I struggle with pitches. Just call me Wordy McWordenheimer. When I need to catch your attention, I'd rather do jumping jacks and make bird noises than write two sentences (or less, ugh).
But if you think about it, a lot of things in life are like pitching. Anything could be a pitch if it's trying to grab attention. Consider channel surfing. Your eyes focus on the scene for, what, ten seconds or less, and you make a decision. Buying clothes, yep, that's another pitch. Walk through the store, see something that's a maybe, touch it, hold it up to you, make a decision. That tangerine tank with buttons decorating the straps just pitched you. Advertisements, the smells pumped out of candy stores or Bath and Body Works, the music to which you just can't help bobbing your head when you walk by an Abercrombie. All are meant to entice, to draw you in. Some work, others don't.
And blog post names. If you're like me, you follow a ton of blogs. I subscibe to emails on a few, but mostly, I scroll through Google reader and decide which ones to read based on the title and first sentence. We all pitch to each other on a daily, weekly, monthly, etc., basis. We win some, we lose others. After all, there are only so many 'leisure' hours in the day, and I have to jump on my WIP at some point.
So, how do you decide the names for your posts? Do you go for the shock factor? The hot-topic-of-the-week approach? How about being clever? How well do you play to your audience? What's your pitch strategy?
Sharing is caring, you know. Maybe we can learn from each other on this one. I'll take all the help I can get. Thanks for visiting the Cheetah! :)
-Marie
6 comments:
Now here is a post where I am eager to see the responses.
I try to include some of thopic in the title so the reader has some idea of what it is about but I also try to include a bit if twist so they will read.
But some topic are quirky enough to stand alone. For example my topic for the letter O is obituary ... Mine! Don't think that word needs a hook. :-)
I don't "pitch" too well either. Usually the title just makes itself known to me. Sometimes it might be catchy sometimes not. It just depends. I often times feel I have little to do with the writing of my titles. It always seems they write themselves.
Dafeenah
I'm sort of nervous to pitch but I think it is because my WIP isn't ready for pitching yet.
I read blog posts based on titles but also based on the length of posts. If a post is shorter I am more likely to read it.
I'd like to say I'm clever but the truth is the post usually names itself. I write short because I like to read short. I have the attention span of a gnat. (ADHD)
Yuck, pitches! I'm as bad as you are. There is always one or two more thoughts that need to be included. Blog post titles usually show up and they have to have a bit of whimsy.
BTW, Marie, I read and loved WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. Thank you again! ; )
I think writing a post title/writing application equals followers.
This does not apply if you are doing a contest because your contest is what gains you followers.
If you write a post about common thoughts, then you will gain followers who are interested in reading. Just my guess though! I am so not the expert (I follow blogs because they talk about food or movies at some point!!!).
Post a Comment