Why It's So Hard to Write Great Blog Post Titles

Hey Everyone,

Hope you're having a great week. Here are a few things I've been reading, writing and pondering lately. Enjoy!

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1. 5 Ways to Write Better Blog Post Titles

Picking a title is just as much an exercise in thinking about distribution and framing as it is in honing in on what is truly interesting about your post.

And this is why writing good titles is so hard. You have to sum up the post, tease the value and encourage clicks all in one fell swoop.

2. Haters and Critics: How to Deal with People Judging You and Your Work

Content marketing requires you to put your name and face on everything you write. Readers tend to trust people more than brands, but that places an extra burden on the writers. You have to get out of your comfort zone—and you have to learn to be okay with the people who aren't so supportive.

On one hand, I believed in myself and I knew that I wanted to contribute something to the world around me. But on the other hand, I was scared that people wouldn’t approve of my work and would criticize me when I started sharing the things I cared about or believed.

3. 10 Sales Trends for 2018

I'm spending more and more of my time on sales—and really enjoying it too. I found this post to be really useful. This line accurately sums up my experience so far:

In 2018, we're shifting further and further away from the old “transactional” world of one-off sales, and toward an economy fueled by repeat purchases and enduring customer relationships.

4. Tweet of the Week

5. Random Links

• I'm really intrigued by online courses (and planning to re-launch mine soon). This guide from Podia is really useful if you're thinking of making one.
• Very interesting breakdown: How the Biggest Antivirus Companies spend their Advertising Budgets
• New startup trend: stock buybacks (see Wistia and Buffer).
• I'm a sucker for posts like this: The Anatomy of a Successful Job Description
• Content pruning is trending. Here's a few quick thoughts on why.

Have a great weekend!

Jimmy

PS - I’m looking to partner with a few great businesses to sponsor this newsletter. It reaches a bunch of smart folks from places like Google, Apple, Spotify, New York Times, Marriott and Harvard. Shoot me an email if you're interested in working together.