Can a Title of an Essay Be a Question: Tips on How to Write Killer Essay Titles

Essay writing can sometimes be daunting for many students, especially those doing it for the first time. But it can be more challenging when it comes to writing the title. The title can mean the difference between people reading your essay and not.

It is the first thing readers see and resembles a shouting individual. If the shout is not loud enough, your essay is less likely to be read, and vice versa. And among everything else about titles, whether to frame it as a question gets a lot of questions. So, can a title be a question? Let’s find out together.

Can a Title of an Essay Be a Question?

It is perfectly okay for you to write an essay with a title in the form of a question. However, you should use questions in a way that creates curiosity and not just for the sake of it. Further, a good question will make the reader want to know more by clicking on your article and start reading.

In addition, question essay titles are so effective that they get people thinking about things in new ways. For example, if you asked if you would live in the past or future, a reader might never have thought about it before, but now they have something to think about. There are two main reasons why this happens;

Questions force you to look at things from different perspectives and consider different viewpoints. This makes readers more open-minded and able to see things from other people’s points of view. Similarly, it is crucial to you as a writer because it helps you write your answer and explain it in a way that makes sense to everyone.

Questions are interesting, especially when they are open-ended. This means that people will be interested in what you have to say and want to read more about it.

Tips on How to Write Killer Essay Titles

Writing a killer essay title can be challenging, but it’s definitely not impossible. If you want to learn how to write great titles for your essays, here are some tips.

Also see: Can a Thesis Statement Be a Question?

Generally, a good start is by brainstorming several ideas and then narrowing them down to one or two that you like best. 

Once you’ve narrowed your list of possible titles, it’s time to research them. Check out what other people have written about the topic and see what kind of response their articles have gotten from readers. If possible, read through some comments and incorporate them in your title or content. 

Once you’ve settled on a topic, follow these tips to make it more enticing.

1. Keep it simple, short, and punchy 

A title should provide value, and one way of doing this is by making it simple and short so that it is easily understandable.

The best essay titles can be easily remembered and recalled by readers, so the shorter, the better. Aim for between 5 and 10 words—any more than that, and you risk losing your audience’s interest before they’ve even had a chance to finish reading the rest of your work.

Keeping it simple means avoiding complicated language or “big words” that may confuse readers. Remember this part of your assignment will be read by thousands upon thousands of people who have no prior knowledge; therefore, simplify it as much as possible. 

Additionally, your essay title should entice readers right off from the start. No one will move down the page and finish the piece if it doesn’t grab them immediately.

2. Be creative 

You don’t have to be overly literal with your titles, and they don’t have to state precisely what the paper will cover. Instead, try using clever turns of phrases or alliteration that hint at the topic without giving away too much information from within the essay itself.

3. Be specific 

Whatever you write in your title should be specific enough for people to know exactly what they’ll get when they open up your essay. It should also be immediately apparent what the topic is so that people can find out more about it if they’re interested.

Using specific examples will help your reader understand exactly what your essay is about, which will help them decide if they want to read it or not. For instance, if it’s about a place or event, mention it in the title. If it’s about a person or an object, mention their name or what they did. 

4. Use active verbs 

Active words are more powerful than passive ones because they create a sense of action and emotion. An active word shows what someone does or happens to someone, whereas a passive word tells what happens to something else. 

By using active verbs in your essay titles, you achieve the following.

• They make the reader feel more engaged because they are used to seeing verbs in a sentence that describes what the subject does.
• They make your writing more descriptive, making the title more interesting and evocative for readers with little knowledge of the subject matter.
• Active verbs help you to be more persuasive and give readers a sense that you know how to drive home an argument or idea with powerful words and phrases.

5. Include a number if possible

Numbers can be very effective in titles because they intrigue and encourage readers to want more information. If you can, include a number in your essay title. Numbers are more memorable than words, so the reader has a better chance of recalling your essay later. 

In addition to being more memorable, numbers also give readers a sense of progress as they read through your essay. For example: “How to Write Killer Essays” is less striking than “How To Write A Killer Essay: 7 Steps.” 

The latter gives the reader seven steps (or points) that they can follow as they read through your article. 

6. Avoid abbreviations

Your essay title’s purpose is to grab your reader’s attention and persuade them to continue reading. To do that, you need to communicate clearly and effectively; thus, abbreviations should be avoided.

Further, abbreviations make the reading difficult, and the essay title will look less professional and attract less attention.