The impact of a presentation title on securing speaking engagements is often overlooked. Regardless of how skilled a speaker you are, a lackluster title can significantly hinder your chances of getting booked.
Crafting a compelling talk title requires a delicate balance of capturing the essence of your message while leaving the audience or booker craving more. It must convey a persuasive reason why they must hear what you have to say, whether it be urgency, problem-solving, ease, improved outcomes, or filling a knowledge void.
Moreover, the challenge lies in expressing all of this in as few words as possible. To provide you with an advantage in securing speaking opportunities, I have curated a guide featuring 20 effective formulas commonly used for creating impactful presentation titles.
Each formula is accompanied by samples, allowing you to adapt your message using these proven techniques.
The key is to avoid being boring and to captivate your audience right from the start.
By leveraging these diverse approaches, you will have a toolkit of compelling presentation title styles that can be adapted to suit various speaking engagements and audiences.
So, without further ado, let’s delve into the first 10 styles, explore each styles’ characteristics, and provide you with examples to spark your creativity.
10 Compelling Presentation Title Formulas
1. Provide Numbered Tips or Wisdom Drip
This style of presentation title is highly effective as it offers a clear promise of specific advice or wisdom that will be shared in a sequenced fashion.
By utilizing a numbered format, the title immediately captures the reader’s attention and indicates that the content will provide practical steps or valuable insights for achieving a desired outcome.
Examples:
- 5 Simple Steps to Secure a Steady Stream of Conference and Event Stage Appearances
- 10 Secrets Successful Speakers Use that Keep Their Calendar Filled Year Round
- 6 Steps to Reverse Early Symptoms of Diabetes
These examples showcase how the style of Numbered Tips or Wisdom Drip can be used to convey a clear promise of specific advice or wisdom, while enticing the reader with the prospect of organized and actionable information.
2. Commit to an Outcome
This style of presentation title is focused on providing the audience with a specific outcome they can expect from attending the presentation.
By highlighting the desired result, the title creates a sense of anticipation and motivation for individuals to participate and gain the knowledge or skills needed to achieve that outcome.
- How to Get 15 New Clients Without Making One Cold Call
- Create a Six-Figure Business With the Skills You Learned in Corporate
- Learn to Love the 20 Pounds You Gained & Revel in the Body You Have
These examples demonstrate how the style of Commit to an Outcome can be employed to immediately engage the audience by showcasing the specific benefits they will receive.
The titles promise solutions to their challenges or aspirations, fostering a strong desire to attend the presentation and acquire the knowledge or strategies necessary to attain the desired outcome.
3. Designate The Problem and Your Solution
This style of presentation title effectively communicates to the audience that you understand the specific problem they are facing and have a viable solution to offer. By identifying the problem upfront and presenting your solution, the title immediately captures the attention of those who are seeking resolution or guidance.
- Convert Your Problem Boss to Your Biggest Advocate
- The New Sources of Capital Most Entrepreneurs Overlook
- How to Evaluate Optimum Assisted Living Facilities for Aging Parents
These examples showcase how this style can effectively address the pain points of the audience.
By presenting a clear problem-solution framework, the titles establish credibility and convey that the presentation will provide valuable insights and strategies for overcoming challenges or making informed decisions.
4. Commit to a Timeline
This style of presentation title confirms what the audience can achieve within a defined timeline by listening to your presentation. By setting specific expectations, the title creates a sense of urgency and motivates individuals to take action within a given timeframe.
- 10 Speaker Bookings in 10 Days
- How to Get 3 College Acceptances Before the Spring Deadlines
- The Secret to 3 Great Dates within 30 Days of Starting to Date Online
These examples serve to highlight achievable goals that can be accomplished within a specific timeframe. By attending the presentation, individuals can learn the strategies, techniques, and insights necessary to meet these objectives efficiently and effectively.
5. Provide Inspiration, Aspiration, and Motivation
This style of presentation title aims to inspire and motivate the audience, offering hope and a sense of purpose. By capturing their aspirations, the title encourages individuals to attend the presentation to discover how they can achieve personal growth and transformation.
- Your Purpose Awaits You
- Success is Only Three Feet From Gold
- Discovering the Power of Your Resilience
This style can effectively tap into the audience’s desire for personal fulfillment and empowerment. The titles promise to provide insights, strategies, or stories that will inspire and motivate individuals to unlock their potential, overcome challenges, and achieve their goals.
6. Tell A Story
This style of presentation title captures the audience’s attention by showcasing a story of transformation or overcoming adversity that they can relate to. By presenting a hero’s journey, the title allows individuals to envision themselves in similar situations and fuels their curiosity to learn more.
- From Beggar to Wall Street Broker
- From Death’s Door to Marathons
- From Know-it-All to Have-it-All, How to get humbled and regain your life
With this style, we’re using the age-old (and always effective) storyteller approach. Through relatable stories, we’re engaging the audience with personal narratives of triumph and growth, preferably ones they can see themselves in. The titles create a sense of empathy, curiosity, and inspiration, encouraging individuals to attend the presentation to learn how they too can embark on their own transformative journey.
7. Issue a Cautionary Tale
This style of presentation title serves as a warning, alerting the audience to potential pitfalls or mistakes they might make if they do not heed the advice and insights shared in the presentation. By highlighting the consequences of inaction, the title emphasizes the importance of taking the suggested course of action.
- 8 Ways to Sabotage Your Speaker One-Sheet
- How to Implode Your Corporate Speaking Career Before It Even Begins
- The Relationship Guide for the Chronically Single
With this style, we’re effectively grabbing the audience’s attention by highlighting potential pitfalls and offering preventive measures. The titles create a sense of urgency and motivate individuals to take action to avoid the negative outcomes associated with the warned-about scenarios.
8. Unveil What They Don't Tell You
This style of presentation title piques the audience’s curiosity by suggesting that there is crucial information or knowledge they are missing. By creating a sense of intrigue, the title compels individuals to attend the presentation to discover the hidden insights or secrets that are typically not widely shared.
- What They Don’t Tell You in Business School
- What Your Mother Never Told You About Sex and Marriage
- What You Don’t Know about How Successful Producers Get Their Movies Made
This style entices the audience by hinting at valuable, lesser-known information or perspectives. The titles spark curiosity and motivate individuals to seek out the presentation to gain exclusive knowledge and gain a competitive edge.
9. Fly in the Face of Conventional Wisdom
This style of presentation title challenges conventional thinking and encourages the audience to reconsider commonly held beliefs or assumptions. By presenting counterintuitive or thought-provoking statements, the title sparks curiosity, and prompts individuals to question their existing knowledge or perspectives.
- Butterflies Have A Blood Lust
- Hyperactive Kids Don’t Need Medication
- Failure is Your Best Path to Business Success
With this copywriting technique, we’re using bold and unconventional statements (although the butterfly one is true) to grab and hold the audience’s attention. The titles invite individuals to engage with the presentation to explore alternative viewpoints, challenge existing norms, and potentially gain new insights that defy conventional wisdom.
10. Wrap It in Metaphors or Fables
This style of presentation title uses metaphors or fables to allude to real-world experiences but presents them in a fantastical or imaginative way. By incorporating storytelling elements, the title creates intrigue and invites the audience to embark on a metaphorical journey to gain insights and lessons from these symbolic tales.
- Why the Tortoise Wins Every Time
- The Goldilocks Method for Conquering the Bears in Your Life
- The Six-Box-Dilemma—Figuring Out the Important Priorities in Your Life
These examples demonstrate how the style captivates the audience’s imagination by presenting familiar concepts in an intriguing and whimsical manner.
The titles encourage individuals to attend the presentation to unravel the deeper meanings and practical applications of these metaphorical stories.
Basically, we’re igniting their base level human curiosity and transporting the audience into imaginative realms that hold valuable lessons and insights.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s follow-up article, where we will explore another set of 10 captivating presentation title styles that will help you engage your audience and make a lasting impact. Don’t miss out on valuable insights and examples that will enhance your speaking skills and boost your booking success.
Check back tomorrow for more inspiration!
