The Thesaurus: Your Dark Horse to Writing Killer Titles?

Richly Express Yourself Using the Dynamic Tapestry of the English Language!

Articles not getting the traction you were hoping for? It may be your title.

If only there was something that could save your titles and articles from dull and uninviting language ... Wait a second - there is!

An incredible tool that is underused, but often unexpectedly succeeds at turning heads is the thesaurus. It can open your writing to more stunning language than you ever thought possible and it can help you:

• invoke curiosity with an original turn of phrase
• find a better word to convey your thought or idea
• improve your vocabulary when used with a dictionary
• avoid repetition in a sentence or paragraph

How a Thesaurus Works

In a thesaurus, words are grouped by similar meaning, but that does not indicate they are identical.

For example, the synonyms grouped with the word road may include boulevard, street, or path. There are quite obvious differences to these words and it would behoove the writer to be mindful that not all words are interchangeable.

With its synonyms skip, cavort, caper, gambol, romp, prance, and frolic, words like dance offer more leniency to be used interchangeably. These are the words that can help you spice up your article titles and engage readers.

Combining the powers of ingenuity and creativity with a thesaurus can help you turn this:

5 Ideas for Increasing Your Personal Productivity

Into this:

5 Smart Ways to Rally and Empower Your Waning Productivity

Much more engaging, isn't it?

Increase Your Titles' Potential

Some words gain more traction than others. We refer to these as "power words." Here's a list of 10 power words and phrases you should blend into your titles (including several of their synonyms):

1. Smart (bold, brilliant, canny, nimble, shrewd, slick, wise, genius, clever, fresh)
2. Help (advice, aid, assist, cure, use, service, support, benefit, comfort, advantage, blessing)
3. Surprising (amazing, astonishing, shocking, startling, stunning, electrifying, sudden, unforeseen, remarkable)
4. Huge (colossal, extensive, giant, monumental, tremendous, massive, magnificent, enormous)
5. Critical (demanding, penetrating, exacting, severe, crucial, dire)
6. Killer (aggressive, antagonistic, combative, cut-throat, deadly, rival)
7. Fear (panic, scare, terror, suspicious, phobic, sweat, horror, dread, abhor, worry, woe)
8. Dark (cloudy, dim, gloomy, murky, bleak, somber, dreary, funereal, hard, harsh, lonely, sad)
9. War (struggle, fight, hostility, strife, combat, action, assault, attack, brush, clash, havoc, ravage)
10. Bleed (drain, labor, torment, pain, excruciate, writhe, afflict, brood, sulk, burn, gouge)

Use the thesaurus sparingly! Exchanging every other word can make your title or content sound unnatural. Sprinkle it like seasoning on the article.

Disclaimer: We do not advocate using a thesaurus or article spinning program to change every other word of your content to create derivative content or use it on another author's content in order to claim it as your own.

Here are 5 additional tips to bear in mind when writing engaging titles:

1. Focus on action words (e.g., achieve, create, adapt, build, and transform).
2. Place a strong emphasis on verbs (e.g., run) and adverbs (e.g., quickly).
3. Lead with a promise of a number (e.g., 5 Tips, 10 Strategies, 7 Top Methods, and 3 Critical Points).
4. Gain an instructional edge by including words or phrases (e.g., In 5 minutes, DIY,Introduction, and The Beginners Guide).
5. Pay attention to the first 3-5 words of your title - it's what you readers see first.

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