At a glance

Quick summary

• Want to improve your headline writing in just two minutes?
• I’ve condensed the best headline resources from around the web into a single, short post!
• You’ll find two infographics and a phenomenal free tool that I use every time I write a headline

My favorite headline types

• List: Lists, also called ‘listicles’, are articles made up of a list of ideas, tips, or instructions, and typically include a number.
  • e.g., 5 annoying copywriting mistakes I see all the time
• Question: Question headlines pose a question to the reader. Make sure you answer the question posed!
  • e.g., I just set up my WordPress site. What are 8 useful, free plugins?
• How to: Headlines that include the phrase “how to”, and then explain how to do something.
  • e.g., How to create a digital signature for free — no special tools required!
• Best: These headlines include the word “best”, and these articles rank things.
  • e.g., The best landing pages include these 7 elements. Does yours?
• For more, check out CoSchedule’s article 17 Types of Headlines Every Writer Needs to Know

Anatomy of a fantastic headline

• High-quality headlines should aim to hit these benchmarks:
  • 70 characters
  • 12 words
  • Use power/emotion words. Click here to download CoSchedule’s list of 180 Emotional Words.
  • People should know what the article is about
  • Use simple, clear language

Write multiple headlines

• Headline writing is a skill that takes time to develop
• Most sources recommend that you write at least 25 variations of a single headline! (Nope, that’s not an exaggeration.)
• Want a simple tool to help you with this? You should…

…Use the CoSchedule Headline Studio

• Every single time I write a headline, I work on it using Headline Studio from CoSchedule
• You enter a headline into the tool, and it spits back a score and recommendations for improving
• There is a paid version. However, I still use the free version!

Grab CoSchedule’s Blog Title Infographic

• This is a great visual that includes 500 attention-grabbing words, 100 headline templates, and more, so you can boost your traffic by 438%.
• Download it by clicking here

Others? Questions?

Any thoughts or questions? Anything with which you disagree? Anything I missed?

Leave a comment below and let me know!