Knowing how to write headlines is the hardest part of copywriting. It doesn’t matter if you are writing one for a post, a webpage, or an advertisement; the art of writing a good headline is challenging.
A good headline is imperative to your copy too. Statistics show that out of ten people who see your headline, only 2 of them will read your content. It is for this reason that many copywriters will write 30 or 40 of them before deciding on one.
In this Ultimate Guide to Writing Headlines, we’ll look at what makes a mind-blowing headline. We will also go through the steps you will need to write headlines that pull readers into your copy magnetically.
Let’s get started.
What Makes a Good Headline?
Any headline that gets readers to look at your copy enough to elicit a response is good.
In the case of blog post headlines, it would be getting a high click-through rate. With direct marketing like TV ads, sales letters, magazine ads, the number of orders or responses to your offers would be a good indication.
Unfortunately, copywriters have formidable foes.
The enemies they face are distractions, information abundance, and competition.
Research reveals that the average person encounters an estimated 4,000 to 10,000 advertising messages a day. (2021 statistics.)
The reason is that digital devices are dominating people’s attention.
Take a look at this chart compiled by Statista
For this reason, you need to be aware of two things.
First, you must know who you are writing for, and second, you should promise a worthwhile reward for reading your copy.
If you only remember these two ideas after reading this post, you’ll be better off.
Professional Guidelines on How to Write Headlines
Here are a few guidelines professional copywriters use to write headlines:
Headlines must be easy to understand.
Readers skim when they’re reading online or flipping through magazines and can be very impatient while searching on a cell phone.
Your headline must be crystal clear because you’ll only have a few seconds to grab a reader’s attention. If you write for online venues, you should remember that your headline may appear in different places, especially if it gets shared on social media.
A great place to get headline ideas is to look at magazine racks at grocery stores. Publishers pay handsome salaries to copywriters who specialize in writing clear headlines for their covers.
Just like online scanning, these publications only have a few seconds to grab the attention of wandering eyes.
It is easy to find magazine covers to get ideas; you can use Google or another search engine for an image search.
Based on the niche you’re writing for, you’ll need to find the magazine matched to your field. In the search field, type in the name of the magazine first.
If you were writing for a survivalist audience, you could look at magazine covers related to this niche.
Prepper magazine is a good survivalist magazine – we can use that.
Type in “Prepper magazine covers” into the image search field, and you’ll see an entire page of covers from past issues. Most magazine covers have at least five headlines on each one.
You should look through the titles on the cover and pick ones that catch your eyes or interest you. Type the ones you like into a document and file it for later use. (This type of file is what copywriters call a swipe file.)
Headlines should be explicit.
When writing a headline, you must be very specific.
One good way to do this is to create a list. Write out the who, what, where, and when your copy is about. If you can use all four of these elements, you will have an extremely focused headline.
Here is an example of a magazine ad headline by copywriter John Carlton:
Amazing Secret Discovered by One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards to Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks and Slices…and Can Slash Up to 10 Strokes From Your Game Overnight
This ad ran in golfing magazines, and at least three of the four elements I mentioned above were in the headline. It is one of the most famous headlines in copywriting history.
Of course, you cannot write this type of headline for blog posts. Search engines display your titles in a list down a page, so you need to be more concise.
However, you can still be explicit in your blog headlines if you think it through. Below is an example of a headline I noticed while writing this post:
101 Catchy Blog Title Formulas To Boost Traffic By 438%
You know exactly what this post is about and who it is for. Not only that but there is one other element involved in this title.
Headlines should imply a benefit to the reader.
All copywriters know that a good title or headline offers a benefit. The main reason is that everyone is selfish and self-centered to a certain degree.
(There, I said it.)
It is part of our survival mechanism.
When purchasing a car, you are not buying one to hand the manufacturer money. You want a car because it will benefit YOU or your family.
People could care less about the writer, blog owner, or the search engine that they are using. Readers want to benefit from the item or experience.
One of the most famous books on the planet has a benefit headline:
How to Win Friends and Influence People
You can’t spell it out any simpler than that. The title has sold millions upon millions of copies of that book.
Here’s another good example:
You Can Laugh at Money Worries – If You Follow This Simple Plan
The inference here is that if you follow this simple plan, money will flow into your pocket. This ad ran in opportunity magazines for years and was very successful.
Learn From Headlines That Made History
One of the best ways to learn how to write is by studying the works of great copywriters. If you are serious about learning how to write professional-level headlines, you need to start collecting files of the best ones.
Thanks to the copywriters on the Internet, you can find many classic sales letters and posts to gather ideas.
One of the most famous headlines ever written was by John Caples. Caples was one of the most successful copywriters of his day, and this headline is a classic.
I have personally heard radio commercials and TV ads that have swiped and used this headline for several decades. Here it is:
Build Yourself a File of Great Ideas
An easy way to learn how to write headlines is by collecting them. As the Bible says, “There is no new thing under the sun.” It’s the same thing with composing music, writing a novel, painting a landscape, or anything else; you get ideas and learn from the masters.
While researching this post, I found all kinds of headline lists other writers have compiled and then put online.
The uber-blogger, Jon Morrow, has compiled his list of headlines that he gives out for free. (You’d be nuts not to take him up on his offer.)
Once you start collecting headlines, you will notice similarities between them. This is because copywriters use older ideas that are proven. To give you an example of this, let’s go back to John Caples’ piano headline mentioned earlier.
Here’s his headline once again:
They All Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano
But When I Started to Play ~!
Here is a radio ad by Rosetta Stone a few years ago:
“They all laughed when I said I was ordering my meal in French…
But then I said “Je veux commander un sandwich au fromage grillé, s’il vous plaît.”
Why would the Rosetta Stone company use this line?
Because it was a top producing one, that’s why.
It ran in magazines for years and pulled in a lot of money for the company that ran it. So, they adapted it and used it.
Watch and Listen to Advertisements to Get Ideas
If you’ve watched TV for more than five minutes, you’ve probably heard these lines:
- “Get what you deserve…”
- “Get the coverage you deserve…”
- “That’s what we call courage…”
- “It’s free, call now…”
- “If you or a loved one have contracted…(name the disease)
- “If you or a loved one are having trouble getting insurance…”
- “But wait, there’s more…”
How many times have you heard these lines in different kinds of commercials? Research companies can now pull data that tells these companies exactly which words and phrases work the best.
And once that cat’s out of the bag, everyone starts using them.
(I guess I could have titled this post, “Write Compelling Headlines and Get the Conversions You Deserve.”)
When you hear a phrase or idea repeated in a TV or Radio ad – write it down. Keep a copy of these phrases in a file.
List of Places You Can Get Headline Ideas
You can get ideas from a lot of different places, here are just a few of them:
- Billboards
- Magazine ads
- Junk mail
- Magazine covers
- Email subject lines
- Website copy
- Affiliate sites like Clickbank
- Headline lists (pdf files)
- Local papers
- Copywriter forums
- Book titles
- Publication titles
Write Headlines By Using These Proven Modes
Story Telling Headlines
An easy way to grab a reader’s attention is by telling a story.
People relate to stories, and this headline leads the reader right into a well-crafted tale. It creates curiosity as to what the outcome of the story will be.
Here are a few of his other famous headlines where John Caples uses this device:
- They Grinned When the Waiter Spoke to Me in French – But Their Laughter Changed to Amazement at My Reply!
- How A “Fool Stunt” Made Me A Star Salesman
- How A Strange Accident Saved Me from Baldness
- I Was Tired of Living on Low Pay
Story Telling Headline Templates
Other copywriters use the storytelling method to generate interest as well. The famous Gary Halbert used storytelling in his headlines as well.
- The Amazing Diet Secret of a Desperate Housewife
- Mississippi Man Discovered Long-Lost Tapes of Elvis Presley Before He Became Famous
How-to Headlines
Most people are looking for a way to accomplish or get something done. They also want to know how to do it as fast as possible. Needless to say, you must be able to deliver on any promises you make to your readers if they respond to your offer.
- How to Make an Income with a Little Land
- How to Make a Fortune Today Starting from Scratch
- How to Burn Off Body Fat – Hour by Hour
- How to Flatten Your Ass
- How to Write Copy That’ll Make You Rich
Paradox Headlines
Headlines that seem contradictory can draw a lot of attention. Usually, paradox headlines interest people enough to get them to read some of the copy. This title starts with a problem you wouldn’t expect from the people who experience them. One of the reasons people will read the copy following this type of headline is because it sounds incredible yet possible.
- When Doctors Feel Rotten This is What They Do
- The Man Who Limped with Foot Pain – Now Runs 2 Miles a Day
- No More Back Breaking Chores for Me – Yet Ours is Now the Show Place of the Neighborhood
- Personal Survival in a Collapsing Society – The Guerilla Video That Can Save Your Life
Fear Headlines
Sometimes striking fear into the hearts of your readers can get them motivated to take action. By illuminating a problem, you can stir negative emotions in your readers. Ignoring a solution and presenting a problem can also prompt a reader’s curiosity.
- Often a Bridesmaid Never a Bride
- How Much is “Worker Tension” Costing Your Company?
- Is the Life a Child Worth $1 to You?
- Little Leaks That Keep Men Poor
- The Crimes We Commit Against Our Stomachs
How to Practice Writing Headlines
Practice writing headlines a lot; it is the first thing your readers will see and will influence whether or not they will read your writing.
The question is, how do you practice writing them?
Avoid the Toys When You Write Headlines
Some people like using headline generators, but I don’t care for them. For one thing, generators can consume a lot of your time and distract you from your task.
Another reason is that they won’t help you become a better copywriter.
One of the main elements copywriters need to know is how to write is compelling headlines. If you use headline generators, they will be a mental crutch for you.
The best way to learn how to write headlines is by practicing and studying. It’s just like learning a musical instrument or any other skill – the more you practice, the better you’ll get.
How to Practice Writing Headlines Step-by-Step
You can practice writing headlines while you work on a project. For example, I wrote the headline to this post while working on it. That way, you’re practicing your craft while getting a project completed.
Here is a step-by-step process you can use while working on your projects:
Step 1: Gather up all of your headline writing resources and have them close. When I write, I have digital and physical headline resources that I can use.
I have a computer file of thousands of headlines I’ve collected. I also have a bookshelf with all kinds of copywriting books on them. Two of my favorite books are Words That Sell and More Words That Sell by Richard Bayan.
These two books are my favorite resources for generating headlines and phrases in my copy. I highly recommend them to anyone in the business of professional copywriting.
Step 2: Read through the headlines in your resources. When you find a headline example that inspires you, type it into a document.
Example: What Top Investors Know and How They Make Money
Step 3: Generate your ideas by using this headline.
Example:
What Top Investors Know and How They Make Money
Can become:
What Top Copywriters Know and How They Make Headlines
Of course, that’s a lame title, so I’ll keep going:
- The Top 10 Copywriters and How They Write Headlines
- How Top Copywriters Write Headlines
- Top Copywriters and How They Write Compelling Headlines
- Write Headlines Like Top Copywriters
- Write Headlines Like an “A-List” Copywriter
Step 4: I’ll write out about 20 or 30 of these ideas based on the example I chose. After that, I’ll use another idea from my files.
This Trick Will Make You a Better Golfer – Guaranteed
This headline can become:
This Post Will Make You a Better Headline Writer – Guaranteed
Step 5: Expand on the idea.
Example:
- This Post Will Make You a Better Headline Writer – Guaranteed
- Write Better Headlines – Guaranteed
- How to Write Better Headlines – Guaranteed
- A Guaranteed Way to Write Better Headlines
- I Guarantee This Post Will Help You Write Headlines Better
- Write Headlines Better – Immediately
- Write Headlines Better and Grab Readers
- Guaranteed Way to Grab Readers with Headlines
Keep Writing and Selecting
Step 6: Rinse and repeat. You don’t have to do this all in one day. Spread it out over a week if you want. After a few days, you might have 60 to 100 ideas.
Step 7: Let them sit for a few days and then review them. You will be amazed at how differently they read after a few days. You can then start weeding out the bad ideas and start focusing on the better ones.
Step 8: Once you have narrowed down your headlines to about three or four, your selection process can begin. If you have a hard time deciding on which one you want to use, read them out loud to an impartial listener.
You can also post your headline on a forum where copywriters hang out and get some input. I have two copywriting forums I hang out in. One is called the Writers Den, and the other is the Warrior Forum. A lot of professional copywriters hang out on these sites. You can get some excellent advice from them.
Resources to Help You Write Great Headlines
There are a lot of top copywriting sites that have advice on how to write headlines. I have researched the following resources so that you can learn more about how to write headlines.
Corey Pemberton’s site, Copy Arc, has a post with 101 excellent headlines for you to swipe. All you have to do is copy and paste these ideas. When you need them, rewrite them for your posts or articles.
I’m a big fan of John Caple’s recommend you study and swipe as many headlines by him you can. Another resource with a slew of Caples headlines is Digital Hear Marketing. The list, compiled by John Gregory Olson, contains 106 of Caples’ headlines you can draw inspiration from.
Another good resource for headline swipe files is a website called PDF site. I got an ebook with 75 pages of researched and proven headlines from this site.
Gary Halbert’s Newsletters has an excellent lesson on the art of writing headlines. Mr. Halbert is considered to be the top direct response copywriter to have ever lived; it would be wise to study his ideas of what makes a good headline.
Conclusion
If you want to write headlines that consistently pull readers to your copy, you should practice writing headlines frequently. It wouldn’t hurt if you had a daily routine where you wrote at least thirty of them a day. If you have a series of blog posts or a project you are working on, you can come up with headlines.
It is just like learning a musical instrument, you’ll get good faster if you practice every day.