Getting New Prospects from Forum Posts

How to Write Killer Forum Post Titles!

Why is it that some Internet marketing forum posters seem to attract hundreds of replies to their posts, yet others receive 0 replies, no matter how hard they try?

The following is by no means a comprehensive guide, but applying these tips to your forum post titles will dramatically improve responses and views of your posts in the future.

The whole point of writing forum posts is to get replies and interact with others in the thread. In order to do that you have to get their attention and make it virtually impossible for them NOT to open the post to see what it’s all about.

You have to SELL them on the idea of opening that post, with the headline.

Here’s How:

1. Use emotional triggers

“Don’t make the same mistakes I made with [mistake here]!” will go a lot further than “I made a really stupid mistake.” and “This [whatever] tip could save your business” will get more readers and replies than “this is a cool tip.” Why? First of all, the first headline examples were all about the reader, not you. You’re writing the forum posts for them, not you. Secondly, the first examples trigger an emotion in the readers mind. Who wants to make the same mistakes the poster did? I sure don’t, so I’m going to open that post and read it so I can avoid making that same mistake. Wow, a tip that could save my business? Immediately I’m thinking that my business is in trouble and how painful that would be. Doesn’t matter if you’re biz is in trouble or not, the headline sparked that emotion in my mind, and what my mind thinks feels real. I want to know what that tip is… Now.

2. Ask a question

Ask intelligent questions and be specific. A forum post title that says “How do I make money online?” will be shunned like a disease by anyone already making a living online. The question is so broad it’s nearly impossible to answer with any real substance. A better approach would be to spend some time reading through other forum topics and educate yourself first, or at least find something you’re not clear on and ask a question specific to that topic. “How did you earn your first dollar online?” is still a little weak, but it’ll get people reading and talking in the thread.

3. Make a claim

Or rather, make a statement that you can backup with verifiable proof. “Here’s how I increased sales by 67% last year” will go a lot further towards getting your forum posts read than “Increasing sales.”

4. State the obvious

“Internet marketing is harder than they said it would be” is a fact that everyone knows or has experienced in some form or another. It’s an obvious statement that practically everyone will agree with and that post will get read because readers know how to respond, with their own anecdotes.

5. Be funny

“This is the funniest refund request I’ve ever had” makes a great internet marketing forum post title because the members of the forum have (or think they have) seen and heard it all, but maybe this one is different! Marketers will read it out of sheer curiosity more than anything and many will reply with their own funny refund stories. Makes a great thread and a great way to break up the monotony of sitting in front of the computer all day.

One last thing I’ll stress before you go out practicing your forum post titles is this: No matter how passionate, thought provoking or emotionally stimulating your titles are, what matters most is delivering on what those titles promise. You can have the best forum titles ever, but if the reader opens that post and is disappointed with the content in the post, you’ve added another nail to your coffin. Your credibility on that forum will quickly end up swirling in the virtual toilet and eventually no one will want to read your posts. Always deliver, or rather, over-deliver within the content and conversations in your forum posts.

Fred Raley
Fred@ABC-Success.Biz
Woodbridge, VA
(703) 730 1079

p.s. Visit our new forum at "Conquer Your Niche" and see what the buzz is about.