Headline Hacks
How to Write Awesome Headlines From Your Endings
10 examples to show you exactly how this works
What I love most about writing is how no matter how much you know there’s always so much more to learn.
Recently, Medium writer Tom Kuegler shared this tip I’d never heard before. He’d learned it from an American novelist he adores, Annie Lamott.
“If you’re struggling with your headline, look at the sentences near the end of your piece. We write them to typically summarize the main points of the article, right? Many times my best sentences are at the very end. There I typically say the main message of the piece unconsciously, and I normally do it with a little bit of flair.
Many times I have zero idea where I’m taking a piece until the end. I just sort of feel around the edges of my mind until I get to where I’m meaning to go.”
Brilliant!
Let’s explore this advice to see how it works, shall we? I’ve gathered 10 articles, grabbed the last few sentences, and brainstormed a few headlines. I’ve shared the ones that ranked over 70 in Coschedule’s Headline Analyzer (the analyzer can be a helpful way to filter headlines).
Article 1
You Are Ignoring The Small Wins, And It’s Ruining Your Dreams
Ending
It doesn’t matter if your stats went down or if you made less money or if you wrote less. Focus on your small wins, the small steps you’re taking towards your big goals, and make sure to be thankful for them.
They will propel you into the future as it did for me.
Headlines
To be a great writer, focus on your small wins (77) How to reach your writing goals: Focus on your small wins (75) How to realize your writing dreams: Focus on your small wins (74)
Article 2
How to Utilize Your Kindle to Learn More From the Books You Read
Ending
I hope you enjoyed our little promenade through the Kindle for PC¹ features. More than that, I hope you will use it as a method for deepening your learning experience.
Headline
How to deepen your learning experience with a Kindle (72)
Article 3
5 Thought Experiments to Upgrade Your Thinking
Ending
Like everything built around momentum, it takes a while to get going, and it slows down before it stops. That’s normal. It happens to everyone, but we truly do have less time than we think.
You can do a lot in ten years, but you’ll get few 10-year stretches. Before you know it, another box is gone. Choose carefully. Let’s not waste a single one.
Headlines
Let’s not waste a single year: how to build momentum (72) How to make every decade count (75) Why you have less time than you think (70)
To mention the reader will get five main insights (numbers stop the wandering eye):
How to make every decade count: 5 thought experiments (73) 5 simple thought experiments to make your time count (71)
Article 4
How to Deliver Outstanding Events From an Award-Winning Coach
Ending
Seek out opportunities to present, speak and facilitate online. Host an Instagram live, or maybe set up a live webinar.
And in between these, watch videos from speakers that inspire you, reflecting how they deliver their message.
Ultimately, you want to be action-oriented as embracing the uncomfortable is how you are going to grow.
Headlines
Embrace the uncomfortable: it’s how you’ll grow (74)
Or, for more clarity — a great way to avoid clickbait headlines:
Why you need to get uncomfortable to improve your online workshops (75)
Article 5
The 3 Steps to Bouncing Back When You Feel Discouraged
Ending
As you incorporate these strategies into your life, you’ll realize a complete change in your outlook.
Challenges that used to seem unconquerable are now minor distractions in your life.
You’ll start to feel like you’re bigger than any challenge thrown at you.
And that’s when you’ll know that discouragement has changed to empowerment.
Headlines
How to change discouragement to empowerment (71) How to conquer unconquerable challenges (70) How to gain empowerment from challenges (74)
Or to point out the reader will get three specific tips:
How to gain empowerment from challenges: 3 Ways (76) How to avoid getting discouraged from challenges: 3 Ways (77)
Article 6
The Real Reason Why Self-Help Is Not Working For You
Ending
What you don’t practice doesn’t grow. So, if your biggest problem is that self-help is a hoax; remember: the word starts with ‘self’.
Headlines
The biggest problem with self-help is you (70) Think self-help is a hoax? (74)
Article 7
The Forgotten Pleasure of Interacting With Strangers
Ending
And that’s really how this whole comfort of strangers works. Unexpected moments with unexpected people enrich your life and mine every day of our lives.
Dear beautiful, kind, and loving strangers, thank you so much for what you bring to my life.
Headlines
How unexpected moments with strangers can enrich your life (70) Thank you to the kind strangers in my life (78) Get comfortable with strangers: they can enrich your life (71) How unexpected moments with strangers has enriched my life (70)
Article 8
Don’t Blame Yourself for Being a Fool in Love with the Wrong person
Ending
…we shouldn’t beat ourselves up.
Like the songs says, Love is a Many Splendid Thing. And “Love and Marriage go together like a horse and carriage.”
It’s a good thing, but half the time it ends often coming to a screeching halt. Then we’re off in search of it again.
We’re not fools. We’re just in love.
Headline
We’re not fools. We’re just in love. (70)
Article 9
Forget About Resolutions & Purpose — Do This Instead to Make 2019 Really Count
Ending
Since reading about what successful people do differently, I won’t be setting any new year’s resolution focused on results this time.
Instead, I’ll be building identity-based habits and focusing on ordinary, daily action.
What matters isn’t the size of the step you take; what matters is that you take it. ~ Barack Obama
Headlines
A better way to approach new year resolutions (76) What successful people do differently with their new year resolutions (72) Focus on daily action, not results for new year resolutions (73)
Article 10
Why I Stopped Watching the News
Ending
Take Care of Yourself
If you’ve been feeling slightly under the weather in recent weeks, it might not be the winter depression. News media fear tactics might be getting to you, and that’s the problem you need to focus on solving.
Personally, I have resolved to turn off the news again. But the addiction is strong, and I can only hope that I’ll be able to maintain a no-news diet once again.
Headlines
How to avoid news media fear tactics (75)
Or for a more positive headline angle (let’s uplift people rather than join the negative media):
How to rise above news media fear tactics (71)
Analysis
In many of these examples, the headlines were already well-written. What we’ve seen is how to create more headlines from the way the authors ended their articles.
It’s useful to look at the last few lines, rather than the last line. However, there was one article where the last line made a great headline: “We’re not fools. We’re just in love.” in Don’t Blame Yourself for Being a Fool in Love with the Wrong person
Summary
In the 10 examples we explored, we found that using endings as inspiration for headlines works really well. Let’s add this to our arsenal of headline writing hacks and say cheers to Tom Kuegler for sharing this surprisingly awesome tip.
Give it a go.
I can’t wait to see how you write awesome headlines from your endings.
