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My Five Favorite Medium Titles this Week
From Cat Vids to Little Pigs
I’m a writing coach and editor-for-hire. As part of my ongoing quest to help my fellow Medium writers upgrade their work, I recently published a post about what’s wrong with so many of the titles on this platform and how to improve them.
Here are the Rules
Coming up with a good title isn’t rocket science.
A title has to do just two things:
(1) Tell the reader what the story is going to be about.
(2) Tell the reader what the tone of the story will be.
That’s really all a title really has to do. But you definitely get bonus points if
(3) The title is also clever, entertaining, amusing or otherwise attention-grabbing.
In fact, if the title is fun and engaging enough, you can get away with breaking both rules one and two. But this is rare.
And Here are Some Good Titles
Having spelled out the ground rules, I want to share a few examples. Luckily, although there are plenty of mediocre titles on Medium, there are some terrific titles too.
Here are my five favorite Medium titles this week:
The Three Little Pigs and Charles Schwabb (Bill Abbate)
What’s so good about this title?
It’s funny and it’s one-of-a-kind. It tells you what the piece will be about — building a sturdy financial future. But the unlikely juxtaposition of the seriousness of an investment house and the storytelling promise of a fairytale implies that this is won’t be a dry read.
Next?
Why Being in an Interracial Couple is Not as Black and White as it Seems. (Keziah Jones)
What’s so good about this title?
Everything. Titles just don’t get better than this. A zillion points to Keziah Jones for the cleverness of the way she’s made use of the double meaning of “black and white.”
A lot of writers think that word play makes for a good title. It usually doesn’t. To be effective, wordplay has to be both on point and very clever. This title is both.
Abraham Lincoln Could’ve Sent a Fax to a Samurai (Jefferson Lake)
What so good about this title?
It’s mysterious and compelling and implies that the post will be fun to read. How do you resist clicking on that title to learn what this is about? Especially that “could have.” He didn’t send that fax — — but he could have? What’s that all about?
How Thomas Edison Made the World’s First Ever Cat Video (Andrew Martin)
What’s so good about this title?
It may not be clever but it’s descriptive and intriguing, and it knows how to aim right for its target audience — people who like cat videos. It tells the reader exactly what the piece is about and it makes them want to learn more.
And finally?
The Thrilling Conclusion to My Answers to Roz Warren’s Twenty Questions. (Marilyn Flower.)
What’s so good about this title?
It includes the words “Roz Warren.” That’s me! If you include my name in your title, it automatically becomes one of my favorite titles. I’m a writer. I have an ego. So sue me.
(Readers! Have you read — or written — a terrific title on Medium? Please share a link in the comments section so I can include it in a future Best Title Post.)
Writing Coach and editor-for-hire Roz Warren, who writes for everyone from the Funny Times to the New York Times, can help you improve and publish your work. Drop her a line at [email protected]. (That’s Ros with an “s,” not a “z.”)
