The one tip for writing titles I got from my mentor yesterday that I will not forget until I die!

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I got this tip from my mentor yesterday.

I was confused about what words to use in my titles. (blog post, book titles etc.)

And my mentor simply said: Use the words which people use most. Because that would establish the connection with the least resistance.

How to find the words which people use most?

Google!

In one of my titles, I had a confusion of whether to use "get customers" or "acquire customers".

The former is simple but the later looks more sophisticated.

Google Search Says:

"acquire customers" 283,000 results
"get customers" 1,500,000 results!

So now the choice is obvious. I don't want to look spohisticated. I just want to CONNECT with the readers with the right titles.

Update: I am not using the Google keyword tool. Just the search. Search for the keyword or phrase with quotes to find out which has more occurrences.
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  • Cool tip Deepak.

    Along those lines let me add to what you said, as a copywriter for over 10 years.

    Write as conversational as possible. Write like you would talk, and that's how you connect.

    You've given a great way to make sure when you're not so sure.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
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    • Agreed. I have been trying to use contractions more in my writing lately.

      Agreed. I've been trying to use contractions more in my writing lately.
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  • wow using google kw tools for title, that some good insight
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    • Its not the keyword tool. Just the search.
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  • Deepak, thanks for sharing something so simple, yet so powerful.
  • just keep it simple, why reinvent the wheel?

    Thanks for reminding us the obvious.
  • I'm with John on this, the most popular is not necessarily the best.

    You are also overlooking the value of a title as a hook, an attention grabber, a click me now to read more magnet. Bland search terms are unlikely to have as much visual impact as carefully crafted titles.
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  • I've done extensive testing on this specific area. Neither "get customers" nor "acquire customers" produced the best conversion. What did was "attract customers" - and consistently.

    FYI - even by the suggested criteria of checking for the # of instances this phrase appears in Google search, it is the hands down winner.
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  • I think this an important thing to remember for writing in general. I used to think that it was best to use more complex, interesting words. But, I came to realize that good writing means that you communicate in the easiest, most natural way possible. It's different from if you were writing a novel. For me, the take away is that it's usually best to keep the language simple and direct as possible, to make sure it can be easily read.
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  • I think the advantage to using less common language might be to attract a certain audience to a site.
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  • Thanks for the post Deepak!
    I also usually avoid too literary phrases...I do not mind if people complain of using plain and simple English on my blog. I know that a great majority of readers come from the non-English speaking countries.
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    • That is a good point. When writing in simple english, we can have audiences from almost all the english speaking countries and also from countries where english is a second language.

      BTW, nice to see another warrior member from India.
  • Thats a good idea. I guess you can be too professional sounding and even if you have the best "Aquireing Customers" book in the world, you won't be found by customers.
  • This article really drives home the point of being rewarded by writing on roughly a 6th grade level.

    Great in-depth study.

    Low-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
  • Deepak, that's a great tip. I would change one thing, though: use the words that your target audience would use, not necessarily people in general. Those subtle differences in word usage from one group to the next can be very powerful.
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    • Another great tip, thank you Cali
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    • Yes, that would be even more powerful.

      A tip: To know what words your target audience use, read what they write. For example if your niche is about weight loss, go and read the reviews of weight loss books in amazon.com. If you read around 100-150 reviews from target customers, you can soon start speaking their language in your marketing.
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  • Wow ...never thought of it like that.
    Cool mentor you've got there.

    Thanks for the great tip, have a great day mate!

    Regards,
    Dan
  • That is a great tip. Doing market research indeed in order to connect with them makes sense especially in the title since that is the first chance to establish a connection. =-)

    Thanks for sharing.

    - Will
  • Write as you speak in conversational English (or French or German or whatever). Many people are intimidated by the "proper" use of language, and struggle to maintain interest, particularly if the language used is not their native one.
  • In this case, no need to even search Google. Unless you have reason to believe that you would lose customers by not sounding sophisticated (a product that requires a very sophisticated image to be credible), speak simple. Even if your audience is nuclear physicists, use the simplest language appropriate.

    How many times do ads use the word purchase" instead of "buy"? Who are these copywriters who do this?
  • Only in IM where 'get' and 'got' are acceptable and encouraged..

    lol.
  • Yes. Your mentor is absolutely right. When you are writing article then you need to keep it mind that you are writing article for your customers or potential customers not for yourself.
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