With over two billion videos viewed per day, advertising on YouTube can help your brand reach over 455 million viewers.

Blog Headline Writing Tips

Would you click on a blog headline that read “Some Reasons for Twitter’s Success in the World of Public Relations”? Me neither. This blog headline is dull, vague and wordy, giving a reader little reason to think that the blog post will be any more engaging. These days, bloggers face heavy competition when it comes to winning readership, meaning that a hum-drum blog headline just won’t cut it. Bloggers must utilize the power of a clever headline to captivate and persuade readers to read their blog posts over the host of other blogs, right?

A former Dayton Daily News (OH) journalist reminds bloggers that “your headline isn’t just a descriptor of what’s inside your story, it’s a call to action. It’s a flag that tells the reader something important lies inside, and they’d be remiss if they didn’t check it out.”

When trying to come up with that perfect blog headline that really pops, keep in mind that a blog headline has two main objectives: to grab a reader’s attention and to attract search engine traffic. The following are some ingredients for blog headlines that pop:

1.) Use Compelling Verbiage. Choose powerful, active words in the present tense. Replace lackluster words with words that have some punch. Remember, in situations like this, a thesaurus can be your best friend.  It can help bring your headline to life.

Example: Create an Audience of Raving Fans

2.) Accentuate the controversial. Try and highlight the gray area of your topic, as it leaves some room for free thought and dares the reader to learn more about the topic. Controversy tends to pique a reader’s interest, but remember that you must be willing to back up a controversial title with strong and persuasive content.

Example: Facebook Can Sabotage Your Business Plan

3.) Ask a question. People like to be right; therefore when you pose a question to a reader, they’re going to immediately answer it in their mind and then want to read your post to discover how you answered the question.  If the reader feels they were correct, it validates their own knowledge, or, if their viewpoint differed from yours, it prompts them to comment on why they believe you are wrong.

Example: Are You Building a Compelling Brand?

Include a list to draw readers in to your blog post.

4.) Include a list.  Lists are a popular blogging tactic because they work. Readers know that they can expect a comprehensive, systematic and easy-to-read piece of writing that is appealing. In addition, search engines are typically more drawn to index titles that contain numbers.

Example: 5 Ways to Make Blog Headlines Pop, Not Flop (After all, it hooked you, didn’t it?)

5.) Keep it short. The ideal length for a headline is four to five words, which is detailed enough to convey the purpose of your blog post, but still concise enough to allow your reader to process the title quickly. Most search engines give high relevance to the first eight words of your title; therefore, keeping your title short also ensures maximum coverage.

Example: Maximizing Your Company’s Online Presence

Some further examples of headlines that pop:

Flops: Blogger Accepts Advertising Job

Pops: Ad Blogger Jumps the Fence

Flops: Google’s Privacy Standards

Pops: Google is Scarier Than Facebook on Privacy

Flops: Improving Customer Service

Pops: Are You Delivering Happiness?

Photos: Extra headline - Nicolas Raymond

Digg.com is a website for people to share and discover any type of news or content on the Web. From pictures and videos of obscure things to top news stories, Digg is a place to find all sorts of news, educational content and entertaining stories that are trending around the Web.

Mix marketing lessons with music in the latest business book by two renowned marketing strategists (and deadheads)

There are so many PR, advertising and social media tools that it can make your head spin!  We help you sort it all out with our “Tool Time” column, which breaks down the most useful resources around.

Mashable

What it is:

Mashable is an up-to-the-minute social and digital media news website focusing on Web news, trends, analysis on products and applications, and much more. Founded in 2005 by Pete Cashmore, Mashable has turned into one of the most influential blogs in the world.

How it works:

Mashable is constantly being updated with news from around the Web.  The website is split into different sections including: Social Media, Business, Entertainment, Tech, Web Video, Development & Design, Apple, Mobile, and Battles (the comparison of two products/websites, e.g., Youtube vs. Hulu).  All stories and news are written in blog form.  You can also share these stories on Twitter and Facebook through the “like” button.

Who it’s good for:

Mashable is a rich source of social and digital media news.  The website is good for people who are in public relations, advertising, marketing,  Web 2.0 professionals, technology journalists, entrepreneurs, brands and corporations.  Mashable is also very influential on Facebook, Twitter, and numerous blogs, which cite content from the original source.

Where to find it:

You can check out Mashable at www.Mashable.com , http://twitter.com/mashable, http://www.facebook.com/mashable

There are so many PR, advertising and social media tools that it can make your head spin!  We help you sort it all out with our “Tool Time” column, which breaks down the most useful resources around.

Facebook Ads

What it is:

Facebook Ads are images and text-based advertisements on the right hand side of the Facebook website. Multiple ads run simultaneously and target specific demographics through the many options Facebook provides. These Ads can direct you to fan pages, websites, coupons, and direct sales. Different from other advertising platforms, Facebook is great for building ongoing relationships with your customers since it’s a platform that so many people use.

How it works:

In three easy steps, you can be off and running with your own Facebook ad. The first step is creating the ad. You do this by creating a title that is less than 25 characters long, adding a picture, and then adding your body of text, which can be a maximum of 135 characters. The second step is to select your intended audience.  Facebook has 11 targeting options that include location, age, birthday, gender, keywords, education, workplaces, relationship status, interests, languages, and connections. Making sure your ad reaches the right people is key to your advertising success. The third step is setting up how you want to pay for running the ad. There are two ways. The first is Cost-Per-Click (CPC), which means you get charged each time someone clicks on your ad. The other is Cost-Per-Mille (CPM) which stands for cost per thousand impressions, meaning you purchase advertising based on what it costs to show the ad to one thousand viewers. The minimum cost for a running ad is $1 per day.

Once you have successfully created the ad you can track your progress, see who is clicking on the ad, and make changes to maximize your results.

Who it’s good for:

Facebook advertising is good for any type of business, both big and small. With more than 400 million active Facebook users and the targeting options Facebook provides, you can easily advertise to your audience at an affordable price.

Where to get started:

Check out how to jumpstart your Facebook ads at www.facebook.com/Ads.

Nike proves if you “just do it” creatively, you can stretch your advertising dollars.

Boston PR Agency Cercone Brown & Co. breaks down the benefits of professional social network LinkedIn with this week’s Tool Time.

Cercone Brown & Co.’s social media glossary defines the ins and outs of social media jargon.

Learn about Apple iAd, the latest mobile advertising media platform to come from Apple on July 1, 2010.