Social media headlines are essential for creating an impactful first impression that drives people to click and learn more. Good headlines can quickly capture the attention of potential readers and help increase visibility for a piece of content.
A well-crafted headline is often the difference between potential viewers choosing to read your content or scrolling past it.
With limited character space in most social media platforms, these headlines should be succinct and catchy while accurately conveying the topic.
We bring to you some tried and tested tips to create well-crafted social media headlines that not only serve as a reflection of the quality of the content that follows but also pique interest while conveying the topic's message accurately.
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Why Do You Need to Create Perfect Social Media Headlines?
A survey by Soax reveals that in 2024, the average person spent 143 minutes per day on social media platforms.
Image via Soax
Not surprisingly, marketers continue increasing their ad spend on social channels. Eye-catching social media headlines drive engagement, and the latest ad spending data reflects that.
Social media ad spending has been rising steadily since 2019, spending over $230 billion in 2024. This figure is projected to be about $345 billion by 2029.
But are they getting the ROI they seek from social media marketing? Well, the secret often lies in social media headlines. A post or ad might get tons of views, but without clicks, it’s wasted potential.
Knowing the best time to post on social media is key, but ensuring your headlines are optimized is where the real value comes in.
The latest data on social media click-through rates (CTR) reveals the success rate. CTRs are calculated by comparing the number of times a social media post or ad is viewed with the total number of clicks it gets.
Image via Statista
As you can see, the click-through rates (CTRs) for social media are just slightly above 1%.
Moreover, according to Smart Insights, CTRs on social platforms like Facebook and Instagram are declining compared to previous years.
Boosting your CTR is critical to ensure you maximize the return on your social media ad campaign investment.
While there are a number of ways to optimize CTR, social media headlines are one of the most important factors, because they are the first things that users read before deciding on whether to read a post or click on the link.
So, how do you create perfect social media headlines that attract and convert leads? Read on.
Tips to Write Compelling Social Media Headlines
The attention span of social media users is declining. You just get a few seconds to make a great first impression. That’s where your social media headlines play an important part.
Here are some tried and tested tips to write amazing social media headlines.
1. Write for Your Audience
The best social media headlines are written with the audience in mind. Think about who your audience is and write a headline that will appeal to them. If you know what kind of content they like, you can tailor your headline accordingly.
Start by looking at your current customer base. Who are they? What do they like?
Many social media analytics tools that give you insights into your audiences. Tools such as Hootsuite, RivalIQ, Google Analytics, BuzzSumo, etc allow you to understand your audience.
The bottom line is that you should be creative enough to cater to your diverse audience. Different people should be able to read the same headline and still get the correct message.
2. Keep it Short and Sweet
When creating headlines for social media posts, it is important to keep them short and engaging. This means that the headline should be no more than 5 to 6 words long, as this is the maximum that will be displayed on most social media platforms.
Here’s one of the short and impactful homepage headline examples from HubSpot:
Image via LinkedIn
3. Make it Personal
When you're crafting headlines for social media, make sure to include words like “you” and “your.” This will make your headlines more relatable and help readers feel like you're speaking directly to them.
Here’s an example of personalizing social media headlines.
Image via Design Tech Homes
4. Use Negative Wording
If you want to create social media headlines that get attention, one thing you can try is using negative wording. A 2023 study showed that negative language attracts more engagement on social media.
This is probably due to a “negativity bias,” which is a cognitive bias that refers to the tendency of people to give more weight to negative information than positive information.
For example, a cybersecurity company grabs attention with a headline that starts with ‘don’t.’
Image via LinkedIn
Author Tim Ferris catches the attention of his Facebook followers with this headline that tells them what not to do.
Image via Facebook
5. Include Interesting Adjectives
When creating headlines for social media posts, be sure to use interesting adjectives that will grab the reader's attention.
Adjectives such as “tropical gateway,” “incredible,” and “unbelievable” in your social media headlines are sure to pique the reader's interest and get them to click on your post.
Image via Instagram
Another example of great social media headlines that attract readers’ attention is the one shown below, which uses adjectives such as ‘refreshing’ and ‘softest.’
Image via X
Here are some other adjectives that you can use to write compelling social media headlines:
- Superior
- Unique
- Absolute
- Effortless
- Painstaking
- Inspiring
- Fun
- Awesome
6. Create Credibility with Numbers or Statistics
Using numbers in your social media headlines can make them more clickable. People are often drawn to content pieces with numbers in the title because they know exactly what they’re going to get out of it.
Numbers can be a great way to make your headlines more attention-grabbing and specific. For example, instead of simply saying “Ways to Save Money,” your headline could say “10 Amazing Ways to Save Money.”
Here is another example to take inspiration from when writing social media headlines.
Image via Instagram
Numbers tell the reader that your article is comprehensive and informative. It also gives them a specific number of tips they can expect, which can help them better gauge whether the article is worth their time.
7. Evoke Emotions
Whether it is making a buying decision or clicking on social media ads, humans are more driven by emotions than by logic or reasoning.
Here are some examples of words and phrases that can help you evoke emotions:
- Secret (evokes curiosity)
- Limited time (evokes urgency)
- Best-in-class (evokes confidence)
- Before it’s too late (evokes fear)
- Tired of/fed up (evokes anger)
- Backed by science (evokes trust)
Take a look at this YouTube ad headline from Coca-Cola that evokes the right emotion with the word ‘happiness’ in the caption.
Image via YouTube
8. Adhere to Character Limits for Different Social Media Platforms
When crafting social media headlines, knowing each platform’s character limits is key.
On Facebook, you can use up to 40 characters in your headlines. And on LinkedIn, you can use up to 200 characters, but to avoid truncation, the platform recommends limiting the headline to 70 characters.
No matter which platform you're using, always put your most important keywords at the beginning of your social media headlines so that they're not cut off.
That leads us to the next big tip—writing social media headlines that maximize reach and visibility. In the fast-paced world of social media, a compelling headline is your best shot at capturing the reader’s attention.
9. Include Keywords
When creating headlines for social media posts, it is important to include keywords that accurately reflect the content of the post.
Including relevant keywords will help users who are searching for information on a specific topic to easily find your post. In addition, including keywords will also help to improve the visibility of your post in search engines, increasing your chances of ranking high on Google.
You can use free keyword research tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Semrush and Ahrefs to find keywords to include in social media headlines.
And, as Google prioritizes the words in the first half of a title tag, make sure you front load your social media headlines with the specific keywords you are looking to rank for.
10. Ask a Question
Question-type headlines are one of the best ways to attract attention. When you ask a question in your headline, you immediately engage your reader and make them want to know the answer.
Here are a few examples of question headlines:
– “What’s your go-to cold brew order?”
– “How well do you know your customers?”
– “Do you make these common Instagram marketing mistakes?”
Here’s a good example of a social media headline from Entrepreneur that piques interest with a question:
Image via Love Money
11. Offer Value
If you want people to read your social media posts, you need to write headlines that offer your readers something of value. The value you offer should be appealing enough to make your readers want to click and keep reading.
“How to” posts are well-suited for social media headlines that promise a benefit, like this one from Entrepreneur:
Image via LinkedIn
HubSpot’s content marketing game is strong, and here is one of their how-to posts.
Image via X
12. Create a Sense of Urgency
The best way to create eye-catching headlines for social media posts is to create a sense of urgency. Your headline should make people want to read your post right away, and it should be something that they can't ignore. We discuss this in detail in our Fomo review.
One way to add urgency to your social media headlines is by using time-sensitive words like “now,” “today,” or “tomorrow.” This tells readers that your content is relevant and timely, and they'll be more likely to click on your post and read it while it's still relevant.
Here’s a Facebook ad with a headline highlighting the exclusive, limited-period offer.
Image via Facebook
13. A/B Test Headlines
There’s no such thing as a perfect social media headline. Any headline that helps you achieve your objective is perfect for your campaign.
To simplify the headline writing process, we recommend using a headline analyzer.
A/B testing social media headlines is a great way to find out which ones will help you improve your click-through rate and engagement. Write multiple social media headlines and test them to find out the best one.
You can test different components of your social media headlines, including:
- The length
- The style of writing (conversational/professional/humorous)
- Use of questions, numbers, emojis, action words, etc.
- Hashtags
Here are two versions of social media headlines that Google tested:
Image via AB Tasty
Above all, get your creative juices flowing, and don’t be afraid to experiment and think out-of-the-box. Surprising information and shocking revelations are also effective in grabbing eyeballs.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Social Media Headlines
It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of crafting standout social media headlines. However, it's precisely in these moments that a clear, focused approach is crucial to avoid these costly mistakes.
- Writing headlines that are too long or confusing: Short and clear wins every time. If your headlines are too long, people won’t read them—they’ll scroll right past. Confusing wording? That’s even worse. If they don’t understand your social media headlines instantly, they won’t bother clicking. So use simple, punchy words to create effective social media headlines.
- Using excessive clickbait that damages credibility: Clickbait works—until it doesn’t. If people feel tricked, they’ll stop trusting your content. Nobody likes headlines that promise shocking secrets and deliver nothing. Be catchy, but don’t mislead. Good social media headlines should match the actual content.
- Overloading with hashtags or emojis: Hashtags can boost your reach, but using too many can make your headline look spammy. The same goes for emojis—while a few can spark curiosity, an overload can make your headline appear cluttered. Keep social media headlines clean and easy to read.
- Ignoring platform-specific character limits: As we mentioned earlier, every platform has different rules. If you don’t check character limits, your social media headlines might get cut off in awkward spots. Keep them within safe limits so they display properly.
- Using vague or generic wording: Boring and generic headlines get ignored. “Check this out!” means nothing. “You won’t believe what happened!” is overused. Social media headlines should make people curious without sounding like every other post. Be specific and make it clear why they should care.
- Ignoring how headlines appear on mobile devices: Most people access social media on their phones. If headlines don’t display properly on mobile, they lose their impact. Long headlines might get cut off, and incorrect formatting can make them hard to read. This is one of the key social media design tips to remember—always check how your headline looks on a smaller screen before posting.
FAQ
Q1. What are social media headlines?
A: As the name suggests, social media headlines are headlines that are designed for social media platforms. Impactful social media headlines can boost engagement and optimize lead generation and conversion rates.
Social media headlines make people stop scrolling and double back to read. You can add numbers, strong words, or questions to ensure they stand out and become hard to ignore.
Q2. What makes a good social media headline?
A: Good social media headlines:
- Are clear and to the point: People scroll fast. Social media headlines should get straight to the message. No long sentences and no fluff.
- Use strong keywords that will grab your attention: Some words stand out more than others. Social media headlines with action words, numbers, or emotions attract people.
- Offer something of value: People love tips, deals, or quick answers. A strong social media headline promises something worth clicking.
- Use the language of the intended audience: Speak like your audience. Social media headlines should sound casual, professional, fun, or serious based on who’s reading.
Q3. How do you write good social media headlines?
A: Here are the steps to follow to write compelling social media headlines:
- Consider your audience and write specifically for them
- Keep your headlines short
- Make social media headlines personal
- Use negative wording
- Use interesting adjectives
- Use numbers and statistics to create credibility
- Use headlines that evoke emotions
- Stick to character limits depending on the social media platform you’re using
- Incorporate keywords
- Ask questions for engagement
- Offer readers value
- Create urgency with your social media headlines
- Conduct A/B testing before rolling out the headlines
Q4. What are some social media headlines examples?
A: Here are some catchy headline ideas:
- How to use your passions to connect with others and grow your brand (How-to headline, promising a benefit)
- 4 ways to stop work stress and boost brain health (using a number)
- Is your company preparing for layoffs? Here are 4 warning signs (asking a question)
Q5. How to write catchy headlines for social media?
A: A headline should be clear, concise, and direct. It should also be relevant to the audience you're targeting. Consider using uncommon words, keywords, and hashtags that will help users find your content.
Additionally, consider using numbers or lists in your headlines to make them more digestible. Finally, don't forget to test your headlines before posting to avoid any typos or errors.
Write Great Headlines for Your Social Media Posts
By following the tips listed in this article, you'll be well on your way to writing perfect social media headlines that will help you get the most out of your content.
With a little bit of creativity, attention to detail, and A/B testing, you can write social media headlines that are both effective and eye-catching.
If you need help coming up with catchy social media headlines and impactful posts, Attrock is always here to help!
As a full-service digital marketing services company, we are equipped to handle all aspects of your social media marketing right from content marketing to search engine optimization.
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