A headline has one job: convince a scrolling reader that stopping is worth it. That's a harder job than it sounds, because vague headlines feel safe to write and specific ones feel exposed. But specificity is exactly what earns the click — it proves you actually have something to say.
Trade vague promises for concrete ones
Weak: "Tips for Better Writing." It could mean anything, which means it promises nothing. Strong: "7 Sentence Habits That Make You Sound More Confident." The number sets an expectation, the subject is narrow, and the benefit is named outright. Readers click on headlines that feel like they were written for their exact problem, not a general audience.
Lead with the outcome, not the topic
Compare "About Email Etiquette" with "How to Say No in an Email Without Sounding Rude." The first names a subject; the second names a situation the reader recognises from their own inbox. When you're stuck on a headline, ask: what was the reader trying to do right before they searched for this?
- Use numbers when the content is genuinely a list — they set clear expectations
- Use "how to" when you're teaching a process, not just describing one
- Cut adjectives that don't add information — "amazing," "incredible," "ultimate" persuade no one
Keep the promise honest
A headline that overpromises earns a click and loses a reader within a paragraph, which costs you more than a skipped headline ever would — that reader won't trust your next one either. The best-performing headlines are usually the most literal ones: they say precisely what the piece delivers, and the piece delivers precisely that.
Write five versions of every headline before you choose one. The first two or three will usually be generic — the specific, honest version tends to show up only once you've exhausted the obvious options.
