{"id":"6807","date":"2021-02-03T08:12:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T16:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickfu.com\/blog\/?p=6807"},"modified":"2021-01-18T11:01:05","modified_gmt":"2021-01-18T19:01:05","slug":"which-one-won-christian-book-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.pickfu.com\/which-one-won-christian-book-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Which One Won? Choosing a book title for a Christian audience"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you&#8217;re writing a book aimed at people who have a certain religious affiliation and you want to get the title and subtitle just right, split test your options with a targeted audience. That&#8217;s what one author did in <a aria-label=\"this PickFu poll (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickfu.com\/books\/book-titles\/which-book-title-slash-subtitle-would-you-rather-read-and-why-LMVEMYPM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">this PickFu poll<\/a>, choosing 100 respondents who identify as Christians. The results are intriguing.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the four titles and subtitles: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><em>The Gospel \/ An Understanding That Could Change Your Life <\/em>(<strong>Option A<\/strong>)<\/li><li><em>GameChanger \/ A Gospel Understanding That Changed My Life<\/em> (<strong>Option B<\/strong>)<\/li><li><em>The Gospel \/ An Understanding That Will Change Your Life<\/em> (<strong>Option C<\/strong>)<\/li><li><em>And Now My Eye Sees Thee \/ A Gospel Understanding That Changed My Life<\/em> (<strong>Option D<\/strong>)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Can you guess which one won?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:200px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And the winner is&#8230;Option C, <em>The Gospel \/ An Understanding That Will Change Your Life<\/em>, with a score of 62. Option B was second with a score of 38.  Option A notched 22, followed closely by Option D&#8217;s 18. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s find out what the panel had to say about these titles. <\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"comforting-forcefulness\">Comforting forcefulness<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Several respondents liked the direct tone and optimism of Option C. &#8220;I really like [Option C] as it is forceful and appealing. Saying that reading the book will change your life will definitely turn a lot of heads,&#8221; one person said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The idea that something will change my life is appealing,&#8221; said another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The assertiveness of the word <em>will<\/em> in Option C as opposed to <em>could<\/em> in Option A stood out to more than a few respondents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;[Option C] focuses on me and essentially guarantees a promise: it will change my life. Not it &#8216;could&#8217; change my life,&#8221; one wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems readers respond to a book title that promises them something directly and isn&#8217;t shy about making that claim. <\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"shorter-is-better\">Shorter is better<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Many respondents didn&#8217;t like the wordiness of Option D or, as one respondent put it, its &#8220;quaint&#8221; language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Others said <em>GameChanger<\/em> in Option B was an overused phrase and not a good fit for the book&#8217;s subject matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t like the title GameChanger because that word is kind of tacky and doesn&#8217;t necessarily relate to religion,&#8221; said one person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simple and to the point works best, respondents said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Option C is the title that to me is the best choice here&#8230;the title is short and to the point, and it doesn&#8217;t try to be too creative,&#8221; one person wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I prefer Option C because it sounds positive and uplifting, yet simple,&#8221; said another.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-takeaways\">Key takeaways<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>In this poll, one word \u2014 <em>will<\/em> instead of <em>could<\/em> \u2014 made all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you&#8217;re writing a religious book, especially a self-help book, make the title assertive and positive. This is no time to sound wishy-washy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Resist the urge to work biblical verses into your title, which might make it sound &#8220;old-fashioned&#8221; or &#8220;overly religious,&#8221; as some respondents said. Use simple, clear language instead.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Want to learn more about how to target niche audiences when split testing on PickFu? Read our <a aria-label=\"guide to audience targeting. (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pickfu.com\/audiences\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">guide to audience targeting.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":""},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you&#8217;re writing a book aimed at people who have a certain religious affiliation and you want to get the title and subtitle just right, split test your options with &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":""},"author":"9","featured_media":"6863","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":"","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":"","_editorskit_reading_time":"0","_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":"","_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":["21","15"],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Choosing a book title for a Christian audience - The PickFu blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What does an audience of Christian readers look for in a self-help book title? 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