To get people to see your great content you NEED to get them to first CLICK it!

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Don't underestimate the power of a catchy title and thumbnail image!

The first thing I want you all to remember is that pretty much every post you make is seen by others in huge lists of other posts whether in a feed, steemit.chat, or a discord channel. You HAVE to make yourself stick out to entice people to click on your post!

Think for a second on the things that grab your attention. What makes you want to click on them? Did the title look interesting? Maybe the thumbnail image caught your eye? Or perhaps you saw a specific authors name that you've really enjoyed?

Most people when they first join on Steemit don't come in here with an established following or a personal brand, so you have to work to build things up. One of the ways to do this is strengthening your posts titles, thumbnail images and first sentence, inducing more people to open it up and give it a read!

Having the best content in the world still only gets SEEN once the post is actually opened.

Q: Are you telling us to make clickbait?

On some level, every catchy title is clickbait. But what actually causes the problem is then the it doesn't actually reflect the content of the post itself!

Using that perfect headline when it accurately describes when your content is about it just good marketing. Again, think about the things that caught your attention to click and read. Did you feel offended after finding that great, applicable read? Probably Not!

So don't let this term hold you back. Simply keep your titles (even when catchy) in line with the content your providing inside and you'll be just fine.

Q: What makes for a great post title?

First it's worth noting that there are different ways to make an effective title. Over time you'll find what things work best for you. What's below is just a way and not necessarily the way.

Be Accurate! It's worth stating this again. This is what separates a good headlines from clickbait! ALWAYS make sure your title describes what the reader will get inside. (Some funny or satire posts can break this rule.)
Quickly make the value clear. This often means having your keywords early in the title and be somewhat blunt about it. We're in an attention economy where you literally have a few seconds at most to get somebody to click or not. Personally, I prefer shorter, to the point titles.
Leave the reader wanting more! Think of this like a movie teaser where they give you just enough to catch your interest. This does mean that you need to have an idea of what grabs your target audience.
In my non-written posts (like photography) I try to tell a story with it. Either something that frames the theme of the image itself or how I got the shot and sometimes how I feel or react to it.
Include one or two enticing descriptors. For example, compare these:
- My Flower Picture
- My Brilliant Flower Picture
- The flower that changed my Life
Use your thumbnail image, which is the first in your post, to enhance the title.

Q: What make for good thumbnail images?

For visual posts (photography, art, etc) try to choose the best one for this. It can mean the picture with the greatest contrast (remember it's a small image) or the finished art work versus the pencil sketch of it.
For written posts, find something that conveys your message or mood. You want something that not only stands out, but says what you want it to that the title alone couldn't do.
For example: imagine a post with this thumbnail:

What do you think of when combining this with with a title "You are being watched!" versus "I want to see the world!"

The first one takes you to immediately towards big brother, surveillance, etc. The second doesn't really make much sense (since it'd be better when places your been or want to be...not the eye itself.)

Q: How to make use of the first sentence that shows in your post's list view?

Many people forget that this part gets included in a feed or even on your own blog! But it can be extremely useful!

Every post should have a flow to it, especially written ones. It should be easy for the reader to move from point to point without having to work to connect the dots. In the sense of effectively catching people's attention, you want this flow to be especially strong.

If you're able to get someone to read your title and be enticed, often the first sentence (which shows in the list view) is what seals the deal for you. Use this to state a point, ask a question, describe an experience...something that makes them want to open the post to get to the next sentence.

Remember that ALL of my guide posts are eligible to be added as entries to the Steem Center Wiki or Operation Translation.

Click here to find out how these can earn you Steem!!

Feel free to ask me anything. I'm here to Help!

I've had slow response times lately, but I try to get a response to every question.

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Image Sources:
Teddy Bears
Eye

❓Answering Common Questions: How to grab people with your Post Title and Thumbnail Image? 👀