This is part 2 in our series on writing more effective blog article titles. Each article in the series makes of our Blog Title Toolkit that will help you create titles that generate clicks.
In part 1 we gave you a ton of blog title formulas that you could use to inspire your blog title writing. If you didn’t check out that article click here and give it a read. I think you’ll get some inspiration simply by browsing the different titles and categories.
In this article we’re going to share with you some blog title (and blog topic) tools that will also help you jumpstart your title creativity. These tools are all free and are very simple to use. Just plug in your keyword or topic phrase, and the tools will generate results.
How to get the most from these tools
In my opinion, the best way to use these tools is to go into it with an idea of the type of article you want to create. I don’t recommend going in blindly. The reason is because some of these tools spit out hundreds of title ideas, and that many things to sort through can quickly lead to title overload. It’s easy to become overwhelmed.
So before jumping into these tools I recommend thinking a bit on the following things:
- How many articles titles do you wan to generate from the tools?
- What type of articles you want to create: How-To...List...what?
- What keyword phrase will you be writing about and including in the title? (Have you done your keyword research and do you know what phrase you’re incorporating into the article?)
Knowing these things beforehand will allow you go get the most out of the tools.
Now lets take a look at the tools themselvces.
5 tools that make coming up with creative blog titles a heck of a lot easier
All of these tools can be used to help you come up with blog and/or content ideas. Some will generate actual titles for you, others will help get your idea wheels spinning so that you have a more clear direction in your writing.
Portent’s Content Title Generator
Click here to check out this tool
The Portent tool is great in it’s attractive interface and unique results. You are presented titles one-by-one, and each click of the refresh button brings up a new engaging title.
I’ve found that the titles coming out of this tool tend to need a bit of tweaking (see screenshot for an example), but their tool comes up with unique and interesting titles that will get your creative juices flowing.
How to get the most from this tool:
- If a piece of the suggested title doesn’t work for you, tweak it until it works. This tool conveniently breaks up the title into it’s component pieces, so if the beginning is great but the subject referenced at the end isn’t relevant, change it.
- Example:
ORIGINAL: 18 ways to become the MacGuyver of writing blog article titles
MODIFIED: 18 ways to write blog article titles like Gary Vaynerchuck
- Keep clicking refresh. This tool is going to spit out new titles each time you refresh, and they have a seemingly endless combination of title formulas. Keep clicking refresh and you’ll constantly get new titles to inspire you.
Tweak Your Biz: Title Generator
Click here to check out this tool
This is a great tool for coming up with hundreds (yes, hundreds) of different blog article titles.
This tool will spit out dozens of titles in 13 different categories, from List and How-To article titles, to titles referencing Celebrities. You can export your list and hand it over to your writers to keep them busy for weeks!
How to get the most from this tool:
- This tool generates hundreds of titles, so you’ll want to focus on specific categories to prevent getting overwhelmed. Weed out the categories that don’t apply to you, and go from there.
- From the categories you have left, pick 2-3 titles that you think will work, and tweak them to perfection. Then move on to another category. Don’t try and tackle everything at once, break it up into smaller pieces.
Blog About
Click here to check out this tool
The Blog About idea generator is a unique tool on this list, and one of the best looking tools of it’s kind. It’s unique in that it does not simply spit out a title (or list of titles) with your keywords, rather it presents you with fill in the blank style formulas, and then asks you to contribute. You can also save the titles that you like to a notebook and email them to yourself, all within the tool.
How to get the most from this tool:
- Have some concrete topics that you want to blog about in mind, not just keywords (it will help when your keyword does not necessarily fit the blanks presented)
- Add all of the titles you create to your notebook and email them to yourself (even if you don’t like them right now - you can tweak them later)
- Use the “Writer’s Block” feature. It might seem weird to doodle as a way to inspire your writing, but you’ll tap into other creative areas when you switch gears from writing to drawing.
Link Bait Title Generator
Click here to check out this tool
The Link Bait Title Generator is a simple to use tool that yields great results. You start out by entering your subject and selecting between the following styles of titles: Controversial, Fun, List or Shocking. Click “Submit” and you’re off!
This tool is great for brainstorming new angles to topics that have started to get stale. Try the different styles to get new ideas on your topics.
How to get the most from this tool:
- Test out each of the four different styles. Even if “Controversial” is not typically your style, you may still get inspired by the suggestions
- Don’t be afraid to try something new!
Ubbersuggest
Click here to check out this tool
Ubbersuggest is actually a keyword suggestion tool that most marketers use to develop keyword lists for their SEO use. However, the same keyword suggestions can fuel new blog article title ideas, so we recommend giving this tool a try.
Once you enter your search term Ubbersuggest will add letters or digits to that search term, and provided hundreds of related terms for you to be inspired by.
How to get the most from this tool:
- Have a blog title formula in mind before going through the suggestions list. Ubbersuggest sometimes delivers sentence fragments instead of complete sentences, and in those cases you want to have an idea as to how you would use their suggestions in a real title.
- Example:
ORIGINAL: blog title generator
MODIFIED: 5 blog title generators that will make you look like an ace writer
Use to enhance creativity, not as a work substitute
The smart people who designed the blog title and topic tools above might be great at technical things, but they don’t know your business. Only you do. And because of this it’s important to use these tools only as a boost to your creativity.
When you’re in a creative rut and you are struggling to come up with topics to write about, use the tools listed above. When you feel your content ideas are beginning to get stale and you’re recycling the same things again and again, use the tools listed above.
But be cautious to not simply copy and paste all of the suggestions and send them to a writer. That’s not how you create thought leadership content, and if you’re not writing with the intent to wow and provide top value to your reader, then why do it?
What tools and methods do you use to help your title and idea generation?
Let us know in the comments below. I know there are other tools out there and other ways to arrive at compelling blog article topics, and I want to hear what your secret weapons are!
Remember, this is only the first article of a 3-part series of better blog title writing, so subscribe to our blog and receive the next two articles right in your inbox.
