I created a visual map to help you pick the best title for social media posts and videos, where “best” is not subjective. It’s a specific marketing KPI: maximum CTR.
The map is organized in a quadrant defined by two axes.
- Vertical axes: it measures how misleading or sensationalized the title is. Clearly, we would prefer to stay as close to zero as possible to preserve our reputation.
- Horizontal axis: it measures how much of the article’s core information we will reveal or give away in the title.
The combination of the values of the two axes creates a few areas in the quadrant:
- Dead zone: The area of the titles that doesn’t get any clicks.
- Honest but obscure titles: This kind of title can work for your older, more resilient fans, but it will not attract any new clicks beyond this limited audience.
- Titles that reveal everything upfront: Several people will absorb the information revealed by the title, then move on without clicking the title and landing on your article.
- Very misleading titles: Well, if you are in for the very short term, this can be your area, for any reputation-building or fidelization strategy, this area must be avoided at all costs.
- Obscure titles withholding everything: This is possibly the worst area, offering no short-term or long-term benefit. Simply boring, unattractive titles.
- Clickbait titles: We are getting used to them and becoming more suspicious of them. The risk in this area is attracting the dumbest part of your potential audience. Unless you’re a Nigerian scammer, you probably don’t want that. The damage can wipe out your reputation and authority in no time.
- Best titles: This area is where you play a bit with human psychology, inducing curiosity in your audience, while keeping an honest, respectful attitude.
Therefore, the trick is to get as close as possible to the clickbait zone while staying truthful to our content and respectful of our viewers and users.
This diagram was inspired by a video of Dr. Derek Muller, the creator of VERITASIUM.
