Create An Article Headline

[Matthew Sherborne]

How to Write a Headline

Your headline is often the most important part of your entire article. Mess up the headline and you’ll get no response from the reader to take action and read your content. Worse still, a bad headline frequently leads to you receiving less money for your hard work.

So just how you go about writing a great headline?

Focus on the most persuasive point in your article and use it in your headline. It is important that you focus your mind on the desires and wants of the reader. The headline should be deeply engaging and interesting so that it excites those who see it. To avoid the problem of having to come up with all of the most effective ways to start a headline on your own, I’ve included the most powerful headline starters in the section below.

Headline Starters That Get Noticed

The trick here is to mix it up and change things so they fit your article. Think about using curiosity provoking words like: How to, Top, Best, Free and Secret to. Use strong action words that encourage people to read more.

Just fill in the blank to create your powerful headline on any topic you want. Making any changes to suit your needs.

The Secret of ______

A popular choice as long as your article does indeed share a secret of some sort. With this article headline you’ll need to share your insider knowledge with the reader. This one’s a killer at pulling in eyeballs.

·The Secret of the Law of Attraction
·The Secret of Starting a Non-Profit Organization
·The Secret of Getting Free Grant Money

Little Known Ways to ______

Similar to “The Secret of… headline, this method is another way to emphasize an article that has interesting ways to solve a problem.

·Little Known Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website
·Little Known Ways to Gain Muscle Fast
·Little Known Ways to Stand Out at a Party

Top 10 Reasons You Need ______

This is known as the list headline. This kind of headline is very popular because list type articles are easy to write.

If you decide to use this format for your headline make sure you include the most powerful reason first to encourage readers to read the rest of your article.

You can substitute 10 for any number of things you have written about in your content. It also makes sense to change need to why when it fits the tone of the article.

·Top 10 Reasons You Need to Install the New Firefox Browser
·Top 10 Reasons You Need to Quit Smoking
·Top 10 Reasons Why Downloaded Movies Suck

Here are some more variations to the list type headline:

·Best 7 Email Marketing Tools and Tricks
·Five Need-to-Know Press Release Tactics
·Top 8 Concerns When Breast Feeding
·10 Powerful Techniques to Win at Negotiating

Who Else Wants ______

This is a classic internet marketing headline starter that works off the premise of social proof. Using ‘Who Else Wants’ in your headline implies that you have received results and are making them available in the article.

·Who Else Wants the Best Online Poker Strategies?
·Who Else Wants to know How to Get Cheap Cruise Travel?
·Who Else Wants to Make $200 Daily With Adsense?

______ Like ______

‘Insert Strong Verb’ like ‘List Professional/ Guru’

In the first spot insert your strong verb. In the second add the person who most represents your action. Using famous people that everyone will recognize will paint an image of perfection in the reader’s mind.

·Play Golf Like Tiger Woods
·Make Money Like Donald Trump
·Do Vegas Like a Rock Star

Why ______ Beats ______ Hands Down

This type of comparison headline works well because people love to read reviews and find out why a product is better than another. Reading reviews is an often used step in the online buying process and will be effective if you can share real personal opinions to back up your claims.


·Why Myspace Beats Facebook Hands Down
·Why Vista Beats XP Hands Down
·Why Forex Beats Mutual Funds Hands Down

Here’s a Quick Way to ______

If your article solves a pressing problem then this headline is a good fit. It’s best used when your article provides a solution to an everyday need or adds efficiency to a task.

·Here’s a Quick Way to Clean Up Your Credit Report
·Here’s a Quick Way to Read Faster
·Here’s a Quick Way to Sell More On eBay

Get Rid of Your ______ Once and For All

This is another headline that solves a problem for your readers and is an effective attention getter. ‘Get Rid of’ works well if your article describes how to put an end to a annoying problem. Try changing the ‘Once and For All’ closer to drive home your article’s theme.

·Get Rid of Your Dog’s Pet Odor Once and For All
·Get Rid of Spam Junk Mail Forever
·Get Rid of Hiccups and Stop Them From Coming Back

Here are some other problem solving headline formulas.

·Revealed, How You Can Spend Less On Auto Insurance
·A Better Way to Find the Perfect Vacation Home?
·Stop Wasting Time Upgrading Your Compute

[Matthew Sherborne]

How You Can ______ and ‘Add Results’

The ‘how to’ headline is one of the most widely used of them all. For this reason it has a lot of completion. In this example we mix it up a bit to include ‘how you can.’ Then finish with the results they can achieve.

·How You Can Meet More Women in Less Time
·How You Can Completely Clear Up Acne In 7 Days
·How You Can Give a Winning Presentation

Classic examples of the powerful headline ‘How to” are:

·How to get _____________
·How to develop _________
·How to enjoy _______________
·How to have ____________
·How to improve your______
·How to get rid of _____________

·How to keep_______________
·How to get the most _____________
·How to become ___________
·How to start __________
·How to begin _________
·How to avoid ________________
·How to end ________________

Here’s another play on the classic ‘How to’ headline.

Have a ______ You Can Be Proud Of

For anyone who’s a little ego driven this headline appeals to being the best. You can change the ‘Have’ to a stronger action word to emphasize a better sense of ownership.

·Build Your Own Model Airplane that You Can Be Proud Of
·Own a Chiseled Physique the Chicks Will Dig
·Have a Six Figure Income that Will Make Your Own Mother Jealous

[2BFree]

Thanks so much for explaining how to write a title - if only you were my English teacher in school - they never explained it that well!

I can't believe how much information you give out. your forums very cool

[Alastair_davis]

Hi, I certainly agree with you. Your advice is really very helpful for us.
Thanks a lot