Category: Writing Tools

Generate Eye-Catching Titles for Content Using This Free Tool

The most important component of any written content is the title, whether it’s an ad or an article. If the title doesn’t spark interest, the reader will move on and the content probably won’t be read. For some, writing titles is an innate skill. For the rest of us, there are tools that can help.

The website I am highlighting today is Headline Analyzer from Monster Insights, but it is far from the only free tool on offer. Coschedule has one, as does Sharethrough. If you are creating content for a WordPress blog, some search engine optimization plugins, like All in One SEO, have a similar feature built-in. Keep in mind, though, that they may not all have the criteria for what makes a great headline. I used Monster Insights to create the headline for this article (of “perfect” length), only to have All in One SEO tell me it was too long by a single character.

Another caveat about these tools is that you can create a high-scoring title that makes no sense, just by using desirable keywords and staying within a certain number of characters. You can also accidentally create a title that people think is simply clickbait (named so because it goes overboard on keywords to generate clicks that lead people to unsatisfying, ad-loaded pages). These days, most people just skip clicking on over-the-top titles, so you’ll want to avoid that.

Analyzing a Headline

When you have a draft headline that you would like to test, type or paste it into the box at https://www.monsterinsights.com/headline-analyzer and click “Analyze.” The score will pop up below the box.

Screenshot showing an overall score of 73, noting a good score is between 40 and 60.
The score for the current title of this article is 73

According to their parameters, this title is good to go. But this wasn’t the first title I tried. This tool tracks your tries to help you remember what configurations you have already used.

Screenshot showing previous draft titles and their subpar scores.
A few earlier draft titles

As the screenshot demonstrates, even the order of the words in the title can make a big difference in the score.

Improving a Headline

If your first draft isn’t getting the score you hoped for, the tool will give several suggestions on how to improve the title.

First, the “word balance” area will show you how many words you are using from each category, and how many you should shoot for.

Screenshot showing the balance of common words, uncommon words, emotional words, and power words used in the title.

Scrolling farther down, word banks are provided to give you suggestions for words in each category:

Screenshot showing columns of power words, emotion words, and uncommon words.
Word banks to help you fine-tune your title

Another area points out the tone and type of your headline and offers suggestions.

Screenshot showing the sentiment is positive and that positive headlines get better engagement. The type is "general", and lists and how-to headlines get more engagement.

I could have added “How to” at the beginning of the title, but then it would have been too long. The word I choose to cut may then affect the word balance negatively. Ultimately, the final title is up to what sounds good to you and what fits in with the writing style of your content.

Summary

Creating a great headline is a balance of several factors, and there is no one perfect title for any piece of content. Hopefully, a headline analyzer can provide you with enough guidance to tweak your titles to improve engagement, regardless of which suggestions you take and which you ignore. Do you have a favorite tool to help you write your headlines? Let us know in the comments.

Enlist Rytr to Help Improve Your Writing Easily

If you struggle with writing content for your blog, social media, website, ads, emails, or other online platforms, Rytr may be able to help. Rytr is an AI that can help you save time, improve SEO rankings, boost ad/call-to-action conversions, and overcome writer’s block. Here are a few of the other use cases they list on their website:

  • Come up with catchy names for your brand or business
  • Write a business idea pitch
  • Prepare interview questions
  • Create job or product descriptions
  • Generate post/video ideas
  • Craft replies to reviews and messages
  • Write song lyrics
  • Story plots
  • Reviews
  • Headlines/taglines

As a bonus, Rytr checks for plagiarism automatically. Pretty much, if you need to write, Rytr can help.

You will need to create an account to use this service. There is a free version that allows you to generate 5000 characters per month. Depending on how you use the service, that may be enough for you. The paid tiers offer more characters per month, the ability to create custom use cases, and more support.

Getting Started

Upon logging in, you are presented with a writing window. Options on the left allow you to select the language, tone, and use case (purpose of the writing). The center is empty for a new account, but will eventually contain a list of your creations. You can use the menu on the upper left to mark favorites, create a new folder, or create a new document. For this example, I have chosen to write an informative email in English.

Screenshot of the starting screen with a menu on the left and two menus on the top.

After choosing your option, enter the key points of your email. This is what I entered:

  • We have a new service.
  • Read the Times Union online
  • https://bit.ly/EGTimesUnion
  • Must be a resident cardholder.

I left the settings at 2 variants (creates two options) and optimal creativity level.

This was the result:

Two sample emails using my points with added information the AI gathered online.

It came up with two decent options, aside from the fact that it picked up a link for a coupon that has nothing to do with this and put it in the first option. The second variant was definitely more like the tone we use in our library emails. All of the text in this window, including the suggested subject, are editable and can be formatted.

Fine Tuning the Result

When I click on a phrase, additional editing options pop up. Select a large chunk of text and click “more” to access the plagiarism checker.

Screenshot of selected phrase with the character count and options: command, improve, rephrase, paragraph, and more.

After some manual edits, I dropped in an image. If you do this, be sure to use an image of high quality, because it will be stretched to fit the page width. I couldn’t find a way to format it to stay in its original size or form a column in the email. Images may be more easily handled by adding them later in your email editor. Here is the finished product:

Screenshot showing the times union logo at the top of the email and body text that has been altered from the initial suggestion.

By default, all creations are saved and listed on your account home page. To reveal additional options for the project, click the three-dot menu icon in the upper right of the page.

Screenshot of menu options to download as .docx, download as .html, clear all content, delete the document, or pin it to your profile.

Returning to the account home page, we see my document and a folder created for it. To move a file into a folder, click the three-dot menu for the document and select move. Select the folder from the popup and click “move here.”

Screenshot showing document and folder list with the document's menu activated. Options include rename, move, delete, and pin to profile.

If you decide you want to go back to the original variants that were created, click on history in the upper left of the screen and select an item.

Screenshot of "history" in the menu with the first item in the history showing below it.

The original information is all there, along with the number of credits used and the date and time of creation. If you’re really pleased with the outcome, click the orange button to “Ryte more like this.” If you are unhappy with the outcome, click “report poor output quality.”

Screenshot of the document with original settings and suggested text. Also shows credits used and buttons for options at the bottom.

If you need help, click the question mark icon in the upper right of the screen. Links to tutorials, resources, community, chat, and email are available.

Final Thoughts

Sometimes writing even the simplest copy can take more time than you have. Rytr can help ease the burden and free up your time for other things.