Titles, Descriptions and Digg

Most people think that the key to getting on the Digg homepage is great content. Although this is true, a good Digg title and description can make "non-Digg worthy" content reach the homepage.

The other day I wrote a post titled, "Don't forget to learn from your Diggs" which was about Market Wire spamming Digg. The post already had an interesting title, but someone submitted it to Digg with a funny title and description, which caused it to do fairly well.

pronet digg title/desc

I personally don't think that the post was homepage material, but it did make it. Granted it got buried after making the homepage (my guess is that this happens because the word "advertising" is in the domain), but this is proof that titles can make a big difference.

So the next time you think about submitting to Digg, remember that you don't have to use the article's title/description. Instead, to increase your chances of getting on Digg's homepage, try coming up with something unique and funny but don't forget to make sure it's still related to the article.

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Reader Comments (5)

baron, January 28, 2007

Glad you liked my handiwork. Too bad it didn't hang long but I find Digg becoming more and more hostile toward medium and large blogs (except the more established brands older than Digg).

I also see Digg becoming conservative. My best performing submissions are pictures and that says something. I've written extensively on Digg at my blog. Please check it out if you are interested.

Neil Patel, January 28, 2007

Baron, thanks for the submission.

Nice blog!

Jonathan Grand, January 29, 2007

Hey Neil, very interesting. It's a problem that sometimes is random or even obvious, but it's great to read your thoughts about it. I'd like to chat with you about it sometime. Cheers, Neil

Tyler Wilde, January 29, 2007

I've seen the exact same thing. An article that I submitted using its headline and strapline for the title and description managed one Digg. About a week later, someone submitted the same article with the title "Something every Digg user should know" or something along those lines, and it went straight to the homepage. Part of the key is engaging the Digg community. Direct an opinion or idea at them, give them something to react or respond personally to.

Zach Katkin Bonita, Florida Web Design, February 7, 2007

Despite the submission of a few hundred articles, I have still not learned the trick to titling... but i completely understand and have seen how important it is.