Headline Hacks

Perks and Pitfalls of ChatGPT Headlines

It’s helpful but limited. Tips to hone your headlines.

I spend many hours at work writing toolkits, news articles, and on-demand page descriptions.

I’m stuffed by the end of it… and that’s only the start of the process.

Next is getting colleagues to peer review content. Before sending it off to stakeholders with my fingers and toes crossed they’ll have feedback in time for us to publish content to share in our next newsletter.

I’m always so damn tempted to stick with the first headline that comes to mind. But I’ve realised my first headlines often don’t do justice to all that work I’ve done.

Hello ChatGPT.

I’m a stickler for writing the old-fashioned way most of the time. But I’ve discovered certain writing activities that AI can help with. Headlines are one of them. It’s helpful to get a bunch of headline options to kickstart the headline writing process. It gives my brain a tiny siesta.

There are quirks to watch out for though.

I’ll share those quirks by walking you through a few examples from content I’ve created. You’ll find out what to watch out for if you use AI to help you with headlines.

ChatGPT headlines can be tacky, vague, and may not capture the main message in a piece of content.

I’ve discovered we need to be good at giving specific instructions. And we also need to understand the basics of writing great headlines.

Example 1

My instruction:

‘write 5 headlines about the new plain language standard and what it means for us. use less than 9 words. remove quotation marks.’

ChatGPT output:

• New Plain Language Standard Set: A Revolution in Global Communication
• Breaking Down Barriers: How the Plain Language Standard Impacts Public Information
• Plain Language Standard: A Milestone in Clear and Accessible Communication
• The World Embraces Plain Language: Transforming Our Everyday Communication
• Simplifying Legal Jargon: The Impact of the Plain Language Standard on Law

Comment:

The headlines were too long. I also felt they were too generic. Readers scan headlines. Headlines need to be specific so readers know what to expect if they decide to click. They also need to be specific so readers don’t have to click through to the content to understand the main message.

My instruction:

‘rewrite headlines using less than 9 words’

ChatGPT output:

• Global Communication Revolution with Plain Language Standard
• Plain Language Standard Breaks Public Information Barriers
• Milestone: Clear, Accessible Communication with Plain Language
• Plain Language Transforms Everyday Global Communication
• Legal Jargon Simplified by Plain Language Standard

Comment:

These still didn’t capture the crux of the article. So, I stopped playing with ChatGPT for a while to think about the purpose and the main message of the article.

There were 2 main goals: to let readers know that plain language is a global standard. And to highlight why readers should care. So, I ended up ignoring the headlines ChatGPT spewed out.

Instead, I wrote: ‘Plain language is a global standard: what that means for us’

Except the headline was too long when featured on the homepage of our website. It looked like this (text and screenshot below):

‘Plain language is a global standard: what that means fo…’

So I tweaked the headline so it didn’t cut off (text and screenshot below):

‘The plain language global standard: why it matters’

Example 2

My instruction:

‘write 5 headlines similar to: how hackathons can generate new ideas’

ChatGPT output:

• Unleashing Innovation: The Power of Hackathons in Generating Fresh Ideas
• Fueling Creativity: Exploring How Hackathons Drive the Generation of New Ideas
• Think Outside the Box: Harnessing the Potential of Hackathons to Inspire Innovative Ideas
• Igniting the Spark of Innovation: How Hackathons Spark New Ideas and Breakthroughs
• Collaborative Problem-Solving: How Hackathons Foster Idea Generation and Innovation

Comment:

These seemed okay but I wasn’t completely happy with any of them. I don’t always like using headlines with colons which ChatGPT seems to come up with often.

These were also too long. I wanted to include ‘innovation’ in the headline. So I mixed a few of these ideas to come up with the final headline:

‘The power of hackathons in accelerating innovation’.

Example 3

My instruction:

‘write 5 subject lines similar to: feeling resentful in your relationships? here’s how to diffuse it…’

ChatGPT output:

• Struggling with unresolved conflict? Discover effective strategies to find peace in your relationships.
• Is resentment poisoning your connections? Uncover practical steps to restore harmony and understanding.
• Tired of resentment weighing you down? Explore proven techniques to release it and foster healthier relationships.
• Resentment ruining your bonds? Learn powerful methods to heal and rebuild trust with loved ones.
• Ready to let go of resentment and reclaim happiness? Unlock the secrets to repairing and strengthening your relationships.

Comment:

These weren’t too bad. But they were too long for an email subject line. I also wanted a short headline in the body of the email.

My instruction:

‘rewrite in less than 8 words’

ChatGPT output:

• Resentment in relationships? Diffuse it with these tips.
• Overcoming relationship resentment: Find harmony and understanding.
• Release resentment, restore connections: Discover effective strategies.
• Rebuilding trust, healing resentment: Transform your relationships.
• Let go of resentment, reclaim happiness in relationships.

Comment:

These were much shorter which was great. I really liked the first one ‘Resentment in relationships? Diffuse it with these tips’. But I wanted my subject line to be impactful and share emotion.

So, the final subject line was: ‘I’ve had it…’

The heading in the body of the email was: ‘What do you resent in your relationships?’ (screenshot below)

I wanted the reader to feel included. Using the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ is a powerful way to include and help people feel we’re speaking directly to them.

Know the fundamentals of great headlines

As you’ve seen, ChatGPT comes up with helpful headline ideas. But it’s still important to understand your content, your reader, and what makes a powerful headline. It’s still important to think, adjust, and throw out if needed — rather than rely fully on what ChatGPT spills out.

A few headline techniques to keep in mind:

Focus on your main message

Why did you write this piece? What will your reader gain from reading it? You don’t have to throw in the whole kitchen sink into your headline. Our headline’s first job is to get our readers to read the next line.

So take the time to understand your reader. Write a headline that speaks to them so they know your content is relevant and useful.

Frontload and backload keywords

Word placement is important in headlines. Frontloading is where you place the most important words first. It’s also been found that the last three words catch readers’ attention too.

It also won’t harm your SEO by making sure your reader can find the keywords they’re searching for.

Avoid writing really long headlines

A headline might cut off on a Google search results, a post, or a website if it’s too long. When it cuts off depends on where your headline will be shown. Also, on what device your reader is using.

For instance, I discovered my headline was too long when it cut off when shown on the feature placement of my work homepage. So, I shortened it as I’ve realised headlines around 9 words or less don’t get cut off on the page.

If you’re interested in learning more about research behind headline lengths, check out ‘How many words should a good headline be?’.

Aim for clarity

Tell your readers what to expect and make sure your content follows through. Avoid teasing your reader with vague headlines.

Be careful not to deceive. Instead, learn how to write genuine, enticing headlines without clickbaiting.

Brainstorm at least 5 headlines

If you’re using ChatGPT, ask for 5 or 10 headlines. But as an exercise try brainstorming headlines without ChatGPT. Write 5, 10, 20, 0r even 50 headlines. It’s a fascinating activity.

You’ll be surprised at how many creative, powerful headlines you’ll come up with when you get into the groove.

Use the ‘What’s In It For Me’ approach

‘What’s In It For Me’. It’s what we think when we’re scouring content online, isn’t it? We’re all busy, so we don’t want to waste our precious time!

Does your title tell your readers how this content will help them:

• get better at something?
• solve a problem?
• deal with fear?
• make them more money?
• give them more time with family?
• help them get switch careers?
• write faster?
• sleep better?

Be explicit. Don’t make them think about why they should keep reading.

Get a second opinion

When I need to meet a deadline at work, I find the fastest way to improve my headline is to get another opinion. I often list around 5 headlines for my colleagues to choose from.

Your editor, friend, colleague, or your mum may give you quick yet valuable feedback about how a headline sounds. You may not do this for every headline but it’s worth considering when you’ve spent heaps of time on a piece. It’s easy to lose perspective.

ChatGPT can be a helpful way to get your headline juices flowing. It can be fantastic to get ideas when your brain hasn’t switched into headline mode yet. Though it’s worth noting that it sometimes spits out vague or tacky headlines.

Yeah it’s swanky. But it still helps to understand the basics of a good headline so you can guide ChatGPT. This way, you can create your own headlines if you don’t think its suggestions capture the essence of your writing.

Ultimately, we want our headline to be helpful for our readers. A few ways to do this are to make it specific. Frontload and backload keywords. Consider your headline length. Connect with what matters to your reader. And get feedback from others.

If you’d like to dive deeper into headlines, you’ll find a treasure trove of research, tips, and examples in my Headline Hacks column in Better Marketing.

Happy headlining!

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