So many blog posts have headlines that beg to be improved. Although we have seen articles advising bloggers how to write better headlines there are still a gazillion of newbies coming onto the blogging scene who have no ideas about good headline writing.

Those who have worked in a newspaper as copyeditors have learned the art of headline writing. They understand the usage of key words or 'operative' words that relate to current events. They know how to use a certain word or a catchy phrase that's as good as 'eye candy' for the reader.

An article with a good, punchy headline will have the "wow" factor to attract most readers to dig into the story. And that's how it should be if you want to attract readers to read your blog post.

There's no rule to say a headline should be short or long. The only criteria is that it should be a "kick-ass" headline! Can you do it?

Article marketing expert Steve Shaw has written a "how to" article that caught my eye and I'm happy to post it in TheNextPost.com. Read the article below to stay in the loop about headline writing.

How to write better article headlines

Steve Shaw

When you're doing article marketing, you might be tempted to think that the key to a successful article is the article itself, but that's not actually true.

Yes, the article needs to be helpful and well written, but before someone has your full article sitting in front of them they will be looking at a list of article headlines (or titles).

In order for a reader to see your entire article, they will most often have to select your article from a sea of titles on similar topics. If your title catches their attention, then they will click to read and read your article.

So, guess what the pivotal key to a successful article is? You guessed it--it's the title!

What makes a good article headline?

    • A good title reveals the gist of what your article is about.
    • A good title makes the reader want to read your article.

Some basic tips:

     1- Your title should clearly state what your article is about.

     2- Your title should be written with the intention of capturing a reader's attention.

     3- Your title should be more than just your keywords.

     4- Try to avoid sarcasm and puns--search engines (and humans!) understand straightforward language more easily.

     5- Be sure that your headline does not promise something that your article does not deliver. For example, let's say your article is detailing 10 things to look for when hiring a personal trainer:

A bad title: "New Jersey Personal Trainer: 10 Things To Look For"

Why is this title bad?

The article is about finding a personal trainer but is not specific to New Jersey. So, it would not be appropriate to include the location of New Jersey in the title. The only time when it would be appropriate to include a location in a title would be if the article was specifically pertaining to that location.

A good title: "10 Things to Look for When Hiring a Personal Trainer"

Why is this title good?

It tells exactly what the article is about. Anyone who is looking to hire a personal trainer would be interested in that article title.

Here are 3 different types of titles to experiment with:

1- The "How-To" Title -- these types of titles (and articles) are very popular on the internet. They are not flashy, but they clearly state what the article is about and the benefit of the article. For example:

"How to Hold a Baby"

"How To Paint Kitchen Cabinets"

2- The "List" Title -- a title that references a numbered list. For example:

"Top 10 Chicken Recipes"

"7 Reasons You Should Learn Ballroom Dancing"

3- A Title with Your Keywords. Be careful on this -- your keywords should not comprise the entire article headline, but rather just be a part of it. And you should only use your keywords in your title when appropriate.

Remember, the title must reflect what the article is about, so if your article is not about your keywords, it would not be appropriate to include them in your title. If you are including your keywords, try putting them at the beginning of the title. That will help readers who are scanning lists quickly pick up on the topic of your article, and it will also help search engines.

Conclusion:

Here's some homework for you...

    • Try using these different types of titles and see how they work for you.

    • Imagine how your title will appear to a reader looking at a long list of article headlines on the same topic.

    • Aim for these two things with your next article title: simple and to the point, and also attractive to your target reader.

About the author: To get more information on how you can use article marketing to reach thousands of potential prospects for your website, go now to submityourarticle.com/report. Steve Shaw is an article marketing expert and founder of the popular article distribution servicewww.submityourarticle.com used by thousands of business owners.


     

Sweet Home Australia! Solo Sailor Jessica Crosses Finish Line

They were all waiting there at Sydney Harbour on Saturday to welcome home 16-year-old schoolgirl Jessica Watson who became the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe solo, non-stop and without help.

Yes, she has done it. Jessica sailed her yacht, Ella's Pink Lady, across the finish line at the entrance of Sydney Harbour after completing 210 days at sea.

The plucky teenager was one month ahead of schedule and three days shy of her 17th birthday. There will be a real blast at her birthday party.

According to AFP, thousands of people were at the harbourfront - waving banners and many wearing pink - to greet their Aussie girl adventurer.

Jessica's welcoming home party was witnessed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Australian Jesse Martin, the current world record holder, AFP reported.

A hundred-strong flotilla of boats flocked to see her sail into the harbour in her pink yacht.

Incidentally, Martin set the 327-day record in 1999 when he was aged 18.

Jessica's 23,000 nautical mile journey took her through some of the world's most challenging and treacherous waters.

Her 33-ft yacht sometimes had to sail against 40-ft swells and gale-force winds.

Jessica, who reportedly took up sailing at the age of eight, may not see her achievement recognized by the World Speed Sailing Council which stipulates that the minimum age is 18.

However, her seven-month odyssey still makes her the youngest person to ever sail solo non-stop around the world without help.

In her last posting dated May 13 on her official blog, Jessica wrote: "I can't believe how fast this last week has gone. Only two more sleeps till the finish line!

"Have I mentioned how excited I am? It's like the day before Christmas except I don't ever remember getting this excited about Christmas.

"Two more sleeps till a hot shower, fresh food and, and, and, everything else! Mind you I think it's going to take a fair bit longer than that for the whole 'I've just sailed around the world' thing to sink in. It's just too big to get my head around!"

      

US Soldiers Go Gaga with Spoof Video

Let's have some light moments, relax, and watch what this group of American soldiers are up to -- they have come up with a male version of pop sensation Lady Gaga's "Telephone"  video hit.

Other than fighting the war in Afghanistan, a group of US soldiers deployed there have gone to do a remake of  a music video homage to Lady Gaga with their own take of a lip-synched rendition of her hit anthem.

Members of the 82nd Airborne Division posted the video on YouTube last week, and it has gone viral, logging more than 260,000 views to date.

The spoof video features an all-male cast.

The website, thesmokinggun.com, presented the video's remarkable backstory and describes the video as "the most entertaining music video homage ever shot in a war zone."

The video, according to The Smoking Gun, was filmed recently inside what appears to be a garage at the Forward Operating Base in Farah Province, Afghanistan.

It was reportedly the brainchild of Aaron Melcher, a married 24-year-old soldier.

When the finished product was in hand, Melcher embedded the video on his Facebook page. There, he described his handiwork as "the hotness" and urged his Facebook pals to "share it with the world."

Melcher told thesmokinggun.com that the video has "blown up way more" than the size of original target audience - a "couple of our friends and family."

We can guess Lady Gaga wouldn't mind the publicity generated by this video on YouTube.




  

The iPad Cometh

All right, we are not exactly writing about Lady Gaga.

Truth be told, we are writing about how techies and other more-or-less similar types are going gaga over the Apple iPad which made its debut on Saturday in the US.

The long wait is over. People have begun to claim their spots in queues as they get ready to shell out hundreds for the handheld device.

The Apple flagship store in New York greeted hundreds of people who had waited since just after dawn with high fives, whooping, and a New Year's Eve-style countdown, according to an AFP report.

Some shoppers had flown all the way from Australia, Germany and Holland to the US just to put their money down  for one of these much-anticipated touch-screen devices.

Apple says the tablet is a "revolutionary" product and the media says the device is a "game changer" that could take over the world now dominated by the laptop.



The 9.7-inch (24.6cm) tablet allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games, surf the Web or read electronic books.

The keyboard is touch-screen, making for a far slimmer, lighter package.

It was reported that the iPad also runs most of the 150,000 applications made for the iPod Touch and the iPhone.

AFP reported that the model that went on sale Saturday, features Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, while a model offering both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular connectivity will appear late April.

Would you like to have one?