Rejection for First Person in Title

[cmcmahon66]

I recently submitted an article with the title phrased as "Can X Help Me Do Y?" It was rejected for having first person (along with another issue which was separate) with a note that said "We never use the first person, even in titles". I thought that was odd because I could have sworn I'd used first person plenty of times, but I changed it.

Then I was curious and went through my older articles in My Content and found several that had passed into the catalog (and been sold) with first person in the titles, including:

What is That "Soft Spot" on My Baby's Head?

What Do I Need to Become a Ghostwriter?

I Hate to Exercise! How Will I Ever Lose Weight?

What Happens If I Have a Car Accident and the Other Person is Uninsured?

Should I Get a Metal Roof for My House?

Should I Get the Shingles Vaccination? (this was actually the 2nd article I ever submitted here).

When I made this list I noticed two things: 1) These are all in the form of a question, and when I thought about it, it was deliberate because those are the kinds of questions people type into Google or other search engines, and an article with that exact title will pop up in the results. It was probably googling that question that made me get the article idea in the first place! 2) These all sold, and pretty quickly if I recall correctly.

So I guess my question is, did something change recently?

I understand that CC has always said no personal narrative/experiences* but these articles are not -- they are typical informational articles phrased in the 2nd person throughout (you should do this, don't forget to, etc.) Moreover, the headline in the form of a question is effective, search engine-wise and in getting actual humans' attention. And I think it is interesting that none of my "form of a question" articles are among the ones languishing in my listings. Maybe my cobwebbed listings should have had first-person-question titles too...

And why did all the others get listed and this one get bounced? The ways of CC can be so mysterious...


*Well long ago they apparently did take all kinds of stuff, including personal narratives and poetry(!) and I wish they'd remove them from the catalog since they don't anymore, along with all the $1 and $2 articles and the ones that have typos in the headlines. But that's a gripe for another day. I'm glad they raised their standards over the years.

[Lysis]

It's always been no first person. I've seen people say that they've done it with no problems, but I got a kickback a few months ago for first person. I have a couple of first person titles too. I thought since others were saying it's fine, that I'd join in. It worked for a few articles and then I got kicked back. So, anyway, if you want to stay on the safe side, avoid first person.

[HiredGun]

Could you get around the first person issue by adding second person to your question?
i.e. If You're Asking Yourself "Can X Help Me Do Y?", It Might Be Time to Consider ....

Might be worth emailing Eric and asking for clarification on the discrepancy in approvals/rejections. (•ิ_•ิ)?