5 Ways to Write Killer Headlines That Grab Attention

The headline is the most important thing you’ll write, for almost any project.

Why?

Because we humans decide in three seconds or less if they want to continue or click away. ⚡️ 

People rarely read anything in full, we scan for clues to see if something is worth their while.

For us writers, this means that our headlines have the all-important job of capturing attention in those 3 seconds.

In this post, you’ll learn just how to do that with 5 easy writing tips for crafting headlines that’ll make your audience want to read the next line. 👇️ 

1. Keep it short n’ simple 👍️ 

If your headline is long and difficult to comprehend what you’re offering they may not even finish reading your headline. 😴 

You can have an incredible value statement, offer, solution — and get all the other tips right in this guide — but if your headline is too long then it doesn’t matter.

Don’t get stuck trying to make a clever headline, when simplicity is king. 👑 

Clear headlines > clever/witty headlines

The game of copywriting is getting your reader from one line to the next, guiding them through the buyer’s journey.

This journey starts with a simple, short, and effective headline that grabs attention. 🥳 

2. Be specific; use numbers or show how 🎯 

This builds off of tip #1 above; one of the best ways to craft clear headlines is to be as specific as possible.

Being specific means backing up your claims with proof. 📈 

Excellent data sources for specific headlines:

• KPIs from a case study

• Customer surveys

• Testimonials

• Time (do X in Y days/minutes)

Any data is better than no data.

If your product does X for your customer, then show them by how much.

Increase your team’s productivity by 30% > increase your team’s productivity.

3. Help them visualize success

Powerful headlines pull us in because they help us visualize success.

Even better, they bring us to an outcome or an emotional end state that we desire.

What’s the ultimate outcome that your audience wants?

As writers, we often confuse the means with the end.

For example, if I’m browsing a website for a fitness bike, it’s because the bike is a means to a happier, healthier lifestyle.

• You’re not just buying makeup, you’re buying beauty and self-confidence.

• You’re not just buying a Tesla, you’re buying a luxury status symbol that’s also good for the environment.

• You’re not just buying an Apple MacBook Pro, you’re buying a tool to unleash your creativity/productivity.

Once you identify the ultimate outcome and/or emotional end-state your audience deeply desires, you have the key to their hearts and minds.

4. Make it action-oriented.

A hallmark of a powerful headline is that it’s action-oriented.

This also makes it customer-oriented by default, because action-oriented headlines make the customer the hero—not the company or product.

Action-oriented headlines begin with a strong action word, telling you exactly what you will achieve as the hero of your story.

Remember, the product is the tool or guide, and the customer is the hero.

Action-oriented headlines show them the outcome of their actions with your product.

5. Create a curiosity gap/ask a question

When we ask our audience questions, we cause them to pause and think critically for a second.

Even better, if we’re asking the right questions, then we’re getting them to agree with us early on, making it easier for them to agree later when they get to your call to action or offer.

When we write headlines that create curiosity in the mind of the reader, we’re creating a gap that they’ll naturally want to close by reading on for the answer.

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Final Takeaway

Headlines will either make or break your content asset; they have the power to pull the reader in and gain their attention — or they fall flat and your reader clicks away.

They key to a successful headline is to capture attention in 3 seconds or less, and the best way to do that are to use the following tips:

1. Keep it short n’ simple

2. Be specific; use numbers and show how

3. Help them visualize success

4. Make it action-oriented

5. Create curiosity

Remember, your audience is the hero—not your product.

Always keep your headlines customer-centric and show them how they get to their ultimate outcome in as few words as possible.

Clear is always better than clever.

I guarantee that if you follow the tips above, your headlines will be much more effective at capturing attention and getting your audience to read the rest of your landing page, email, blog, ad campaign, etc! 🧠 

Happy writing!