Headline Formulas

Headline Formulas

25+ proven headline formulas that stop the scroll, capture attention, and drive clicks. Templates and examples for every situation.

When to Use This Skill

• Writing headlines for landing pages, ads, or articles
• Creating email subject lines that get opens
• Crafting social media hooks
• A/B testing headline variations
• Overcoming headline writer's block
• Training teams on headline best practices

Methodology Foundation

Source: Compiled from David Ogilvy, John Caples, Gary Halbert, Joanna Wiebe, and decades of tested direct response advertising.

Core Principle: "On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy." (Ogilvy) Your headline is 80% of your ad's success.

Why This Matters: A great product with a weak headline fails. A decent product with a magnetic headline succeeds. Headlines are the highest-leverage words you'll write.

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

"Claude generates options. You choose winners."

Remember: Headlines are iterative. Claude accelerates generation; you apply taste and test results.

What This Skill Does

1. Generates headlines by formula - Plug-and-play templates
2. Matches formula to goal - Curiosity, benefit, news, etc.
3. Creates headline variations - A/B test candidates
4. Evaluates headline strength - Scores against proven criteria
5. Adapts headlines to format - Landing page, email, social, ad

How to Use

Generate Headlines

Give me 10 headlines for:
Product: [description]
Key benefit: [main value]
Format: [landing page/email/ad/social]

Use a Specific Formula

Write 5 headlines using the [How-To / Number / Question / etc.] formula for:
[product/offer description]

Evaluate Headlines

Score these headlines against best practices and rank them:
1. [headline]
2. [headline]
3. [headline]

Headline Variations

Create 10 variations of this headline for A/B testing:
[original headline]

Instructions

When creating headlines, apply these proven formulas:

Category 1: How-To Headlines

## HOW-TO FORMULAS

The "how-to" headline promises practical instruction. Works when audience wants to learn.

### Formula 1: Basic How-To
"How to [achieve desired outcome]"

Examples:
- "How to Win Friends and Influence People"
- "How to Write Copy That Sells"
- "How to Double Your Conversion Rate in 30 Days"

### Formula 2: How-To for Specific Audience
"How to [achieve outcome] (Even If [obstacle])"

Examples:
- "How to Build a 6-Figure Business (Even If You Have No Audience)"
- "How to Run a Marathon (Even If You've Never Run a Mile)"
- "How to Write a Book (Even If You Failed English)"

### Formula 3: How-To with Timeframe
"How to [achieve outcome] in [specific time]"

Examples:
- "How to Learn Spanish in 90 Days"
- "How to Build Your Email List in 30 Days"
- "How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers in 6 Months"

### Formula 4: How I Did It
"How I [achieved specific result]"

Examples:
- "How I Built a $10M Business from My Bedroom"
- "How I Lost 50 Pounds Without Giving Up Pizza"
- "How I Got 1 Million YouTube Subscribers in 18 Months"

Category 2: Number/List Headlines

## NUMBER HEADLINES

Specific numbers create curiosity and implied ease. Odd numbers often outperform even.

### Formula 5: The Basic List
"[Number] Ways to [achieve outcome]"

Examples:
- "7 Ways to Increase Your Email Open Rate"
- "21 Productivity Hacks for Remote Workers"
- "101 Blog Post Ideas for Any Niche"

### Formula 6: Things You Didn't Know
"[Number] [Topic] Secrets [Audience] Doesn't Know"

Examples:
- "7 Copywriting Secrets Most Marketers Never Learn"
- "5 Tax Deductions Your Accountant Forgot to Tell You"
- "9 Things Your Competition Doesn't Want You to Know"

### Formula 7: Mistakes/Errors
"[Number] [Topic] Mistakes That Are Costing You [Loss]"

Examples:
- "5 Landing Page Mistakes Costing You Conversions"
- "7 Resume Errors That Get You Rejected"
- "3 Diet Mistakes That Make You Gain Weight"

### Formula 8: Reasons Why
"[Number] Reasons Why [unexpected claim]"

Examples:
- "11 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Traffic"
- "5 Reasons Why Your Ads Aren't Converting"
- "7 Reasons Why Smart People Stay Poor"

### Formula 9: Specific Result Number
"Get [specific number] [result] with [method]"

Examples:
- "Get 10,000 Email Subscribers with One Landing Page"
- "Generate $5,000/Month with This Simple System"
- "Lose 15 Pounds in 6 Weeks Without Exercise"

Category 3: Question Headlines

## QUESTION HEADLINES

Questions engage the brain automatically. The reader mentally answers—and keeps reading.

### Formula 10: Do You Make This Mistake?
"Do You Make These [Topic] Mistakes?"

Examples:
- "Do You Make These Mistakes in English?" (famous John Caples headline)
- "Do You Make These LinkedIn Mistakes?"
- "Do You Make These Common SEO Errors?"

### Formula 11: Are You...?
"Are You [characteristic of target audience]?"

Examples:
- "Are You Too Busy to Be Rich?"
- "Are You Tired of Diets That Don't Work?"
- "Are You Losing Money While You Sleep?"

### Formula 12: What Would You...?
"What Would You Do With [desirable thing]?"

Examples:
- "What Would You Do With an Extra $1,000 a Month?"
- "What Would You Do With 10 Extra Hours a Week?"
- "What Would You Do If You Could Start Over?"

### Formula 13: Who Else Wants...?
"Who Else Wants [desirable outcome]?"

Examples:
- "Who Else Wants to Write a Bestselling Book?"
- "Who Else Wants to Build a 6-Figure Side Hustle?"
- "Who Else Wants Gorgeous Skin at 50?"

### Formula 14: What Happens When...?
"What Happens When [intriguing scenario]?"

Examples:
- "What Happens When an AI Writes Your Emails?"
- "What Happens When You Ignore Your Customer's Complaints?"
- "What Happens When You Stop Chasing Clients?"

Category 4: News/Announcement Headlines

## NEWS HEADLINES

News headlines leverage our wired attraction to novelty. Works best for launches, updates, discoveries.

### Formula 15: Announcing/Introducing
"Announcing: [New thing and its benefit]"
"Introducing: [New solution to old problem]"

Examples:
- "Announcing: The First AI That Writes Like You"
- "Introducing: The Fastest Way to Build a Website"
- "Finally: A CRM That Works the Way You Do"

### Formula 16: Now You Can
"Now You Can [previously impossible/difficult thing]"

Examples:
- "Now You Can Build an App Without Coding"
- "Now You Can Get Custom Suits Without the Tailor"
- "Now You Can Invest Like a Hedge Fund"

### Formula 17: Discover
"Discover [surprising benefit or method]"

Examples:
- "Discover the Morning Routine of Top CEOs"
- "Discover Why 80% of Diets Fail (And What Actually Works)"
- "Discover the One Change That Tripled Our Revenue"

### Formula 18: New/Revolutionary/Breakthrough
"New [category] [does remarkable thing]"
(Use sparingly—overused and often feels hypey)

Examples:
- "New Software Writes Emails in Your Voice"
- "New Study Reveals the Real Cause of Burnout"
- "Breakthrough Technology Cuts Shipping Costs 50%"

Category 5: Benefit-First Headlines

## BENEFIT HEADLINES

Lead with what they GET. The most direct approach.

### Formula 19: Get [Benefit]
"Get [Specific Desirable Result]"

Examples:
- "Get More Traffic With Less Content"
- "Get Abs Without Sit-Ups"
- "Get Booked Solid Without Cold Calling"

### Formula 20: The Only/Ultimate
"The Only [Category] That [Unique Benefit]"
"The Ultimate Guide to [Topic]"

Examples: