You’re struggling to create compelling headlines. What tools can help you succeed?

Only copywriters and art directors should be creating headlines. If you have to use tools or AI, you're not a natural. Sorry! That said, if you're blocked ...go old school. Get a pen and paper and write down your initial thoughts. Get all the obvious clichés and bad ideas out and then start again. Breathe. Take your time. You're not a machine...the golden stuff comes with time.

Easily RubbishHeadlines (dot) net. You type your headline in and it says "Rubbish" or "Good". It won't tell you why. Which I guess doesn't make it the best tool. But I like the mystery.

A headline should be an attention arrestor. So it gotta be punchy. There are a bunch of tools, but Portent's Content Idea Generator generates catchy and creative headline ideas based on a keyword or topic. It provides a range of headline suggestions that can spark inspiration and help you come up with engaging and unique headlines. If you haven't tried it out yet, it's a MUST.

This tool evaluates your headlines based on factors like word choice, length, and emotional appeal to help you optimize for engagement and impact.

I couldn't agree more with this tool, it always helps you to generate more ways to write a perfect headline. So, whenever you are going to write an attractive and meaningful headline that makes fruitful promises and gives a clear tone you must gather and brainstorm multiple ideas, and use them.

These tools provide automated suggestions for headlines based on keywords or topics you input, offering inspiration and ideas to kickstart your creativity.

Spark Creativity - Dive into a headline generator tool such as Portent's Content Idea Generator or HubSpot's Blog Ideas Generator. They're like the mad scientists of the internet, concocting headline potions that fizz with intrigue and sparkle with curiosity. Who knew creativity could come in a digital bottle?

Headline generators, including the ones mentioned in this article and ChatGPT, are terrible at generating good headlines. They typically serve you a Frankenstein-like mix of cheesy clichés, lowest common denominator clickbait and total nonsense. The only way they are somewhat useful is in showing you what type of headlines to avoid if you want to appear credible, engaging, and creative. The secret to writing good headlines is to write a ton of bad deadlines and get better at writing good ones.

While using Headline generators, try to narrow it down to your unique Brand or Niche that way it's very relatable. If for instance you are into Afrocentric bag design, your prompt should capture this and not the general bag design.

Headline formulas are also known as hooks. The idea is to open the loop in someone’s brain which then needs closing. When you stimulate a question or trigger curiosity humans can’t help but read on to satisfy that curiosity.

In my experience, leveraging headline formulas can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your copywriting efforts. These formulas offer a structured approach to crafting headlines that communicate value and generate curiosity. I've found that incorporating variations of popular formulas such as "How to," "The Ultimate Guide to," and "Number Ways to" can effectively capture readers' attention and drive engagement. However, it's crucial to ensure that the headlines remain unique, specific, and relevant to the content they represent. Overusing these formulas may diminish their impact, so I always strive to balance familiarity with creativity to achieve the desired effect.

Utilize proven formulas or templates for crafting headlines, such as "How to [Achieve Desired Outcome] in [Specific Timeframe]" or "X Ways to [Benefit] Without [Common Obstacle]".

When it comes to providing the solution to the problems your audience is looking for, you need a strong structure and indeed there are ways to grab that. This is what you need to brainstorm first while you are going to write a headline. So, your great headline should speak or shout out loud with its clear Promises Benefits Solutions The time frame to get the result And of course “how” 🙌 If you know how to play with your headline structure, well you already won the half of battle.

Headline formula is best but it is not a fixed thing Let's say a formula states to write it like (power word) (number) (curiosity) (benefits) Then it's not fixed Template gives you fixed rule But Formula gives you freedom You can mold it Build your own based on the rules Play it according to your copy tone Instead of analysing too many swipe files and analysing many headlines or remembering them Just follow the formula

A swipe file is a collection of successful headlines from various sources. Studying effective examples can inspire your own headline writing and provide insights into what resonates with your audience.

We learn best by doing, so find the templates or headline structures you use the most, or that are converting the most. Put all them together in a doc/file/Notion board. For example, a misdirection headline would follow this template: [claim] + [proof] + [exception] Another swipe file to consider is A Self-help Guide for Copywriters by Dan Nelken. Honestly, I cannot recommend this enough. It's my go-to resource for removing any creative blocks in my writing. Since I started writing copies using the templates and process in the book, my work has been on a no-revision streak from clients for months!

There was a time i had a blocker writing the headline so a swipe file is helpful. Although, I write my headline as the last thing for a copy as several iterations had to be made and noted.

Learn from Successes Curate a headline swipe file filled with gems of success from various sources. Tools like Evernote or Google Keep can house these treasures, serving as your vault of inspiration. It's like having a secret stash of jokes that always land – borrow the punchlines and watch your headlines hit the mark

Swipes files can serve as a good pointer to what you are looking for. There are a lot of good ones out there which can be used to craft very catchy headlines

I agree. This checklist hits the nail on the head – clear, concise, and actionable. Remember, headlines are mini-ads, so craft them with the same care and focus on grabbing attention and sparking action

2 proven secrets to viral headlines. (add these to your checklist) 1. Make the reward huge • Beat 99% • Make $10k/mo • Save 8 hours a week 2. Make the effort small • 5 simple rules • 3-step framework • Give me 2 minutes We all want a lot for a little.

- Does it sizzle or is it just steak? - Are all of the words essential? - Can any adjectives be swapped out for nouns? - Is the same word or message already used elsewhere? - Do I have any typos?!?!

Quick one: Use the 4 U's when refining your headlines: 1. Useful – make sure there's a clear benefit for your reader. Why else would she click on it? 2. Ultra-specific – and be specific, please. 'Save time' or 'save money' is not specific enough. Make sure I can visualize the benefit you're promising me. 3. Unique – make sure your headline is not a clone of 1000's of other headlines. Also, make it clear who it's intended for. 4. Urgent – make sure you give your reader a (valid) reason for clicking/reading on RIGHT NOW, and not "next Thursday when I have time".

It refer to a checklist of key elements that make up a strong headline, such as clarity, curiosity, relevance, and emotional appeal. This can help you systematically evaluate and improve your headline ideas.

Separate yourself from your own writing. Look at the headline as if someone else had written it and ask yourself, "Would I read this?" Practicing objectivity with something you wrote (a difficult skill) will make the headline more captivating for a broad audience.

There's a lot of hate saying that if you can't write headlines, don't... but that's complete BS. You can do anything you set your mind to, and there are an endless number of ways to get there but the best way is by doing it every single day. Other than that I would recommend two things: 1. Follow folks (or brands) who are killing it in the headline game. Track them in your own document every single day to use as inspiration. 2. Use AI for idea generation and brainstorming. I doubt it's going to give you anything that you can actually use, but it may stretch your brain and give you words or ideas you hadn't yet thought of. Cheers, friend -- don't get discouraged! Borrow my confidence in you.

Go back to what's performed best in the past and iterate on that. Pro tip: Headline Studio is a fantastic software to test the effectiveness of what you've written. If you're starting from scratch, use free headline templates online. Personally, I love the Eugene Schwartz best headline practices.

Writing a compelling headline involves clarity, curiosity, and relevance. Convey the main idea while piquing curiosity to encourage readership. Use strong, evocative words and keep it concise, test different versions to see what resonates with your audience.

Too often we lean on algorithms and AI as a silver bullet thinking that a magical headline will cause our content to go viral. It’s not going to happen unless our content is clear and valuable to the audience. Write, publish and promote consistently with a meaningful story to tell. There’s no headline gimmick or SEO tweak that can replace a solid and well executed content strategy.