We recently hosted an extremely well attended webinar with our client, ServiceNow, that was titled “ITSM Doesn’t Have to be so Freak’n Hard.” After hosting this webinar, it reminded me just how important webinar titles can be in luring and engaging an audience. Now obviously the title above is geared toward a specific audience that is most likely already familiar with the topics of ITSM. Service Now has honed in on their target audience, and created a catchy title that will peak their interest.
My other favorite part about this title is the use of “Freak’n” – which is a term most of us have used, usually when putting emphasis on something. Perhaps you’ve used it in this sense – “ I’m so freak’n tired” or, “No freak’n way!” The use of this word elicits an emotional response or connection that most of us can relate to – we’ve all been frustrated, whether it is work related or not. The title acknowledges that, and soothes you by saying, ITSM doesn’t have to be frustrating – find out how by attending our webinar.
Below we’ve listed some dos and don’ts from our experience (and from seeing good and bad titles alike) that we think can help you create an interesting, impactful title that will entice potential attendees.
Start with an action verb. Example: “Grow your leads and increase ROI: secrets from the pros.” The title starts with the word “Grow”, an action that immediately grabs the attention of the reader.
Use a question, followed by the intended outcome of your program – Using a question and answer approach as we have done for the title of this blog will point out the potential problem the attendee is looking to solve and give them the answer or solution that the webinar will cover. They may think, “yes, my webinar titles could be improved, I like the sound of that, I will register for this webinar.”
Include the words “How to”. This approach implies you will be teaching your audience how to do something.
Include searchable keywords. Most likely you will be promoting your webinar through e-mail and online, so you want to be sure you include easily searchable keywords people can use to find your webinar.
Don’t let the title get too lengthy – Now I know this sounds like an obvious one, but you won’t believe how often we see titles that could almost be paragraphs. Steer clear of being too explanatory and giving too much away. Also, a really long title is hard to remember and may cause people to lose interest.
Know your audience – This is key in creating a title that will entice the audience interested in your topic, leading them to stay for the duration of the presentation, and perhaps even attend future webinars.
Don’t be afraid to be a little saucy – By this I mean don’t be afraid to be a little controversial at times, or incorporate a little humor (as ServiceNow did). People will see this as a sign that your presentation will be interesting and captivating. Remember the title is the first thing people will read about your webinar – make it catchy so they want to keep reading. Use of this tactic will depend heavily on your target audience and the topic at hand.
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