The subtle art of writing a listing title that sells

Your listing title is the single most important thing you'll write. Buyers scan dozens of titles and decide in 2 seconds whether to click. Most sellers get this wrong. Here's how to get it right.

The anatomy of a good title

A strong title for a physical item usually contains 4 elements:

1. Brand (if relevant)
2. Product / model
3. Key specs (size, capacity, version, colour)
4. Condition signal (like new, 2023 model, BNIB, etc.)

Example:
Bad: "iPhone for sale"
Better: "iPhone 13 128GB in excellent condition"
Best: "iPhone 13 128GB Midnight Blue — Like New, Battery 97%"

The best version wastes zero characters and answers the buyer's first four questions at once.

What buyers search for

Think about what a buyer types into the search bar.

• "Used corolla" — not "beautiful family sedan"
• "3 bed house umhlanga" — not "dream home"
• "iphone 13 128gb" — not "apple smartphone"

Match their language. Use the make, model, size, capacity, version. Forget the marketing words.

Capitalisation and punctuation

• Title Case — "Toyota Corolla 2019 Prestige" looks professional.
• ALL CAPS — reads as desperate, cheap, or spammy. Don't.
• Emojis — sparing use only (⭐, 🔥, ✅). One is OK, three is too many.
• Exclamation marks — one if really needed. More than one = scam vibes.
• Brackets or dashes to separate sections: "iPhone 13 128GB — Like New, In Box".

Length

SA classifieds typically show 60–80 characters before truncating. Aim for 50–70 characters. Long enough to be descriptive, short enough to read fast.

What to put FIRST

The first 3–4 words do 80% of the work. Lead with the most-searched term:

• For vehicles: Make + Model + Year + Spec
• For phones/laptops: Brand + Model + Storage/Spec
• For property: Bedrooms + Type + Suburb
• For clothing: Brand + Item + Size

Bad titles, fixed

The five words to avoid

1. "Amazing" — tells buyer nothing, reads as sales pitch.
2. "Beautiful" — same.
3. "Bargain" — if it's a bargain, the price will show that; saying so feels desperate.
4. "Must sell" — signals urgency that encourages low-balling.
5. "Negotiable" in the title — use the negotiable flag instead; keep title focused on the item.

When price belongs in the title

For property (rentals, sales) and vehicles, including the price in the title is helpful — buyers filter mentally as they scan:

• "3-Bed House Pretoria East — R1.85m"
• "Toyota Hilux 2021 Double Cab — R485,000"
• "1-Bed Apartment Sandton — R7,500pm"

For most other items, the price is on the card anyway — you can skip it in the title.

Title for fashion or niche items

Include size and measurements to filter out the wrong buyers:

• "Levi's 501 Jeans W32 L34 — Dark Wash, Barely Worn"
• "Nike Air Jordan 1 UK9 — Mid Chicago, Original Box"
• "Country Road Wool Coat Size M — Black, Tags On"

Nothing wastes time faster than messages asking "what size?" when you could've said it in the title.

Title for services

Lead with what you do and where you do it:

• "Plumber — Emergency Service, Joburg North"
• "Home Tutor — Gr 10-12 Maths, Pretoria"
• "Professional Photographer — Weddings, Cape Town"

Final check

Before you hit publish, ask: if I were a buyer, scrolling past 20 titles, would I stop at this one? If yes, you've done the work. If no, rewrite the first 3 words.