How to Write Headlines: 11 Best Tips That Definitely Work

Do you want to get lots of clicks and shares on your content? If so, you need to know how to write headlines that grab the audience’s attention.

The headline, after all, is the first thing people notice in any piece of content.

Picture this. You do a Google search about traveling to Iceland. The search query returns hundreds of results.

As you are scrolling down the list, one of the articles catches your eye. Why?

Because it has a catchy headline.

A well-written headline makes you want to read on. It makes a promise and piques your curiosity to see whether it will deliver on that promise.

That’s why catchy headlines get the most clicks.

If you want your readers' attention, you need to know how to write headlines that catch their eye.

In this article, we have compiled some of the top tips for writing captivating headlines that keep your readers engaged.

Why Are Headlines Important?

The Internet today is flooded with content. Your audience scans through headlines, clicks on a few, and dismisses the rest.

Headlines are the first thing people see and are often the key deciding factor on whether someone will read your content.

Most people won’t even bother to click on a SERP result if they don’t find the headline relevant. If you want to earn that click, you need to write great headlines!

The more clicks your article gets, the more web traffic is directed to your website. This can improve SEO metrics (like dwell time) and higher conversions.

You may spend hours writing the perfect blog post, but if you don't fully understand how to write headlines that are catchy enough you may not find any readers.

Top 11 Tips on How to Write Headlines That Engage Readers

Did you know millions of blog posts get published every day?

With so much content, it is easy for an article to get lost. But not with a powerful headline.

Here are some tried and tested tips on how to write headlines that get the maximum clicks.

1. Use Numbers and Data

Using numbers in your headlines is an easy way to attract readers and can significantly improve your click-through rates.

Here are a few examples of best headlines with numbers:

• 10 dog breeds your kids will absolutely love
• Tips to increase your web traffic by 50%
• 5 countries you must visit at least once in your life

Another thing to note. Spelling out the number is less effective than the number itself. So, 5 works better than “Five.”

Why do numbers and data work so well?

Because they promise something specific. You know the number of points or tips you are getting. In such list posts, you can always move on to the next if you don't like a point. You know exactly what to expect.

Using numbers does not mean that you need to write a listicle post. Statistics or data in a headline show that your article is supported by research. It increases credibility.

The human brain likes numbers because it is easier to organize information in a logical order.

Numbers are indeed powerful. That’s why popular blogging sites like HubSpot and Buzzfeed use numbers in their headlines.

Image Source: Buzzfeed

Image Source: HubSpot

2. Ask a Question

Adding a question in your headline has a psychological effect on the minds of your readers. They can either answer the question or wonder about it. In both cases, it draws attention to your headline.

Another benefit of question-type headlines is that they’re great for SEO.

Search engines like Google focus on the meaning of a query rather than the combination of words. A complete question in the headline helps Google understand how useful a particular article is.

That’s not all.

According to Insider Intelligence, there will be 132.9 million voice assistant users in the US alone by the end of 2024.

People naturally ask a complete question when doing a voice search. Using question-type headlines helps Google and other search engines understand your content and show it for relevant search queries.

Here are a couple of examples of question-type headlines:

Image Source: Attrock

Image Source: Attrock

3. Understand What Your Readers Want

Why do you click on certain articles and not others? Either the headline is catchy and piques your curiosity or it looks relevant and promises to provide the information you seek, right?

If you want your audience to read a post, you need to give them a reason why they should.

Put yourself in your readers' shoes. Ask yourself, “What’s in it for me?” If the answer does not jump off the page, you are headed in the wrong direction.

Understanding your audience will help you figure out what your audience is looking for. You can use Google Keyword Planner to identify the most searched terms used by your target audience.

Give your readers what they are looking for. Highlight the most irresistible part of your content in your headline.

Here are some great headline examples that make a specific promise and are also engaging:

• Top 5 Tips to Write Blogs Like a Pro
• 10 Facts About Content Marketing No One Tells You
• 7 Ways to Design the Perfect Landing Page

4. Make Your Readers Curious

The purpose of the headline is to encourage the reader to read your content. That’s why your headline should be powerful enough to grab attention.

With so much content available online, how do you ensure that your content draws attention? Start by writing a headline that piques a reader’s curiosity.

The simplest way to make your readers curious is to share a small piece of information in your headline. When people know a bit, they will want to know more.

Highlight something that your readers don’t know yet, and they will want to click to find out more.

For example:

• 7 Countries You Can Travel to for Free
• Do You Have What It Takes to Freelance?

Adding an element of surprise to a good headline could also make your readers curious enough to click. Consider this headline:

• 5 Ways Chocolate Can Help You Lose Weight

Most people don’t consider chocolates diet-friendly. However, they may be surprised to learn that chocolate could aid weight loss, which may encourage them to click to find out “how.”

You only have a couple of seconds to capture your readers’ attention. That’s why your headline must connect with the reader. If they are intrigued by the headline, they are more likely to click.

Here are some more examples of headlines that evoke curiosity:

Image via CNN

Image via ScienceDaily

5. Make a Bold Statement

Bizarre or shocking headlines almost always catch people’s eye. Introducing a shock factor in your headlines could significantly increase the number of clicks your content gets.

Whether you are aiming to boost social media engagement or drive more traffic to your website, a bold statement instantly draws readers in. You may also consider using an opinionated or controversial headline.

However, your content needs to be relevant. Remember, clickbait hurts your credibility.

Here are some examples:

• These Outdated Fashion Hacks Aren’t Worth Your Time
• Are Smartphones Poisoning Children's Minds?
• 6 Steps to Become a Millionaire by 30

6. Capture the Spirit of Your Narrative

Great headlines always capture the spirit of the narrative. Your readers want to know what exactly a story, article, or social post is all about just by looking at the headlines.

Let’s analyze this YouTube story about SpaceX. The headline not only captures the gist of the story but also highlights the event’s significance.

Image via YouTube

We are speaking to humans when we narrate a story through an article or video. You are trying to invoke emotions in your audiences and connect to them emotionally.

A good headline should always resonate with the primary emotion of your story, be it joy, anger, suspense, or grief.

Consider this headline, for instance. Although it's simple and straightforward, it has the keywords to aptly summarize the story. The readers clearly know that the post will discuss some facts and bust some myths about the Northern Lights.

Image via Visit Norway

7. Keep It Short

When writing headlines, have you ever wondered about the length of your headline? How long should your headline be?

Well, the ideal length depends on the platform on which you’ll share your content.

If you are writing for your website and want your post to show up on Google search results. If so, you should try and keep it within 60 characters.

A long headline will eventually be chopped off on Google, as shown below.

Image via Google

Do you see how the headlines get truncated? If this happens with yours, it may confuse the readers.

What should the length be if you write social media headlines for your posts? Well, one size doesn’t fit all as each platform has its requirements. Generally, a headline with 40-60 characters would be more engaging than a longer one.

A clear and concise headline helps to draw more attention.

8. Use Your Target Keyword in the Beginning

A target keyword is a word or a phrase that best summarizes what your story is all about. Why should you put it at the beginning of your headline?

Because it gives you keyword prominence. Keyword prominence is an SEO best practice. It sends a strong signal to a search engine about what your page should rank for.

An effective headline is one that works well for a reader as well as a search engine. A simple trick you can use is adding a colon. You can get keyword prominence and leverage human psychology at the same time.

Look at the image below.

Image via Google

The target keyword here is “Keyword Research.” Both these headlines have the target keyword at the beginning of the headline. This gives them keyword prominence.

You can add more words after the colon to tell the readers what they’ll learn or who the post is meant for. The first headline, for example, appeals to beginners who want to learn how to do keyword research.

9. Use Interesting Adjectives

Using adjectives is a good practice to follow in both SEO and social media headline writing. Powerful words display emotion and are very helpful in keeping your audience engaged and interested.

The use of adjectives can make a headline more attractive to a reader. It can also give your headline a boost.

Here are a few adjectives you can use in your headlines:

• Free
• Fun
• Incredible
• Essential
• Effortless
• Strange
• Amazing

These are just a few. There are many more powerful words that you can use in headline writing.

Here is a headline example that uses the adjective “effortless.”

Image via Dailymotion

Have you heard of power words? These are words that trigger an emotional response. They are called power words because people can't resist being influenced by them.

Using power words is a simple way to write powerful headlines.

Here are a few examples:

• 10 Best Ways to Get Rich
• 3 Outrageous Diets You Must Avoid

The purpose of using power words is to increase the conversion rate for your content.

Appealing to the reader’s emotions helps boost sales and shares. When you emotionally appeal to your audience, they are more likely to trust you.

10. Create a Sense of Urgency

Do you want more readers to engage with your stories or list posts? Then you must create a sense of urgency. Without it, your readers may just put off reading your content.

Consider incorporating limited-time offers or exclusive content to encourage immediate action. This can significantly drive more traffic to your website and boost your content’s impact.

Your readers need a nudge to read your article now, and not bookmark it for later. That’s what your headline can do when you use urgency in headline writing.

Creating urgency is a common tactic used by marketers to boost sales. When you read things like “Only 2 left in stock” or “ Last day today,” it makes it seem urgent.

It makes you want to act now. This is exactly what your headline needs to do.

Great headlines that create a sense of urgency always grab attention. You can create urgency by setting a deadline. A deadline encourages people to act now instead of later. For example:

• Download Your Free E-Book Now Before Prices Increase Tonight

Another way to create urgency is to let people know that they will miss out on something amazing if they don’t act now. Here is an example:

• Read This Before You Buy Your Next Car

You can also create urgency by presenting your story as a solution to a recurring problem. For example:

• Are You Losing Customers By Giving Too Many Choices?
• 13 Car Problems You Will Regret Ignoring

11. Use Headline Formulas

The formula refers to the structure of the headline. Content writers and marketers use many formulas to write great headlines.

Some writers prefer to write the content first, and then think about a good headline. Others write the headline first and then the content. There is no hard and fast rule on how to write headlines or at what stage. You do what works best for you.

There are many headline formulas used by writers and marketers. Here are a few ideas:

The “How to” Formula

This headline formula is about teaching your readers how to achieve the desired outcome.

For example:

• How to Increase Your Stamina?
• How to Monetize Your YouTube Channel?

The “Mistakes” Formula

If you knew you were making some mistakes, you would be curious to know more. Wouldn’t you? You would, of course, want to avoid these mistakes.

The Mistakes Formula leverages this human emotion.

For example:

• 5 Mistakes You Are Making When Washing Your Hair
• Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Buying a New Car

The “Hacks” Formula

Let’s admit it. People love hacks.

Life hacks, makeup hacks, and even cooking hacks have one thing in common. These ideas increase productivity and efficiency.

So, why not use it in your headline too?

Here are a couple of examples:

• 15 Amazing Hacks to Save More Money
• 5 Useful Hacks to Clean Like a Pro

There are many more formulas on how to write headlines that impress readers. You may use whatever works for you.

How Do You Analyze Your Headlines?

Do you have many existing stories or ideas and want to audit the headlines to determine whether they’re effective?

You can check some key elements that make a headline great.

Image via Attrock

Here are a few things to check:

• Length: Keep your headlines under 60 characters to drive more clicks and ensure that it does not get cut off
• Balance: Strike a balance between common, uncommon, and powerful or emotional words
• Power Words: These words can make your headlines stand out from the rest
• Numbers: Adding numbers or data to your headlines helps to capture attention
• Type: Use headline types like “how-to guides” and “listicles” that typically get more clicks
• Sentiment: Write headlines that evoke positive emotions in the readers

Besides the above ideas, many other factors go into making great headlines. Analyzing them one by one may be very time-consuming.

So, what is a quick and easy way to analyze your headlines? Simple. Use a headline analyzer tool.

These will also help you create great headlines for all your future content and ensure that your content drives traffic to your site.

These will also help you create great headlines for all your future content and ensure that your content gets the views it derives.

Things to Remember When Writing Headlines

Headline writing is a science as much as it is an art. We have shared some actionable tips above on how to write headlines.

However, you should also remember some dos and don’ts.

Image via Attrock

Write in the Active Voice

You should always use the active voice to write headlines. It reads better and helps you get to the point quickly.

Here is an example.

Active voice: Local Man Wins Lottery

Passive voice: Lottery Won By Local Man

Which one sounds like a better headline? The one in the active voice, right?

If you want a powerful headline that improves conversion rates, avoid writing passive voice phrases.

Add Some Flair

If you keep using the same verbs, it will eventually become boring for your readers. Review your headlines and try to add some flair.

For instance, instead of using the verb “to be,” try replacing it with something punchier. Here is an example.

Avatar 3 Title and Release Date Revealed

Now, this headline looks very regular. Instead, check out the exciting headline NDTV used to get their readers excited about this news.

Image via NDTV

The average person sees many similar headlines on the Internet every day. Adding a flair and making them unique helps them take notice of your headlines.

Avoid Boring Headlines

“Microsoft Stock Prices Continue to Climb”

Read the above headline. What do you think is going through the reader’s mind?

The reader thinks that there’s nothing new happening here. Microsoft has been doing well. So, it is obvious that their stock prices would go up.

If you state the obvious, your readers may just skip the article. You don’t want that to happen.

What if you replaced it with “ Microsoft Stock Prices Increase 50% in 15 Days”

Now, it sounds interesting.

Your article could contain valuable information. However, if the headline is not exciting enough, no one may want to read it.

So, how do you make them exciting? You could use trending phrases or create urgency. An element of conflict could also make your headline more interesting.

Here are a few examples:

• Use trending topics: Metaverse: What’s in it for You?
• Add urgency: Everything You Need to Know About The Crypto Boom Now
• Add an element of conflict: Bitcoin Vs Ethereum: Which Will Do Better in 2024?

Don’t be Too Clever

“Miners Refuse to Work after Death”

Did that headline confuse you? We sure thought so.

While a touch of wit or pun in a headline can be a great way to grab the reader's attention, overdoing it can backfire.

The attention span of readers is gradually reducing. They want to consume information at a glance. Writing overtly clever headlines might end up causing confusion in the reader’s mind and thus making them ignore your post.

Instead of clickbait headlines, try to find the right balance between clarity and wit to encourage your audience to click the link.

FAQ

Q1. What are the different types of headlines?

A. There are many different types of headline ideas, such as:

• Direct headlines
• Indirect headlines
• Question headlines
• Emotional headlines
• How-to headlines

Q2. What are the characteristics of a great headline?

A. Here are the key characteristics of a great headline:

• Length: Your headline should ideally be under 60 characters.
• Balance: A balance of common and uncommon words.
• Power Words: Use of power words encourages action.
• Numbers: Numbers or statistics to boost credibility.
• Type: How-to and listicle posts garner more clicks.
• Sentiment: Headlines with positive sentiment perform better.

Q3. What is the golden rule of writing headlines?

A. Here is the golden rule of writing headlines. Follow ABC – accuracy, brevity, and clarity. The headlines you write should be correct and should not mislead your readers. Always try to engage your readers with a short headline. Lastly, avoid using a vague and confusing headline.

Following this golden rule will help your post rank well on Google and improve its clickthrough rate.

Q4. What not to do when writing headlines?

A. Here is what you should not do when writing headlines:

• Not keeping your audience in mind
• Writing in the passive voice
• Making the headline too wordy
• Giving away more information than you should

Q5. How can you write great headlines?

A. The following tips can help you write a great headline:

• Use numbers and data
• Ask a question
• Understand what your audience wants
• Make your readers curious
• Make a bold statement
• Capture the spirit of your narrative
• Keep it short
• Use the target keyword at the beginning
• Use interesting adjectives
• Create a sense of urgency
• Use headline formulas

Q6. Should you be “clear” or “clever” when writing headlines?

A. Clear and easy-to-understand headlines work the best. “Clever” headlines may create ambiguity which may confuse your readers.

Q7. What is the format for headlines? 

A. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ format for how to write headlines. This is the standard format in journalism: subject-verb-direct object. However, the format may vary based on the content type and where it will be posted.

For instance, a news article headline would be more formal than a blog or social media post. Writers today experiment with the format based on their audience, SEO requirements, and even the purpose of the content.

Q8. How do you make headlines SEO-friendly?

A. These great tips can help you make your headline SEO-friendly:

• Include keywords
• Use emotional words
• Understand the target audience
• Use strong adjectives
• Keep the length under 60 characters

Q9. How do you write a strong headline?

A. Here’s how you can write a strong headline:

• Make it unique
• Be specific
• Convey a sense of urgency
• Provide something of value

Q10. How to find the right keywords for your headlines?

A. Tools like Google Keyword Planner and Semrush help you identify the most-searched keywords for your target audience. You can use these keywords in your headlines to drive more traffic to your site.

Write Great Headlines to Boost Engagement

Content marketing is more important now than ever before. Marketers today understand the importance of great content. Knowing how to write headlines is imperative to engage readers and lure them into reading the entire story.

If your headline is not engaging or clickable enough, all your other content creation efforts will fail.

We hope the above headline writing ideas will help you write amazing headlines. Do you have any other tips about how to write headlines? Please share them in the comments section below.