So, I ran into this issue where my blog titles kept getting cut off in feeds, you know? Like once, I put out “Fun Trip Story” and it showed just “Fun Trip…” like half eaten. Readers kept asking what the heck it meant. Total pain.
How I Got Started
I figured why not lock titles to 15 to 30 words max after seeing that Weekly Horoscope example barely has 8. Seemed smart to avoid truncation blues. Just hopped into my writing app that same week.
Digging into the Grind
First off, I picked a topic, like my hike recap, and jotted a draft. Counted words raw—my head almost exploded. Title was “Morning Hike Joy” with just 3 words. Way too short, risking cuts. So I shoved in more stuff: added details like “in the mountains with friends on Sunday.” Boom, now at 8 words. Still way under 15.
- Tried again by expanding: threw in feelings and places, making it “My Awesome Morning Hike Adventure Up Rocky Peak Near Lake Fun with Best Buddies.” Puffed it up to 12 words, still falling short.
- Adjusted harder: tweaked for length, adding “during sunrise for stunning views and laughs over coffee.” That finally hit 20 words. Sweet spot.
- Then checked for over-shooting: wrote another title like “Big City Food Tour Guide List: Hidden Spots in Downtown Districts You Must Try This Weekend or Miss Out.” Whoops, ballooned to 50 words! Chopped it down: “Food Tour Guide: Downtown Hidden Spots for Weekend Fun.” Nailed it at 10 words—not enough again.
Kept at this daily, counting manually each time to land between 15 and 30. Did it for weeks like a robot, squinting at word counts till my eyes hurt.
Wrapping It Up
Now it’s second nature. Drafts always start short, I beef ’em up or trim fast. No more messes with cut-off titles, readers ain’t complaining anymore. Simple trick, but heck, it makes everything smoother.
