Headline Hacks
80 Uplifting Headline Words That Will Capture Readers With Positivity
Negative headlines work, but they’re a terrible long-term solution
How often have you sat around with others bonding over how terrible the weather has been, what needs to be done to improve public transport, or how tired you are because you keep sleeping too late?
Notice how easy it is to get riled up in these conversations. We quickly and easily find our flow and get carried away in a symphony of whinging. To know that we’re not alone bonds people, even if we’re complaining. Even if we leave the conversation feeling connected yet still unfulfilled and unhappy with our lives.
What you focus on becomes your reality.
You may have noticed the media mainly writes about catastrophes and sensationalized, mostly negative news.
Well, that’s because the media knows something about readership numbers and what boosts them. But more than that, their bottom line tells them everything they need to know — and to keep running:
Negativity sells.
From 2010 to 2015, data scientist Kalev Leetaru assessed the emotional sentiment of articles all over the world. It was found “The New York Times,” and news outlets around the world, have progressively gotten gloomier.
I mean google “world news” and just take a look at some of the top stories around the world right now:
Why Seychelles has world’s worst heroin problem
DR Congo measles: Nearly 5,000 dead in major outbreak
Man who filmed beheading of Syrian identified as Russian mercenary
World’s Current Fossil Fuel Plans Will Shatter Paris Climate Limits, UN Warns
The world may have a bigger problem than a potential recession, OECD warns
Yeah, the world certainly has a bigger problem than a potential recession: We’re drowning in negativity.
This is consistent with research by Aarts and Dijksterhuis that found people respond quicker to negative words such as “cancer,” “bomb” or “war” than words like “baby,” “smile” or “fun.” And recognize negative words faster than positive words.
The Solution to Boost Readership
It’s obvious, isn’t it?
We’ve got to write negative headlines. We’ll boost our views and make more dosh.
There’s biological evidence of both negative and positive people in the world. Perhaps you’re a negative person, and every piece of negative news reaffirms your view that the world is f*cked. People are horrible, don’t trust anyone. And life is unfair.
Then perhaps you’re an optimist as I am and look for the bright side in any situation. Because what’s the point of dragging yourself down with unhelpful negative thoughts?
The optimists may think they would love to see more good news in the media. But would we really?
Well, the City Reporter in southern Russia decided to test out whether people wanted to read good news in the morning and whether they thought good news is a myth. So they published only positive, good news for one day: Their reader numbers sank.
So they returned to writing news that people flock to, car crashes and burst water pipes.
Positivity Doesn’t Sell — Or Does It?
The evidence seems clear. But let’s take a different approach. How many people do you know make a wish on their birthdays or at New Year’s for a miserable, lonely, stressful life?
More likely they want to be successful, have lots of money, and find their dream job. Retire early. Travel the world.
Well, palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware found out the top regrets of the dying, and people wish they could have:
- Pursued their dreams
- Worked less
- Been the bigger person and resolved problems
- Made the choice to be happy
- Had the courage to live truthfully
- Spent more time with family and friends
- Said “I love you” more
Adding to that, consider possibly the longest study of adult life ever run, a Harvard study of 724 men into what makes a good life. Each year for over 75 years, the boys were asked about their work, home lives, and health.
You’d think wealth, fame, and career would make up a good life. Instead, what they found consistently over both groups during the 75 years (and still going), was this: Good relationships make a good life.
More specifically, lonely people literally die earlier (through health problems and poorer brain functioning).
If we follow this line of thought, a negative attitude would repel, rather than draw people to us. I mean, who really wants to spend time with someone who makes them feel depressed, unhappy, and bad about themselves and their lives?
Well, perhaps you, like me, don’t want to continue spreading — and feeling — negative for the sake of clicks and a few bucks. Each of us has enough in-built negativity to last us a lifetime.
Perhaps you prefer to reach out and offer a splash of hope to a gloomy grey world. To offer hope, joy, and compassion, even though it sounds corny, because deep down these are what you need for yourself.
Famous poet and theologian Rumi suggests we:
“Respond to every call that excites your spirit. Ignore those that make you fearful and sad…” (Cry Out In Your Weakness, The Essential Rumi)
The problem is, for some of us, “thinking positive” is a cliche that repels. It brings up images of infuriatingly happy, cult-like people that say “everything will be OK, you’ll see” when you’re damn well not all right and want to wipe the smile off their faces with a strong disinfectant.
So how can we avoid positivity that annoys the heck out of us? How can we avoid the low readership numbers that the southern Russian newspaper faced when they only published positivity news?
Well, consider alternative ways of spreading positivity. It doesn’t mean you have to create intoxicatingly happy, inspirational headlines all the time. These are appreciated only in small doses.
You’ve got to get more creative: Enlighten, instill hope, use humor, appeal to your reader’s sense of pride, reveal, challenge, empower, and surprise.
Let’s stop feeding the cruel voices in our minds, and the insecurities in our hearts that arise from our exposure to fear, hate, anger, jealousy, envy, and sadness.
Here are examples of positive headlines using these approaches. Here are 160 positive headlines and words.
Enlighten
Headlines
- 10 Life-Changing Lessons I Learned From My First Africa Safari
- Have You Heard the Good News About Sea Level Rise?
- After 10 Years Studying Sleep, the U.S. Military Just Revealed Something Eye-Opening About Caffeine
- 37 Simple Daily Behaviors That Will Immediately Free Up Hours in Your Weekly Schedule
- Introducing ALDI’s Latest Wine Winners
- World’s Most Valuable Whisky Collection Revealed
- How a Smart Lawyer Eats Before and After a Workout
- Edible Masterpieces: The Most Coveted Menu Items From Four Seasons, and Where to Find Them
- How to Grow Your Instagram — Everything You Need to Know
- Three Steps to Get Up to Speed on Any Subject Quickly
Enlightening-related words
- Life-changing
- Have you heard
- Eye-opening
- Immediately
- Introducing
- Revealed
- Before and after
- Most coveted
- Everything you need to know
- Up to speed
Hope
Headlines
- World’s First Adoptable Dog Bar in Oregon Gives Second Chance to Dogs in Kill Shelters
- ‘Robin Hood of McNuggets’ Admits to Giving Everyone an Extra Nugget at McDonald’s
- Pro Golfer Forgives Fan With Down Syndrome Who Yelled During Crucial Shot
- ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Star Adopts Bonded Pit Bulls in ‘Fairy-Tale Ending’
- Cattle Saved From Drought and Fire Thanks to Kind Neighbours
- Swimmer’s Mission to Expose Plastic Threat
- Candid Tweet Inspires Helpline for Lonely Youths
- The Worst Flood in India in 100 Years Brings Twitter to the Rescue
- Feeding the Fire: Older Steam Train Driver Mentors Younger Ones to Keep the Trains Running
- ‘Every Second Person Is Missing a Finger’: Praise for New Invention for Horseriders
Hope-related words
- Second chance
- Robin Hood
- Forgives
- Fairy-tale ending
- Kind
- Mission
- Inspires
- Rescue
- Mentors
- Praise
Humor
Headlines
- Man Claiming to Have the World’s Largest Penis Exposed As Average
- Rangers Get Whiff of Colon
- The Queen Steps Out With David Attenborough Moments After Shock Palace Announcement — And She Even Cracked a Joke!
- Does Wrapping Your Car Key in Tin Foil Really Prevent Theft?
- 40 Hilariously Real Tweets About Gender Reveals
- 27 Funny Thanksgiving Cooking Mishaps We Can All Relate To
- The Ongoing, Totally Hysterical Search for the World’s Most Perfect Massage
- Nintendo Store Attracts Gleeful Gamers
- Side-Splitting Author Adam Kay Reveals How He Operates
- This Playful Slab Makes Coldwater Surfing Actually Look Inviting
Humor-related words
- Largest
- Whiff
- Joke
- Really
- Hilarious
- Funny
- Hysterical
- Gleeful
- Side-splitting
- Playful
Pride
Headlines
- Delighted Dan Evans Sends Britain Into Davis Cup Semi-Finals
- Apple’s Political Game With Trump Worked Like a Charm
- Mourinho Glad to Take ‘Great Job’ at Spurs
- Here’s Why Fans Should Be Thrilled About Broncos’ Young Offensive Nucleus
- Athens Keeps Guests Satisfied With Culture, Locals, and Hotels, Says Gbr
- 10 Tools That Can Help You Build a Splendid Personal Brand
- The Magnificent Wales Player Ratings as One Star Achieves Perfection on Night of Sheer Euro Joy
- Dylan Hartley Bows Out After Illustrious Career
- From Cows to Cabinetry: Milk Paint and 6 Awesome Uses for It
- Holding Captain America’s Shield Is Monumental, Says Anthony Mackie
Pride-related words
- Awesome
- Delighted
- Charm
- Glad
- Illustrious
- Magnificent
- Monumental
- Thrilled
- Satisfied
- Splendid
Reveal
Headlines
- Astonishing Footage Shows Bees Have Learned to ‘Surf’ to Avoid Drowning
- An Eye-Opening ‘Night Under the Stars’
- Little-Known Protein Appears to Play Important Role in Obesity and Metabolic Disease
- Debunking the Myths of Mentorship
- The Priceless Value of Every Human Life
- Antarctica Breakthrough: How NASA Satellite Spotted ‘Puzzling’ Discovery Emerging From Ice
- Top Secret Thriller “Antebellum” Gets First Teaser Trailer & Poster
- Queenslanders Have Been Tucking Into an Undiscovered Fish Species
- Painting Exhibition Brings Unusual Technique to Life
- Should You Try a Wacky Job Application Strategy?
Reveal-related words
- Astonishing
- Eye-opening
- Little-known
- Myths
- Priceless
- Puzzling
- Secret
- Undiscovered
- Unusual
- Wacky
Challenge
Headlines
- Dare to Dream: Imagine a 2020 Twins Outfield With Mookie Betts
- To Deepen Your Thinking, You Need More Constraints
- To Open Your Mind, Reverse Your Process of Thinking
- 34 Unexpected Places to Find Writing Inspiration
- Five Signs of Growth-Oriented Individuals — Here Is What You Need to Change
- Set Your Mind to Reach for the Top and Never Settle for Less
- Why You Need to Stop Hiding Behind Your “Busyness”’
- The Deathbed Fallacy
- Everyone’s a Copywriter. Right?
- How to Activate Extreme Self-Confidence and Destroy Chronic Anxiety and Fear
Challenge-related words
- Activate
- Change
- Dare
- Deepen
- Fallacy
- Find
- Reverse
- Right?
- Set
- Stop
Empower
Headlines
- How to Adopt an Abundance Mindset
- 5 Reasons to Be Real: Authenticity Is the New Competitive Edge
- If You Can Believe It, You Can Achieve It
- The Harsh Trust of Rapid Personal Growth
- After the Hike: The Luxury of Getting Lost
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Stress
- Passion Filled Internationals Strengthen the Women’s Game
- Amazon’s Lord of the Rings Series Gets Early Season 2 Renewal
- The AI Project That Wants to Transform Remote Eye Health
- Agents Unite for Worthy Cause
Empowerment-related words
- Abundance
- Authenticity
- Believe
- Growth
- Love
- Luxury
- Passion
- Renewal
- Transform
- Worthy
Surprise
Headlines
- Check Out the Amazing Glass Blowing Demonstration at Ren Fest
- Even Novak Djokovic Is Astounded by the Continual Presence of Roger Federer Near the Summit of Men’s Tennis
- These Black Friday Hair Styling Deals Will Blow You Away
- Fiji Edge PNG in Razzle-Dazzle Thriller in Christchurch
- Whale Intelligence Continues to Amaze and Dumbfound Scientists
- You’ll Be Floored by This Stock’s Potential
- Sunrise’s Sam Mac Left Lost for Words by Stranger’s Incredible Gesture After Losing His Phone
- Junior Bake Off Winner ‘Stunned’ After Lifting Trophy
- Garth Brooks Breaks a Ford Field Record Selling a Staggering Number of Tickets
- Pittsburgh’s MuseumLab Renovation Finds Wonder in History
Surprise-related words
- Amazing
- Astounded
- Blow
- Dazzle
- Dumbfound
- Floored
- Lost for words
- Staggering
- Stunned
- Thunderstruck
- Wonder
But What if You’re Not Usually a Positive Person?
It’s pretty tough to weave positivity into your writing if you don’t already think this way. But there are ways to reframe your thoughts from negative, unhelpful ways of thinking to more constructive thinking that propels you forward.
Have you ever noticed we’re kinder and more supportive to other people than we are to ourselves?
I mean, when your friend tells you they’ve lost their partner, what do you say? Do you tell them, of course, they’ve let themselves go, aren’t good enough, and better off on their own because no one would want them anyway?
Of course, you wouldn’t.
You’d find ways to comfort and reassure them. Perhaps you’d take them out for a drink or go for a massage. You’d text or call them over the next week to see if they’re OK. To help them realize they’re more than good enough and that they’re loved.
I’m pretty sure you’d do that.
So do that for your reader.
By being helpful and positive toward our readers, we build the habit of being kinder and more optimistic ourselves. Even if you fake it for yourself to begin with, over time, like anything, you’ll get better with practice.
Summary
Who needs more negativity in their lives? We get enough of it in the media, but that doesn’t mean it’s all bad.
You now have 80 headlines that uplift rather than instill fear, incite hate, or fuel anger. By being more creative in your headline approach, you can conjure up a positive angle to even the toughest topics.
- Enlighten
- Instill hope
- Use humor
- Appeal to pride
- Reveal
- Challenge
- Empower
- Surprise
As Mahatma Gandhi once famously said:
“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.”
Your thoughts have power. Your words have power. Have no doubt, you can impact the world— one positive headline at a time.
