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Abstract

Private</li><li>Puzzling</li><li>Ridiculous</li><li>Secret</li><li>Strange</li><li>Snoopy</li><li>Top secret</li><li>Unchartered</li><li>Undiscovered</li><li>Untold</li><li>Unusual</li><li>Wacky</li></ul><h2 id="7148">Greed</h2><p id="7f4c"><b>Headline example:</b> <a href="https://www.kpcnews.com/columnists/waste_not/article_6324c236-9dda-5738-9afe-3b21161e7086.html">Purposeful giving can replace gift gluttony</a>—Amy Oberlin</p><figure id="dfb8"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*h6ylWZLwzhfBEoyt"><figcaption>Screenshot from kpcnews.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><p id="5ec1"><b>Greed-related words</b></p><ul><li>Bargain</li><li>Craving</li><li>Cheap</li><li>Discount</li><li>Extra</li><li>Feast</li><li>Fortune</li><li>Free</li><li>Gluttony</li><li>Guilt-free</li><li>Hunger</li><li>Indulgence</li><li>Limited</li><li>Never again</li><li>Quadruple</li><li>Reward</li><li>Rich</li><li>Skyrocket</li><li>Treasure</li><li>Unlimited</li></ul><h2 id="281d">Surprise</h2><p id="c5d6"><b>Headline example:</b> <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1201330/nasa-news-space-agency-international-space-station-astronauts-ham-radio">NASA bombshell: ISS astronauts still use THIS 19th century tech</a>—Tom Fish</p><figure id="723a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*ZTP3swT5A461lqv7"><figcaption>Screenshot from express.co.uk. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ol><li>Admiration</li><li>Amazing</li><li>Ambush</li><li>Astonishing</li><li>Astounded</li><li>Bewildering</li><li>Blow</li><li>Bombshell</li><li>Daze</li><li>Dazzle</li><li>Dumbfound</li><li>Flabbergast</li><li>Floor</li><li>Lost for words</li><li>Shocking</li><li>Speechless</li><li>Staggered</li><li>Stunned</li><li>Thunderstruck</li><li>Wonder</li></ol><h2 id="4e8f">Challenge</h2><p id="cbc0"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/what-no-one-tells-you-about-life-after-graduation-11d99ff3b57b"></a></b><a href="https://readmedium.com/what-no-one-tells-you-about-life-after-graduation-11d99ff3b57b">What No One Tells You About Life After Graduation</a>—<a href="undefined">Rachel Hardy</a></p><figure id="7372"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*3iarOW3rhdQYNRiB"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Barriers</li><li>Bet</li><li>Can</li><li>Can’t</li><li>Compare</li><li>Concerns</li><li>Far</li><li>Fast</li><li>Hardships</li><li>Hurdles</li><li>Long</li><li>Mistake</li><li>Much</li><li>Obstacles</li><li>Pain points</li><li>Stumbling blocks</li><li>Strong</li><li>Tough</li><li>Try</li><li>What no one tells you</li></ul><h2 id="37f6">Discomfort</h2><p id="35da"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/15-excruciating-ly-funny-ways-to-have-your-heart-broken-e7a25e192fb5"></a></b><a href="https://readmedium.com/15-excruciating-ly-funny-ways-to-have-your-heart-broken-e7a25e192fb5">15 Excruciating(ly Funny)Ways to Have Your Heart Broken</a>—<a href="undefined">Tommy Paley</a></p><figure id="c76d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*sY5k8J9yo8dpQkwl"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Agonize</li><li>Angry</li><li>Awkward</li><li>Bad</li><li>Doubtful</li><li>Embarrassing</li><li>Excruciating</li><li>Guilt</li><li>Gnawing</li><li>Heavy</li><li>Misery</li><li>Painful</li><li>Torturous</li><li>Torment</li><li>Overwhelmed</li><li>Paralyzed</li><li>Stressed</li><li>Squirm</li><li>Unsure</li><li>Woe</li><li>Wretched</li></ul><h2 id="7b23">Controversy</h2><p id="755c">Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/why-do-we-keep-building-cars-with-touchscreens-alt-the-hidden-lives-of-touchscreens-55faf92799bf">The Hidden Cost of Touchscreens </a>— <a href="undefined">Amber Case</a></p><figure id="c5c5"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*kNAMWj5Ffhw5uUzE"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Banned</li><li>Battle</li><li>Clash</li><li>Contention</li><li>Controversial</li><li>Debate</li><li>Difficulty</li><li>Disagree</li><li>Dispute</li><li>Forbidden</li><li>Hidden</li><li>Hostility</li><li>Oppose</li><li>Outrageous</li><li>Quarrel</li><li>Scandal</li><li>Struggle</li><li>Tangle</li><li>Truth</li><li>Warfare</li></ul><h2 id="a5fc">Revelation</h2><p id="0d9a"><a href="https://fellowsblog.ted.com/the-first-ever-4-minutes-of-magical-hand-drawn-animation-to-emerge-from-pakistan-4d9d094a1ce9">The first-ever 4 minutes of magical hand-drawn animation to emerge from Pakistan</a>—<a href="undefined">Karen Frances Eng</a></p><figure id="2567"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*2nACCTsQySIYDeC7"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Admission</li><li>Announcement</li><li>Appear</li><li>Apocalypse</li><li>Bare</li><li>Betrayal</li><li>Bombshell</li><li>Confession</li><li>Discovery</li><li>Disclosure</li><li>Display</li><li>Emerge</li><li>Exposure</li><li>Eye opener</li><li>Flaunt</li><li>Parade</li><li>Reveal</li><li>Sport</li><li>Unmask</li><li>Unveil</li></ul><h2 id="5675">Informative</h2><p id="e422">Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/my-super-secret-crypto-turtle-strategy-revealed-ae7492fb01a6">My Super Secret Crypto Turtle Strategy Revealed</a>—<a href="undefined">Daniel Jeffries</a></p><figure id="b998"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*n2TpkI_z4_J2asa7"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Advise</li><li>Announce</li><li>Captures</li><li>Clue</li><li>Confirmed</li><li>Disclose</li><li>Discover</li><li>Explains</li><li>Found</li><li>Here</li><li>How</li><li>Is</li><li>Really</li><li>Receives</li><li>Revealed</li><li>Says</li><li>Show</li><li>Suspected</li><li>Unveiled</li><li>Why</li></ul><h2 id="0e2d">Insight</h2><p id="8df7"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://thedesignteam.io/confessions-of-a-flawed-designer-11746ff42675"></a></b><a href="https://thedesignteam.io/confessions-of-a-flawed-designer-11746ff42675">Confessions of a Flawed Designer</a>—<a href="undefined">Pablo Stanley</a></p><figure id="1bb8"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*wb26Ge-S0vVx2IIvGZgtqg.png"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Behind the scenes</li><li>Confessions</li><li>Convenient</li><li>Delighted</li><li>Easy</li><li>Effortless</li><li>Glorious</li><li>Greatest</li><li>Have you heard</li><li>Insider</li><li>Little-known</li><li>Lost</li><li>Mind-blowing</li><li>Most important</li><li>Results</li><li>Revolutionary</li><li>Science-backed</li><li>Superior</li><li>Surprising</li><li>What no one tells you</li></ul><h2 id="0101">Enlightenment</h2><p id="5ebc"><a href="https://readmedium.com/want-to-live-a-life-99-of-other-people-w

Options

ill-envy-read-this-immediately-706a321a81dc?source=search_post---------0">Want to Live a Life 99% of Other People Will Envy? Read This Immediately.</a>—<a href="undefined">Anthony Moore</a></p><figure id="53af"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*hR1O8dI4t7EG-AjO"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Amazing</li><li>Biggest</li><li>Easy</li><li>Expert</li><li>Eye-opening</li><li>First-ever</li><li>Have you heard</li><li>Here’s</li><li>How to</li><li>Immediately</li><li>Introducing</li><li>Life-changing</li><li>Mind-blowing</li><li>Proven</li><li>Remarkable</li><li>Revealed:</li><li>Up to speed</li><li>Well-kept</li><li>Well-known</li><li>Wise up</li></ul><h2 id="a5b2">Voyeurism</h2><p id="4789"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/what-ive-learnt-as-a-17-year-old-who-deleted-all-social-media-d282274d4edd"></a></b><a href="https://readmedium.com/what-ive-learnt-as-a-17-year-old-who-deleted-all-social-media-d282274d4edd">I’m 17 And I Deleted All My Social Media. Here’s What Happened.</a>—<a href="undefined">Corey Simon</a></p><figure id="56a2"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*97cqN_k9mExEYBDe"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Announces</li><li>About to</li><li>Behind the scenes</li><li>Explain</li><li>Why I</li><li>Here’s what</li><li>I have</li><li>Inside</li><li>Opens up</li><li>Rare</li><li>Response</li><li>Reveals</li><li>Says</li><li>Secrets</li><li>Shares</li><li>Spills</li><li>Spotted</li><li>Story</li><li>This is what really happens</li><li>Truth</li></ul><h2 id="1833">Empowerment</h2><p id="2711">Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/9-stoic-practices-that-will-help-you-thrive-in-the-madness-of-modernity-af9f1bdd56f4">9 Stoic Practices That Will Help You Thrive In The Madness Of Modernity</a>—<a href="undefined">Louis Chew</a></p><figure id="9c5b"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*TXQFue74iTLHVaKa"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Abundance</li><li>Authenticity</li><li>Believe</li><li>Choice</li><li>Driven</li><li>Enrich</li><li>Freedom</li><li>Fulfillment</li><li>Growth</li><li>Motivated</li><li>Love</li><li>Luxury</li><li>Passion</li><li>Progress</li><li>Purposeful</li><li>Renewal</li><li>Success</li><li>Thrive</li><li>Transform</li><li>Worthy</li></ul><h2 id="7c8b">Helpful</h2><p id="fc29"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://blog.producthunt.com/we-tried-every-shared-bike-and-scooter-in-san-francisco-bb766abd0a96"></a></b><a href="https://blog.producthunt.com/we-tried-every-shared-bike-and-scooter-in-san-francisco-bb766abd0a96">We Tried Every Shared Bike and Scooter in San Francisco 🚲</a>—<a href="undefined">Nick Abouzeid</a></p><figure id="7efb"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*3e1_-Xfvfceto_PO"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Best</li><li>Easiest</li><li>Gives you</li><li>Favorite</li><li>Hacks</li><li>Here</li><li>How</li><li>Introducing</li><li>Myth</li><li>Nail</li><li>Positive</li><li>Proven</li><li>Satisfy</li><li>Simple</li><li>Surprising</li><li>Tips</li><li>Truth</li><li>Ways</li><li>We tried</li><li>Why</li></ul><h2 id="5208">Fun</h2><p id="0b1c"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://elemental.medium.com/why-is-the-internet-obsessed-with-this-cult-toothpaste-963dda060501"></a></b><a href="https://elemental.medium.com/why-is-the-internet-obsessed-with-this-cult-toothpaste-963dda060501">Why Is the Internet Obsessed With This Cult Toothpaste?</a>—<a href="undefined">Ashwin Rodrigues</a></p><figure id="f3f1"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*8BWf7hwou3CUn2_x"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Amazing</li><li>Best</li><li>Brave</li><li>Cheeky</li><li>Drastic</li><li>Incredible</li><li>Meltdown</li><li>Obsessed</li><li>Of all time</li><li>Questionable</li><li>Queen of</li><li>Rave</li><li>Saviour</li><li>Shocking</li><li>Spellbinding</li><li>Super</li><li>Surprise</li><li>Transformation</li><li>Trends</li><li>Unveil</li></ul><h2 id="dad0">Entertainment</h2><p id="42d3"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-privileged-white-woman-who-wakes-up-at-5-a-m-752349ee97ca"></a></b><a href="https://readmedium.com/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-privileged-white-woman-who-wakes-up-at-5-a-m-752349ee97ca">A day in the life of a privileged white woman who wakes up at 5 a.m. to work out, drink grass smoothies and avoid real issues</a>—<a href="undefined">Shelby Rogers</a></p><figure id="9184"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*GG0QQuWgTX9hS3VL"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>A day in the life of</li><li>Before and after</li><li>Behind the scenes</li><li>Best</li><li>Biggest</li><li>Confirms</li><li>Everything you need to know</li><li>Fails of all time</li><li>Game-changing</li><li>Incredible</li><li>Make the grade</li><li>Mesmerizing</li><li>Most coveted</li><li>Voted</li><li>Reveals</li><li>Screw up</li><li>Sneaky</li><li>Spills top secrets</li><li>Put to the test</li><li>Wackiest</li></ul><h2 id="1ee3">Triumph</h2><p id="0357"><b>Headline example: <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-create-your-miracle-morning-in-1-minute-5dbdab8f9f47"></a></b><a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-create-your-miracle-morning-in-1-minute-5dbdab8f9f47">How To Create Your Miracle Morning In 1 Minute</a>—<a href="undefined">Roy Huff</a></p><figure id="ac0d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*fTaFX21yXdw8ntqO"><figcaption>Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.</figcaption></figure><ul><li>Achieve</li><li>Beat</li><li>Better</li><li>Boost</li><li>Conquer</li><li>Earnings</li><li>Embrace</li><li>Impress</li><li>Improve</li><li>Inspiring</li><li>First</li><li>Learned</li><li>Miracle</li><li>Prevail</li><li>Rich</li><li>Secure</li><li>Shows off</li><li>Solve</li><li>Success</li><li>Win</li></ul><h1 id="f1ab">Summary</h1><p id="825e">Just as we don’t always buy based on logic alone, our readers don’t click on bland headlines. Appeal to their emotions, beliefs, and feelings through:</p><ul><li>Curiosity</li><li>Greed</li><li>Surprise</li><li>Challenge</li><li>Discomfort</li><li>Controversy</li><li>Revelation</li><li>Insight</li><li>Enlightenment</li><li>Voyeurism</li><li>Anticipation</li><li>Empowerment</li><li>Helpful</li><li>Fun</li><li>Entertainment</li><li>Triumph</li></ul><p id="5f8f">You’ve now got a list of words related to each of these approaches. Play with them when you create your headlines and keep a note of what works.</p><p id="8941"><b>P.S.</b> Yeah, the boots were worth it. I still wear them more than 12 years later.</p></article></body>

Headline Hacks

The Ultimate List of 320 Powerful Words to Use in Your Headlines

Learned from 32 real-world titles in 16 categories

I once did a work and travel stint in Vancouver. My addiction to travel meant I never had much in savings before that. So I had to be pretty careful with how I spent.

I ate in most of the time or had picnics out with friends. I lived on sourdough bread, cashew butter, omelets—and Tim Tams (Aussie chocolate biscuits).

Less than a month there, I fell in love with the most exquisite pair of boots in a shoe store, Fluevog. The beautiful soft brown leather clung to my calves oh so elegantly. A small yet practical heel. “Old friends are good friends” in cursive was the inscription on the sole.

So many tiny, unique details that had me whispering “I want this” even while my mind told me $500 for a pair of boots didn’t fit into my budget. I didn’t even have a job yet. The crappy Aussie dollar conversion to Canadian bucks didn’t help me much. And I knew as much as I loved it, I wouldn’t wear it enough to make to worth it right now. These weren’t the everyday kind of boots.

Of course, I bought it.

Well, I compromised a little by putting it on layby. And I told myself I’d wear it for years, so it’d be worth it.

I bet you’ve done this too. Bought that thing you knew you shouldn’t and couldn’t afford, but it was too damn good to turn your back on. So you got it.

Don’t feel bad. It’s what many of us do. According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, 95% of cognition happens from our unconscious mind. From our emotions, feelings, and beliefs. But we use logic—our conscious mind — to back our decisions.

That’s why it’s not enough to spew out the benefits of a product or service. Or to write bland headlines.

Just like we don’t buy based on logic, people don’t read based purely on logic. We can improve our headlines by using words that trigger emotions and feelings. Words that challenge or connect with a person’s beliefs.

An exercise I used to do regularly to understand headlines was to pick a headline and decide why it was popular. I’d figure out what feeling it stirred up in me, or what attracted me to it.

Here are a few:

Curiosity: Ditch Your Scumbag Friend: A Life Hack for Men Who Want to Be Feminists
Greed: Think and Grow Rich!
Surprise: Who Ever Heard of a Woman Losing Weight — and Enjoying 3 Delicious Meals at the Same Time?
Challenge: 3 Ways to Still Write When You Don’t Feel Like Writing
Discomfort: I Am The Nameless African From Your Last Instagram Post
Controversy: Stop, Nobody Is Going To Be Your Mentor
Revelation: Confessions of a Flawed Designer
Informative: How City Birds Evolved to Be Smarter Than Rural Birds
Insight: I’m 36, and I just realized a timeless truth I missed all this time
Enlightenment: The Bottom Line on Dietary Supplements
Voyeurism: A Different Kind of Abuse
Empowerment: Embrace Discomfort. Your Long-Term Personal Growth Depends on it
Helpful: 5 Positive Habits for Rapid Personal Growth
Fun: A Breakup Letter To My Diet
Entertainment: Inside the Bay Area’s Craziest Secret Underground Parties
Triumph: They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano But When I Started to Play!

Many articles are based on these 16 types of headlines, and we too can use the same approaches for our headlines, no matter what the topic.

How?

By the words we use.

Words are powerful. They give your headlines feeling. Flavor. Negative or positive sentiment. Instant click.

Here are 320 words to infuse flavor and feeling into your headlines (including more examples of real headlines).

320 Headline Words (Including Real Headlines)

Curiosity

Headline example: 8 Wacky Entrepreneur Stories to Inspire Your Own Business Success—inc. magazine

Screenshot from Medium.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.

Curiosity-related words

Astonishing
Eye-opening
Insider
Intrusive
Little-known
Meddlesome
Myths
Priceless
Private
Puzzling
Ridiculous
Secret
Strange
Snoopy
Top secret
Unchartered
Undiscovered
Untold
Unusual
Wacky

Greed

Headline example: Purposeful giving can replace gift gluttony—Amy Oberlin

Screenshot from kpcnews.com. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.

Greed-related words

Bargain
Craving
Cheap
Discount
Extra
Feast
Fortune
Free
Gluttony
Guilt-free
Hunger
Indulgence
Limited
Never again
Quadruple
Reward
Rich
Skyrocket
Treasure
Unlimited

Surprise

Headline example: NASA bombshell: ISS astronauts still use THIS 19th century tech—Tom Fish

Screenshot from express.co.uk. Accessed 8 Nov 2019.

Admiration
Amazing
Ambush
Astonishing
Astounded
Bewildering
Blow
Bombshell
Daze
Dazzle
Dumbfound
Flabbergast
Floor
Lost for words
Shocking
Speechless
Staggered
Stunned
Thunderstruck
Wonder

Challenge

Headline example: What No One Tells You About Life After Graduation—Rachel Hardy

Barriers
Bet
Can
Can’t
Compare
Concerns
Far
Fast
Hardships
Hurdles
Long
Mistake
Much
Obstacles
Pain points
Stumbling blocks
Strong
Tough
Try
What no one tells you

Discomfort

Headline example: 15 Excruciating(ly Funny)Ways to Have Your Heart Broken—Tommy Paley

Agonize
Angry
Awkward
Bad
Doubtful
Embarrassing
Excruciating
Guilt
Gnawing
Heavy
Misery
Painful
Torturous
Torment
Overwhelmed
Paralyzed
Stressed
Squirm
Unsure
Woe
Wretched

Controversy

Headline example: The Hidden Cost of Touchscreens — Amber Case

Banned
Battle
Clash
Contention
Controversial
Debate
Difficulty
Disagree
Dispute
Forbidden
Hidden
Hostility
Oppose
Outrageous
Quarrel
Scandal
Struggle
Tangle
Truth
Warfare

Revelation

The first-ever 4 minutes of magical hand-drawn animation to emerge from Pakistan—Karen Frances Eng

Admission
Announcement
Appear
Apocalypse
Bare
Betrayal
Bombshell
Confession
Discovery
Disclosure
Display
Emerge
Exposure
Eye opener
Flaunt
Parade
Reveal
Sport
Unmask
Unveil

Informative

Headline example: My Super Secret Crypto Turtle Strategy Revealed—Daniel Jeffries

Advise
Announce
Captures
Clue
Confirmed
Disclose
Discover
Explains
Found
Here
How
Is
Really
Receives
Revealed
Says
Show
Suspected
Unveiled
Why

Insight

Headline example: Confessions of a Flawed Designer—Pablo Stanley

Behind the scenes
Confessions
Convenient
Delighted
Easy
Effortless
Glorious
Greatest
Have you heard
Insider
Little-known
Lost
Mind-blowing
Most important
Results
Revolutionary
Science-backed
Superior
Surprising
What no one tells you

Enlightenment

Want to Live a Life 99% of Other People Will Envy? Read This Immediately.—Anthony Moore

Amazing
Biggest
Easy
Expert
Eye-opening
First-ever
Have you heard
Here’s
How to
Immediately
Introducing
Life-changing
Mind-blowing
Proven
Remarkable
Revealed:
Up to speed
Well-kept
Well-known
Wise up

Voyeurism

Headline example: I’m 17 And I Deleted All My Social Media. Here’s What Happened.—Corey Simon

Announces
About to
Behind the scenes
Explain
Why I
Here’s what
I have
Inside
Opens up
Rare
Response
Reveals
Says
Secrets
Shares
Spills
Spotted
Story
This is what really happens
Truth

Empowerment

Headline example: 9 Stoic Practices That Will Help You Thrive In The Madness Of Modernity—Louis Chew

Abundance
Authenticity
Believe
Choice
Driven
Enrich
Freedom
Fulfillment
Growth
Motivated
Love
Luxury
Passion
Progress
Purposeful
Renewal
Success
Thrive
Transform
Worthy

Helpful

Headline example: We Tried Every Shared Bike and Scooter in San Francisco 🚲—Nick Abouzeid

Best
Easiest
Gives you
Favorite
Hacks
Here
How
Introducing
Myth
Nail
Positive
Proven
Satisfy
Simple
Surprising
Tips
Truth
Ways
We tried
Why

Fun

Headline example: Why Is the Internet Obsessed With This Cult Toothpaste?—Ashwin Rodrigues

Amazing
Best
Brave
Cheeky
Drastic
Incredible
Meltdown
Obsessed
Of all time
Questionable
Queen of
Rave
Saviour
Shocking
Spellbinding
Super
Surprise
Transformation
Trends
Unveil

Entertainment

Headline example: A day in the life of a privileged white woman who wakes up at 5 a.m. to work out, drink grass smoothies and avoid real issues—Shelby Rogers

A day in the life of
Before and after
Behind the scenes
Best
Biggest
Confirms
Everything you need to know
Fails of all time
Game-changing
Incredible
Make the grade
Mesmerizing
Most coveted
Voted
Reveals
Screw up
Sneaky
Spills top secrets
Put to the test
Wackiest

Triumph

Headline example: How To Create Your Miracle Morning In 1 Minute—Roy Huff

Achieve
Beat
Better
Boost
Conquer
Earnings
Embrace
Impress
Improve
Inspiring
First
Learned
Miracle
Prevail
Rich
Secure
Shows off
Solve
Success
Win

Summary

Just as we don’t always buy based on logic alone, our readers don’t click on bland headlines. Appeal to their emotions, beliefs, and feelings through:

Curiosity
Greed
Surprise
Challenge
Discomfort
Controversy
Revelation
Insight
Enlightenment
Voyeurism
Anticipation
Empowerment
Helpful
Fun
Entertainment
Triumph

You’ve now got a list of words related to each of these approaches. Play with them when you create your headlines and keep a note of what works.

P.S. Yeah, the boots were worth it. I still wear them more than 12 years later.