.
Nicholas Z. Cardot´s last blog ..The Golden Nuggets of Negative Feedback
Lol, I get the same fun stuff with another one of my sites. I have a paint site that has a paint line called:
Conte A Paris Hard Pastel Paints…
Needless to say, I get searches all the time for:
Hard in Paris Hilton!
Sorry about going there…
The same thing happens to a few posts here as well. Totally irrelevant keywords get mentioned even once, they rank in Google, and send the wrong traffic. If only it were that easy for keywords more relevant to our niche, right!?
Good post, writing a captivating and intriguing title and draw visitors into reading your article every time. The better the headline, the more interest you will attract!
It’s an amazing blog.This was a very well-written and enjoyable post to read.Thanks for the info sharing with us.The way you have described all the things are superb.Keep it up.Keep blogging.
I especially like “guarantee”, “easier”, and “strange”. I think “effective” can be added to the list.
Julius´s last blog ..A Day of A Deaf Blind Person
Great site! Wonderful work! Its always good to get freah ideas and get away from the old! Thank you
If you can use ALL 45 of them in ONE post then I will be impressed. Other than that, they are all great words that catch the mind. It gave me an idea for my blog. I have a series called “Brain Waste Space.” It’s just a bunch of random facts. Maybe I should call it “Mind Blowing Facts That Exhilarate Your Life.” What do you think?
I think seeing them all in a single post (other than this one of course) would be really annoying. Like, in a regular article format, seeing these words would totally drive me away.
That sounds a lot more catchier, and exciting no doubt there. But, it’s also a little wordy. Maybe you should just keep the main title “Brain Wastes Space” and the other idea its tagline?
Wow, this post should be bookmarked, isn’t it? Or should I take copy of it to notepad?
Reza Winandar´s last blog ..This is blog is now Do Follow
?????????…
This is Really “Exciting”!
Chethan´s last blog ..Top 5 Printers for Enterprises
The thing you have to watch for is which ones and how often. So many of them are so over done at this point, complete newbies are sick of seeing them,.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Holy Power Outage Batman, Not Again! Yep, Another Two Days Shot to Hell…
Alex,
So true that people will click with exciting headlines. Unfortunately, they won’t see them in Google if they don’t contain the proper keywords. Thus, it’s a blend of keyword rich titles with some exciting “extra” words added in.
Richard
Richard@How To Videos´s last blog ..How To Make Money With AdSense
Awesome list and I can’t think of anything to add to it.
Found your blog through Kikolani’s Friday mash-up. Glad I did as you have several post titles here that have caught my eye so I’ll have to peruse around a little more on your site.
@ProjectCenter
Phoenix Printing and Design Company
Project Center´s last blog ..What Are Line Screens In Printing?
Nice list! This will help if perfectly use! Ur right.
This post made me smile – on the web, so much depends on the headline. Like most people, if I don’t like what I see in the title, I move on. There is too much out there to grab our attention; no one wants to waste time on a boring article. However, I agree completely with Dennis Edell – use these attention-grabbing words with moderation. Over-use will drive people away. I’d also suggest to keep headlines relatively short. Write it, then try to cut it in half. You’ll get rid of useless words, and it will become more clear. Awesome post!
Ryan Michael´s last blog ..Internet Marketing Vocab – Learn a New Language!
Even “How to” posts can get good attention. People also stop when they read “Free” word in the post. They are always looking for something free
Ricky´s last blog ..Download Free Avira Antivirus Premium Security Suite 2010 Legal License Key
Great list mate, thanks for sharing. I would also add:
“huge”
“impressive”
Thanks.
I just discovered your blog. What an AWESOME resource for bloggers. Thanks!!
Melodie Kantner´s last blog ..What I Learned About Marketing From Going to The Movies
Did any of you ever consider spicing up your headlines with an idea?
rachel peepers´s last blog ..He weaves. He bobs. He wobbles. He lurches. He slurs. | By: Rachel Peepers
Killer post! Will have to bookmark this one.
I think someone already mentioned this, but it’s so darned hard sometimes to keep SEO in mind and write a great headline at the same time!
I totally agree that headlines are the most important part of a post. Something that has to be continually refined as a blogger.
By the way, just discovered your blog, keep up the good work over here.
Forest´s last blog ..Niche Market Research Made Easy: A Micro Niche Finder Review
Great compilation of list. Sounds good, will try them for sure.
The best guide I’ve ever read on quality words leave the visitor wanting more. Those 50 words can also just as easily be used in article bodies, so it helps foe that, too. Bookmarked and retweeted!
Make that 45, sorry. And I love the community-added words!
I like this list.
ta!
Well, off course it’s a great post to present the name of the blog so that the we can easily set the name of our blog related to our niche so that we can easily make categories in it relevant to our products and services and then by utilizing the emergent blogging in our blog, we can easily increase the popularity of our website through the emergent blogging and we can also increase the back links of our business too…
Interesting set of words, but I think just these words will give no idea. How it is included into post title or inside the blog post really matters more; there lies the composition power of bloggers.
Awesome list, i’m going to use some of them myself , thanks
Great list of words. I will make sure to start using them in my blog posts.
Thanks.
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