Your headline decides whether people read your blog post or article at all. This page sums up everything this blog has on writing headlines: the main types, a 5-step method, quick tips, and 40 ready-made templates.
What is great content worth if it does not grab your readers' attention? Casual readers, people who browse a news site, and your followers on social media all judge your article by its headline, which draws them in or puts them off. It is the first thing people see, along with a preview image if you added one, so it has to stand out.
So how do you write a headline that makes people want to read the article? These articles answer that question.
The types of headlines
The perfect headline explains the main types of headlines (how-to, goals, secrets, problems, news, and entertainment) and which type suits your kind of content. It also covers the kinds of words that attract and engage readers: words that speak to their worries, surprise them, make them laugh, stir their anger or curiosity, or set two things side by side.
A method in 5 steps
How to formulate the perfect headline in 5 steps is straightforward. Start with a working title, make it stand out, add the keywords people search for, avoid deceptive clickbait, and keep it short. Follow the steps, and your working title becomes a headline that represents your article well.
5 quick tips
If you only have a minute, 5 easy tips for writing better headlines gives you the short version: use numbers, use adjectives, ask questions, promise something, and be different.
40 templates
Once you know the types and the method, 40 examples for the perfect headline makes writing one even easier. The examples are really templates: patterns that headlines all over the web and in other media use, with a blank for your topic. Use them to get a feel for what a strong headline looks like.
A headline is also the most visible place for a typo, so check its spelling, and the rest of the article, with the Spell Checker before you publish.