No one’s reading your masterpiece if the headline’s as bland as a PowerPoint template. You could write the next Pulitzer, but a boring title? Yeah, no one’s clicking.
Here’s how to write headlines that not only rank but stop thumbs mid-scroll:
1. Keep your headlines up-to-date!
Back in the day, headlines had one job: yell from the newsstand.
Now? They’ve got Google and social media to impress, too.
✅ Add keywords (yep, SEO is still a thing).
✅ Make it clickable — not clickbait-y, but close enough.
✅ Check what’s trending and ride that wave.
Need help picking the right keywords? We got you — read our SEO article to choose the best keywords for your headline!
2. Include numbers on your headlines!
Headlines that include numbers are more successful than those that don’t use them.
There’s just something about seeing a number in a headline. “5 reasons,” “7 tips,” “13 ways” — our brains eat that up.
Numbers and lists are appealing to the mind. Numbers grab people’s attention since they give us the idea that the content in the article will be logically organized. Apparently, our brains really dig that!
👉 Bonus tip: Odd numbers convert better. Something about them feels less staged, more “insider knowledge.” So yeah, that’s why BuzzFeed is still around.
3. Make your headlines worthy!
Tell readers straight away what they will get from reading your post. If you want people to read on, you must include the benefits in your headline!
“How to Bake Bread” is fine. “How to Bake Bread That Actually Looks Like the Picture” — much better.
Benefits can be all sorts of things. You can promise a good laugh, celebrity gossip, a solution to a problem, a new skill, motivation, inspiration, a good piece of information, and so much more!
4. Good headlines connect emotionally with the audience!
Headlines should make the reader feel something. After creating a headline, check if it fulfills this purpose. If it doesn’t, add some emotion to it.
Remember, it takes just one word to make readers feel excited, intrigued, inspired, sad, angry, or hopeful.
Swap “Improve Your SEO” for “Stop Wasting Hours — Here’s How to Rank Faster”. Feels different, right?
Pro tip: Be positive. It not only makes you feel better, but it works better! People want good news that helps them find solutions instead of emphasizing problems!
5. Make high-ranking headlines!
Headlines should not only evoke emotions, they must evoke SEO!
Check your headline attempt and make sure you’re using the right keywords to attract your target audience and rank higher in Google.
- Trigger that “ooh, I wanna know” feeling
- Show up on Google when people search
Remember to make them unique. After you nailed your headline, check if there are other articles with the exact same title, and if this is the case, give them a twist!
Final Though
If writing headlines is sucking the joy out of your day, hit us up. We help brands get their content game back on track — minus the migraines!