avatarJ.J. Pryor

Summary

The web content provides a comprehensive guide on crafting effective headlines, drawing from the insights of 20 top Medium authors and offering specific tips, strategies, and examples to improve headline writing for better reader engagement and article performance.

Abstract

The article "How to Write a Catchy Headline: 47 Tips From 20 Top Medium Authors" serves as an extensive resource for writers seeking to enhance their headline creation skills. It emphasizes the critical role of headlines in attracting readers, detailing various techniques such as using numbers, trigger words, and emotional market value. The piece curates advice from successful Medium authors, distilling their experiences into actionable tips and common pitfalls to avoid. By analyzing popular headline formats and psychological tactics, the article aims to equip writers with the knowledge to captivate their audience's attention, improve click-through rates, and ultimately drive more views to their content.

Opinions

  • Headlines are considered the most important part of an article, worth 80% of audience engagement according to Ogilvy.
  • A balance must be struck between boring and clickbait headlines to entice readers without misleading them.
  • Numbers, especially multiples of five, are recommended for increased clicks and readability.
  • Specificity and curiosity are key elements in creating compelling headlines.
  • Overpromising in headlines is acceptable only if the content delivers on the promise.
  • The use of emotional and power words can significantly enhance the appeal of a headline.
  • SEO considerations, such as keyword placement and title length, are important for visibility on search engines.
  • Testing multiple headline versions and seeking feedback can improve the final choice.
  • Headlines should convey the main message of the article to avoid being perceived as clickbait.
  • The article suggests that headlines are a reflection of the content's quality and can determine its success.
  • Some authors advocate for the use of controversial statements or negative angles to pique interest.
  • The use of subtitles, questions, and time-related words can create a sense of urgency and relevance.
  • Writers are encouraged to analyze and learn from successful headlines to improve their own.
  • The article posits that even with great content, a poor headline can lead to its obscurity.

How to Write a Catchy Headline: 47 Tips From 20 Top Medium Authors

Learn from the best and forget the rest

Photo by Min An from Pexels

I just bombed another headline. I spent 5 hours researching a topic I felt was incredibly interesting. 2 hours writing and rewriting. 1 hour of meticulously editing it line by line.

I applied to a big publication. It was unusually accepted straight away. They accelerated the publishing of it to just a few short hours later and it was even featured by Medium!

Then…crickets.

I’m sure you know this feeling. It friggin’ sucks.

Could the writing have been better? Most assuredly. Could it have been more succint, elaborate, or stylish? Absolutely. But it was a good piece of content — and the likely reason it failed with that much promotion was the usual suspect — a bad title.

So, that’s why I sat down and researched some of Medium’s biggest authors to see what their thoughts are on the subject.

If you have any similar struggles with crafting enticing titles — this piece is for you.

What’s in this article?

I curated 20 of the most popular pieces describing authors’ methods on how to craft a perfect title. I’ve listed their article with a link, a brief description, and some key tidbits of advice they have.

The next two sections are a TLDR version of all of the advice.

I didn’t put names (unless it was really specific) as the authors do a much better job of elaborating on their theories — so please read their articles!

Note, the below advice, phrases, and articles aren’t in any particular order.

Great Advice for Creating Amazing Headlines

  • A headline is worth 80% of your audience according to Ogilvy, so many argue it is the most important part of a story
  • You should aim for the thin line between boring and full-clickbait
  • Use numbers in your headlines, preferably as the very first word. They simply get more clicks most of the time.
  • If your title sounds like it would be on a book cover, change it. Blog titles need to be much more descriptive of what the content contains.
  • Use multiples of 5 if using a number (5, 10, 15, 20)
  • Use interesting adjectives to bring out your voice and add enticement
  • Never use the word ‘Things’ when describing, replace with words like ‘Reasons’, ‘Ways’, ‘Methods’, ‘Principles’, etc
  • Try using the subtitle you wrote as the main title if you’re stuck
  • Try using a subtitle as a continuation of the main title
  • Use question words like ‘Why’ and ‘How’ to add curiosity to bland statements — use ‘What’, ‘Who’, and ‘When’ only occasionally
  • Overpromise on something — then deliver it with amazing content (otherwise don’t do it!)
  • A formula from Jeff Goins: Number or Trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + Promise
  • If you have a controversial topic, use a bold statement as the headline
  • Be overly specific to draw readers in (ex. add more details than you would normally)
  • Try using a quote on occasion, but only if it is very enticing and draws the reader into what exactly the story will be about
  • Focus on user emotions such as desires, fears, happiness, sadness when choosing adjectives and verbs
  • When writing an opinion piece, try making a bold statement possibly including words like ‘We’, ‘You’, ‘Never’ to target readers who feel the same way — so they will share it as their own opinion on social media
  • A formula from Dawn Bevier: Target Keyphrase + Colon + Number or Trigger Word +Promise
  • Use time words to trigger a bit of FOMO if possible (ex. Instantly, The Next 5 Minutes, etc)
  • To add more specificity, use words like ‘How I XYZ (accomplished something), ‘This’, ‘These’, ‘Why Something is XYZ’
  • Promise a benefit to the reader or answer a question
  • Always convey the main message of your article in the headline, otherwise it’s clickbait
  • If you care at all about SEO, identify at least 1 keyword and keep it towards the beginning of your title
  • Headlines on Google get cut off after 70 characters — so keep it below that if you care about SEO
  • Understand people’s awareness of the concepts before you write it in the title (ie. How many people would care/understand the topic?) then adjust based on that
  • Many authors recommend writing 5–20 versions of your headline, taking a break, then picking the one that pops out the most later on (or send it to friends to see their thoughts)
  • Tweak your title to include an element of curiosity to entice readers to click
  • Your title (and article) should be as sharable as possible. Expressing viewpoints that people align their values with or creating overly amazing content help with that angle.
  • Occasionally try a negative angle for headlines, ex. ‘Avoid’, ‘Don’t Do’, ‘Never’
  • Readers often (or probably always) use your headline as an assessment of the entire article, even if they don’t bother reading the rest
  • Natalie Frank, Ph.D. advises using the Emotional Market Value (EMV) tool to analyze your headlines after you’ve created some (while aiming for higher than 25–30% as a target)
  • She also says some example words to use for high EMV scores are: free, remarkable, obsession, new, special, improved, immediately, powerful, big, exclusive, how to, genuine, simplistic, reduced, survival, exciting, urgent, latest, proven, exploit, last chance, quality, odd, bottom line, zinger, monumental, strange and unparalleled

Some Key Phrases to Use in Headlines

  • How to XYZ
  • If You Want to XYZ, Then Do XYZ/You Have to XYZ
  • # Things You Need to Know About XYZ
  • This is What Happens When XYZ
  • # Things That Will (Make You/Change You/Action)
  • # Things Only (Group of people) Will (Action)
  • Only # of People Do (Action/Belief)
  • XYZ Will Make (Group/You/Action) XYZ
  • End some of your headlines with words like ‘# Years/Months/Days/Hours’
  • The Best Way to XYZ
  • Why You Should XYZ
  • The Science of XYZ: Why XYZ Does (something)
  • # Ugly Truths Behind XYZ
  • Here are # XYZ Worth Stealing
  • This is Why Nobody [Reads Your Blog]

20 Articles From Pro Bloggers on How to Create Amazing Headlines

Article #1

Snippets of Advice:

  • “The most important part of writing an article is the headline.”
  • “There’s a reason why so many copywriters use numbers in their headlines. It works.”
  • “What you want to do is dare your reader to read the article.”
  • “People don’t want to be tricked into reading something boring; they want to be drawn into something exciting. Make it worth their while.”

Article #2

Snippets of Advice:

  • “Beginners, pay attention to your sub-headline next time.”

Article #3

Snippets of Advice:

  • “The important things to remember are to keep it simple, keep it clean and get to the point.”

Article #4

  • Title and link: 23 Examples of Effective Headlines
  • Author: Nadia Rawls
  • Main idea: Nadia goes into 5 different styles of headlines and explains why they work so well, along with 23 examples in total. Her advice is great for writers that create specific styles of articles (ie. personal essays or listicles)

Snippets of Advice:

  • “If you’re unsure if the headline is clear, share only the headline with someone who hasn’t read the story and ask what they think it’s about.”
  • “You wrote the story about something, and you had a reason for writing it, so those are your anchors if you’re ever unsure of the headline.”

Article #5

Snippets of Advice:

  • “Headlines exist to tell your reader what your story is about. But they also exist to draw a reader in.”
  • “Headlines are not book titles.”
  • “You can also use a subtitle to get more creative than any headline would normally allow. Sometimes, I use my subtitles to be a little sarcastic or snarky.”
  • “Headlines are all about grabbing attention while setting the tone of your piece.”

Article #6

  • Title and link: Stop Treating Your Blog Headlines Like Book Titles
  • Author: Ryan Fan
  • Main idea: Ryan goes off in an essay format about the big difference between writing titles for books vs titles for blogs. He discusses different points of view and what works best for blogging from a practical standpoint.

Snippets of Advice:

  • “…generally, what’s a good title is not always a good headline and vice versa.”
  • “Gripping and engaging the reader from the beginning will help keep them engaged throughout.”

Article #7

Snippets of Advice:

  • “…smaller numbers can create clicks, as the reader will likely see that the article can be read quickly and relay information in a short amount of time”
  • “If writers don’t hint that they come “bearing gifts,” potential readers may scroll past.”
  • “It doesn’t matter how great you are as a writer if no one reads your work.”

Article #8

Snippets of Advice:

  • “Headlines make or break blog posts and are every bit as important as the content of the post itself.”
  • “I’ve found three core headline formats that consistently perform well — Personal Experience headlines, Value Promise headlines, and Self-Expression headlines.”
  • “People rarely share blog posts on social media simply because they’re good — they share them to express something about who they are and what they believe.”

Article #9

Snippets of Advice:

  • “These questions open up a world of possibilities. Why and how are exploratory words.”
  • “…the bad headline writer is making the mistake of telling the reader things as opposed to making them wonder.”
  • “Most people don’t read at random. They read to get smarter.”

Article #10

  • Title and link: How to Write Strong Headlines (Even If You Know Nothing)
  • Author: Itxy Lopez
  • Main idea: Itxy advises writers, especially newer ones, to ‘steal’ headlines from popular writers on Medium. She elaborates that by stealing, she means break down their popular titles into the functions and extrapolate a template of sorts. She gives plenty of examples of good title templates as well as how to find more.

Snippets of Advice:

  • “For now, the best thing you can do is steal other writers’ headlines.”
  • “A good headline captures attention.”
  • A good headlines “has to clearly promise a result for the reader.”
  • “Whatever your article is about is exactly what your title should state.”

Article #11

Snippets of Advice:

  • “…when you write headlines, it helps to include the keywords users may be looking for.”
  • “Give us numbers from research, which shows credibility. The numbers attached to the specific findings arouse curiosity.”
  • “…numbers typed out as numerals stop a reader’s eye from wandering.”
  • “These tell us specifically what content is about and how it will help you fulfill a desire”
  • “It can be a blurry line between what’s clickbait and what’s not.”
  • “Brainstorm and pass through CoSchedule Analyzer to help you.”

Article #12

  • Title and link: What I’ve Learned After Publishing 250 Clickbait-Looking Headlines
  • Author: Anthony Moore
  • Main idea: Anthony talks a lot about his experience over the years being a very successful writer and how he grew from a 0-viewed blog to someone with over 100,000 newsletter subscribers. His main emphasis is on the power of storytelling vs presenting pure facts. He also takes a contrarian point of view — he’s pro-clickbait — as long as the content is superb.

Snippets of Advice:

  • “You should write more clickbait headlines. You just better back it up with some amazing, incredible content that truly helps people.”
  • “If you want to be a famous, highly-paid, professional writer someday…you just have to understand that facts tell, but stories sell.”
  • “Never underestimate how lazy your readers are…They need to be interested and immediately relate to you.”

Article #13

Snippets of Advice:

  • “…the very first thing I do is write up a one-sentence synopsis of what my piece will be about.”
  • “There are three ingredients that copywriters use to write effective headlines: specificity, curiosity, and power words.”
  • “Specificity also piques readers’ curiosity”
  • “What is the benefit you’re offering to a person for reading your blog post?”

Article #14

Snippets of Advice:

  • “…we DO judge books by their cover…your article’s headline is its “cover.”
  • “…tell people what your article offers, right there in the headline.”
  • “So figure out who you are writing for, how your ideal reader sees him/herself, and what s/he is most likely to want to share with friends.”
  • “Using numbers in your headline promises that your article is skimmable.”
  • “…in the end, the headline is not the most important part of your article — the content is.”

Article #15

  • Title and link: How To Increase Clicks On Your Article Headlines
  • Author: Nick Wolny
  • Main idea: Nick takes a psychological approach to crafting headlines. He breaks down a good headline into 4 different psychology theories, backs them up with research, and explains how to use them for your own articles.

Snippets of Advice:

  • “Headlines are your signage, and good writers tap into how our minds are wired to encourage curiosity, clicks, and page views.”
  • “…readers often use the headline of your article to make a snap judgment about your writing.”
  • “The job of a headline, and your overall copy, is to deliver an emotional charge that suspends logic, creates tension, and can only be relieved with a click.”
  • “The more real a headline feels to someone, the more likely they are to engage with your content.”

Article #16

Snippets of Advice:

  • N/A — only examples listed

Article #17

Snippets of Advice:

  • “You’ll lose the majority of an audience if you don’t create a compelling headline.”
  • “Your headline needs to be a little bit sexy, but it also needs to be accurate.”
  • “…the optimal headline length is 70 characters because none of the headline will be cut off in the search engine results return.”
  • “We touched on the importance of keywords…the closer to the beginning of the headline the better.”

Article #18

Snippets of Advice:

  • “The best headlines are those that appeal to something that will elicit a strong reaction in your readers leading to them being unable to turn away from the rest of your content.”
  • “…both positive and negative reactions will result in article engagement.”

Article #19

Snippets of Advice:

  • “Your headlines shouldn’t be an afterthought.”
  • “‘Will make you’ was, far and away, the most popular word combination in headlines.”
  • “…phrases like “this is why” and “the reason is” attracted tons of engagement on Facebook.”
  • “Tribal headlines work.”
  • “…multiples of five accounted for four of the top five most engaging headline numbers (10, 5, 15, and 20).”

Article #20

Snippets of Advice:

  • “Schwartz focuses on human nature and our tendency for hopes, dreams, fears, and desires.”
  • “Tap into desires that still exist — that will always exist — and you’ll create a headline that sells.”
  • “Powerful headlines solve problems that make it easy for readers to say, “Yes, that’s me,” or, “Tell me more”.”

Takeaway

While creating a perfect title is pretty much impossible, we can all certainly strive to get better at the practice. Better titles not only sound better to the inner voice of a reader — but they get more views.

And if your writing is good enough to back it up — those views will turn into full reads. Full reads can turn into true fans. True fans can turn into the satisfaction of a job well done.

The above pro’s are great at what they do. Many of them have millions of views on their content, and that is in no small part to the ability to create amazing titles.

And as I like to say in similar article like this:

“Learn from the best, forget the rest.”

Now go out and write some absolutely killer headlines — and earn your true fans.

PS. In case you’re wondering, yes, I did use several of these tips in creating this article’s headline. I guess it worked for you if you’re reading this sentence!

J.J. Pryor

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