What’s so important about article titles, anyway? For one, a well-conceived headline is one way to grab the fickle reader. Our creative director argues that the title’s responsibility is far greater, though. “It’s a window into the story’s soul,” she says. “This is the moment during which the reader and the writer stare into each other’s eyes.”

That kind of pressure is bound to challenge any headline writer. If you’re not sure where to start, consider these top 10 characteristics of a great headline:

1. It answers the question, “What is this article about?”
2. It says something interesting about the article.
3. Its tone matches the article’s tone.
4. It’s interesting in its own right.
5. It sounds “real,” not contrived.
6. It’s in the active voice, but avoids commands.
7. It’s an honest representation of the article; it doesn’t mislead.
8. It uses short, easy-to-read words and short phrases. (Alliteration is often a plus.)
9. It addresses the reader directly (stated or implied).
10. It’s not a label.

Not every title will illustrate every tip; we suggest shooting for five. And one more thing: Watch for similar title structures on a page, especially a homepage. Avoid writing all question-based titles, for example. As in any relationship, nothing fizzles the fire like monotony.

How many times have you, or your supervisor, CMO or CEO asked to see the web analytics of your company site? Most organizations focus so much on stats such as unique visitors, visit length and number of page views that they forget about the equally important, but less tangible, task of getting the right content in front of the right people.

You’re probably thinking that those are the same things, and it is true that a high-performing website is probably getting its content read. However, if you focus on marketing the content, rather than marketing the website itself, you can suddenly take advantage of easy, fun and FREE options that go way beyond SEO and banner ads.

Smashing Magazine recently ran an article called “10 Ways to Put Your Content in Front of More People.” It offers examples of companies like eBay, Twitter and CNN who have successfully promoted themselves and their content though mediums that do not direct back to their respective sites.

Now, what works for an e-commerce site like eBay is dramatically different than what works for a news corporation like CNN. What these companies have in common, though, is an understanding of where their audience is, and how to meet them there.

Check out the Smashing Magazine article, and stay tuned for more thoughts on the importance of marketing your content, not just your website.

Working with our clients, I frequently see copy that’s efficiently written and factual—yet lacking “sparkle.” That is, the necessary words are there and they get the point across, but they may not compel a reader to check out the material in the first place.

Any copy—whether it’s intended to be read or heard, posted on the Web or printed on a page—benefits from a varied vocabulary. In fact, the choice of objective, descriptive words over industry jargon and repetition can transform material on nearly any topic.

A standard online dictionary or thesaurus is the first stop on the path to more interesting verbiage. Here are a few other options that you may find useful.

The inexpensive Visual Thesaurus is available in desktop and online formats. It’s an interactive tool that displays synonyms and antonyms as a web around your search term, so you can see the relationship between the various options.

If it’s not a single word that has you stumped, but a whole phrase, then Sybrina’s Phrase Thesaurus may help you perk up your prose. The one-time download costs $19.95.

Especially when you’re putting together a headline or script, the sound of the words can make as much of an impact as their meaning. Rhymezone provides results based on the sound of the word rather than its ending letters. For instance, if you type in “cancer,” you’ll get “answer” in addition to words ending in “-cer.”

Finally, Bartleby gives you access to thousands of quotations, including the famous Bartlett’s collection. These can help you turn a phrase or play on familiar words, both techniques that engage readers or listeners quickly.