My Client's Blog Traffic Jumped After This Headline Fix

If you want to create content that actually gets read and sells your ideas, there’s one skill that stands above the rest: writing great headlines. Think of your headline as the ad for your ad. Its job isn’t to sell the whole product or idea, but simply to sell the reader on the next sentence. To pull this off, a headline has to nail three specific tasks.

First, it has to stop the reader mid-scroll. Among all the noise online, it needs to be the thing that makes them pause. Second, it must make a promise, either directly or indirectly, that resonates with them. And third, it has to spark enough curiosity to convince them that reading on is worth their time. This is the foundation of effective .

I see so many people with a great message fail because it's hidden behind a boring title. Let me tell you a quick story about a client of mine, Morgan. She’s an executive consultant who started a blog to market her services and build her . She called me, frustrated.

“I’m posting tons of helpful content,” she said, “but nobody reads it. I get zero comments.”

I pulled up her blog, and the first post I saw was titled . I read it, and she was right—the advice inside was solid. But she’d wrapped it in a title that sounded like a doctoral dissertation. It was the same problem with almost every post.

“I think I see the issue,” I told her. “Your titles are pushing people away. They sound too academic.”

“Okay,” she said, “so what would you do?”

I’d just watched a movie the night before. “How about something like, ?”

It took a bit of convincing, but she finally agreed to try it. Is it a coincidence that the post started getting comments later that day? I don’t think so.

The 5 Qualities of a Headline That Works

The headlines and subheads in your sales copy—and your blog post titles and email subject lines—all serve the same function. They either invite the reader in or shut the door in their face. Here are five qualities every compelling headline shares.

This is job number one. Your headline has to jolt the reader out of their passive scanning. You can do this by making a bold claim, sparking an emotion, or creating an information gap that makes them curious.

Great headlines speak to a specific person. If you try to write a headline for everyone, you’ll end up connecting with no one. Use specific language that calls out to the exact audience you want to reach.

Remember, the headline’s only job is to make one sale: getting the person to read the first line of your article. You’re not trying to sell your entire concept right away, just the idea of continuing to read.

What is the single most important benefit your content offers? Your headline needs to communicate that one thing in a way that feels meaningful to your reader.

Authority is a powerful tool for capturing attention. If you have some form of credibility—a degree, a study, a specific achievement—don’t be afraid to leverage it in your headline.

5 Proven Headline Templates to Get You Started

Just how important are headlines? Some of the highest-paying gigs in the copywriting world are for people who just write headlines for magazine covers. They know that a powerful headline is what gets someone to pick it up in the checkout line. That same power can attract readers to your and drive sales.

Here are five templates you can use to get more people clicking, reading, and buying.

The key here is to connect the “how-to” with a benefit your reader genuinely desires.

This headline is a direct promise. It’s an exchange of value: give me a little of your time, and I’ll give you a significant result.

Psychology expert Robert Cialdini famously showed the power of the word “because.” Justifying a request makes people more likely to comply. This is a secret that has been essential for anyone running a for decades. Use it in your headlines.

Ask a question that taps into a problem or desire your reader already has. Be careful not to ask a question with an easy “no” answer. You want to create a strong urge to find out the solution.

This format connects something simple the reader can do with a major benefit you’re offering.

Ultimately, the secret to writing great headlines is to write a lot of bad ones first. Don’t settle on your first idea. Write five, ten, even twenty different versions. Practice is what separates good from great. For anyone who wants to , mastering this one skill is a game-changer.