Headlines That Capture Attention

Headlines Are Everything

In the previous lesson, we explored endless ideas: ai-powered ideation. Now let’s build on that foundation. Here’s a humbling statistic: 80% of people will read your headline. Only 20% will read what follows.

Your headline is doing most of the work. A great article with a weak headline goes unread. A good article with a great headline gets shared everywhere.

This lesson teaches you to write headlines that earn the click.

The Psychology of Headlines

Headlines work when they trigger one of these responses:

Curiosity: “I need to know more”

“The Counterintuitive Reason Top Performers Take More Breaks”

Self-interest: “This will help me”

“How to Double Your Reading Speed in 30 Days”

Urgency: “I should act on this”

“The LinkedIn Change That’s Killing Your Visibility”

Emotion: “I feel something about this”

“The Email That Made Me Quit My Dream Job”

Great headlines combine multiple triggers.

The Headline Formula Toolkit

Formula 1: Number + Adjective + Noun + Promise

Pattern: [Number] [Adjective] [Noun] That [Promise]

Examples:

• “7 Simple Habits That Transformed My Productivity”
• “12 Underrated Tools That Save Hours Every Week”
• “5 Critical Mistakes That Kill Your First Impression”

Why it works: Numbers create specificity. Adjectives add intrigue. Promise delivers value.

Formula 2: How to [Achieve X] Without [Pain Point]

Pattern: How to [Desirable Outcome] Without [Thing They Want to Avoid]

Examples:

• “How to Grow Your Audience Without Spending a Dollar on Ads”
• “How to Give Feedback Without Damaging Relationships”
• “How to Stay Productive Without Burning Out”

Why it works: Addresses the desire AND the objection simultaneously.

Formula 3: The [Unexpected] Way to [Achieve X]

Pattern: The [Adjective] Way to [Common Goal]

Examples:

• “The Lazy Person’s Guide to Getting in Shape”
• “The Counterintuitive Approach to Better Decision-Making”
• “The Simple Strategy That Outperforms Complex Marketing”

Why it works: Subverts expectations. Creates curiosity about the unexpected approach.

Formula 4: Why [Common Belief] Is Wrong

Pattern: Why [Something They Believe] Is [Harming Them/Wrong]

Examples:

• “Why Your Morning Routine Is Making You Less Productive”
• “Why ‘Networking’ Is the Worst Way to Build Connections”
• “Why Multitasking Is Destroying Your Deep Work”

Why it works: Challenges assumptions. People click to defend their beliefs or learn.

Formula 5: [Name/Brand] + Result + Method

Pattern: How [Name] [Achieved Result] With [Method]

Examples:

• “How Buffer Grew to 400K Users With a Simple Content Strategy”
• “How I Built a $10K Side Income Writing Online”
• “What Pixar Taught Me About Storytelling”

Why it works: Specific examples are more believable than generic advice.

Making Headlines Specific

Vague headlines fail. Specific headlines win.

Quick check: Before moving on, can you recall the key concept we just covered? Try to explain it in your own words before continuing.

Add specificity with:

• Numbers (7 tips, 30 days, $10K)
• Time frames (in 2024, this week, in 5 minutes)
• Names (specific people, companies, products)
• Results (doubled, saved 10 hours, grew 300%)

AI-Powered Headline Generation

Use AI to generate options, then select the best:

Write 15 headline variations for an article about [TOPIC].

The article's main point is: [ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY]
The target audience is: [AUDIENCE]

Generate headlines using different approaches:
- Number-based (3 headlines)
- How-to format (3 headlines)
- Question format (3 headlines)
- Contrarian/surprising (3 headlines)
- Curiosity gap (3 headlines)

You’ll get 15 options. Usually 2-3 are great, 5-6 are decent, and the rest are meh. Pick the best, combine elements, and refine.

Headline Testing

Quick gut-check test: Read your headline. Would you click it? Honestly?

The “So what?” test: Does your headline answer why someone should care?

The clarity test: Would someone know what the article is about from the headline alone?

The specificity test: Can you make it more specific with numbers, names, or details?

Headlines by Platform

Different platforms favor different styles:

Blog/SEO: Clear, keyword-rich, promise-driven

“How to Write a Resume That Gets Interviews (With Examples)”

LinkedIn: Professional, insight-driven, pattern-interrupting

“I Stopped Saying ‘Sorry’ at Work. Here’s What Happened.”

Twitter/X: Punchy, curiosity-driven, hook-focused

“The one hiring red flag I always ignore (and why it works)”

Newsletter: Personal, specific, value-forward

“The 3-email sequence that converts 40% of my subscribers”

Exercise: Headline Makeover

Take this weak headline and improve it:

“Tips for Better Public Speaking”

Write 5 variations using different formulas.

Key Takeaways

• Headlines determine whether your content gets read—they’re not an afterthought
• Great headlines trigger curiosity, self-interest, urgency, or emotion
• Use formulas: Number + Noun + Promise, How to X Without Y, The Unexpected Way
• Make headlines specific with numbers, names, and concrete results
• Generate multiple options with AI, then select and refine the best
• Adapt headline style to platform norms

Next: structuring content so people actually read to the end.

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Structuring Content for Engagement.