Linkedin titles to get the Pulse racing – Linkedin Pulse

I like to think of a ‘Title’ like a HOME page – if it’s not engaging, it’s unlikely to be clicked.

I was scanning through Linkedin Pulse today, selected a few titles that caught my eye, then set about analysing why I’d clicked and whether it was worth it.

Of the 4 blogs, I only found 1 to be of any use, but that’s not the point (for now at least) – if you’re competing to be noticed in a crowd, you have to stand out.

1. 4 Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones

* Great title, average copy, but taking such clichés as ‘Empower your staff and reap rewards’ and comparing them to Daenerys freeing the Unsullied (a queen-in-waiting with 3 dragons and an army of castrated soldiers for those who haven’t been watching ‘GOT’) at least shows some originality.  No matter how contrived the linkage.

* This is far more enticing than the now standard titles beginning ’11 secrets’, or ‘9 reasons’  followed by some bland statement. These titles have become lazy, and have become too popular as ‘headlines’ – remember that Familiarity breeds Contempt.

There are, of course always exceptions to the rules.

If the subject is relevant then ‘5 top tips’ is often a useful place to start –  you know the blog should get to the point promptly, and if it doesn’t, then you can always skim read the numbered titles and bin it quickly.

2. Apple is launching a Search Engine to destroy Google

* Provocative, Relevant, Conversation-starter – that’s how I’d sum up this headline.

* Actually interesting and well-written as well, containing new information (Apple’s search engine ‘Spotlight’ slowly being rolled out on its mobiles), informed opinion (Tim Cook painting Google as the ‘evil successor to Microsoft’) and a spot of good old-fashioned revenge (Jobs’ feud with Google over launching a phone)

3. How Shark Tank Schooled me

* What is shark tank? How did it help the author…etc?

* Immediately we’re wondering whether this is swimming with sharks, feeding sharks, being fed to sharks, or in the words of Monty Python , ‘Something completely different….’.

* It turns out that this is the foreign equivalent of ‘Dragon’s Den’ (or ‘Monkey’s Tiger’ as it was once called in Japan).

4. I give myself permission to…

* Oh, interesting picture (Banksy-type stencilled woman in front of a spray-painted wall), quite an intriguing title….I’ll read on.

* Actually, not all that interesting when you get into it, the clue coming early on ‘This is not an advice post. This is a ME post’.

Still, nice try….next!