The secret to successful titles when writing how-to articles
How do you choose a snappy title for your how-to article that will command the attention of editors and readers?
A great way to is to steal great headlines by going to the supermarket, or any place where they sell magazines, and peruse the covers of the major magazines like Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, Oprah’s magazine, and even some of the news magazines.
Take a look at some of these headlines and you’ll see different formulas emerging. It can be “6 tips on how to…” or “5 ways to…” or “7 secrets of…”. People love secrets and editors love articles where the headline starts with a numeral.
You can often take these headlines and just substitute a word or two that applies to the story you are going to be writing for you or your client, and you’ve just come up with a headline.
Once you’ve selected your title, what about the rest of the article? How do you get your article published? For more information on writing and publishing how-to articles, check out How to Write How-to Articles for Newspapers, Magazines, and Trade Journals
