There is no real way to get people interested in an article you think they should be. That's not true. A good title will get an article several times more atte

There is no real way to get people interested in an article you think they should be. That's not true. A good title will get an article several times more attention. I've found that the most effective titles (a) say what the article is about, and (b) appeal directly to the reader. For example, the original title of "Why Smart People Have Bad Ideas" was "Copper and Tin." It was a bogus move to name the thing after a metaphor I was proud of, and I got what I deserved. Who's going to click on a link titled "Copper and Tin?" You can't tell what it's going to be about, whatever it does turn out to be about probably won't affect you. The titles that seem to work the best are ones that to answer some question the reader cares about. E.g. "Why you procrastinate." The most effective of all seem to be the ones that promise (usually falsely) to cover all of some question, and embody this promise in a number: "The 7 reasons you procrastinate." You don't necessarily want to sink to using such linkbaitish titles-- especially here, please-- but they certainly work.