Create an attention-grabbing title that offers a provocative image. For example, "The Bright Side of Blight."
Create a title that is catchy but short. For example, "Tactical Secrets." The title piques the reader's interest because it promises to reveal a secret.
Create a title that asks a question. For example, "What's So Bad About Hate?" If you choose to ask a question, make sure you answer the question posed in the title within the body of your essay.
Create a title that juxtaposes two contradictory concepts. For example, "Finding the Truth in Myth." The contradiction will make the reader want to know how you will resolve the conflict.
Create a title that uses words from the conclusion of your essay. For example, "Andrew Carnegie: The Father of Middle-Class America."
Use a title-subtitle combination with a colon after the title. Present the topic as the title and offer a description, analogy or conclusion in the subtitle. For example, "Road Rage: Curing Our Highway Epidemic." Another way to think of the title-subtitle combination is that the title is broad in focus with a subtitle that is narrow in focus.
Avoid titles that are too general, such as, "The History of the United States." Broad titles do not offer the reader information on what the essay might be about nor do they pique the reader's interest.
Avoid just listing the topic of your essay, such as, "Moby Dick." Even if your essay is about the book, find an interesting angle to present in your title.