These 7 Viral Headlines Earned $211 Each. Discover Their Winning Tactics.

Dissecting my best 7 headlines. Why they took Medium by storm

Writing headlines is so frustrating.

But when you win. You can win big. My top 7 headlines earned $1483 and amassed 14,800 views. I’m going to dissect them and reveal what made them work. So you can use these tactics to power up your own.

Crafting viral headlines is more art than science. You can’t follow a formula and guarantee a $211 article. However using these proven techniques will increase your odds.

Enjoy.

1. New Writers Can Make Money: 5 Ideas That Are Working For Me

• Earnings $195
• Views 3,200

Specify the audience

In The Boron Letters, Gary Halbert advises his son to be as specific as possible when advertising:

I have a great opportunity for people to buy real estate

I have a great opportunity for dentists to buy real estate

I’ve a great opportunity for dentists in Florida to buy estate

You can feel the power increase with a more targeted audience

My headline is for new writers. This is an improvement over writers.

Speak of hope

Life is tough so give your readers hope.

New writers can make money.

What are your audience’s deepest desires? Speak to that. Offer to move them forward one step. This can be more hopeful than ambitious goals.

I wonder if this headline worked because it said new writers can make money rather than earn $100k/year.

Readers are weary and cynical. Give them hope but be realistic.

Showcase your credibility

Why should anyone listen to you?

Sharing what works for you is an effective way to gain trust and win respect:

that is working for me

Readers want less how to and more how I

2. 14 Ways To Gain An Unfair Advantage As A Writer No One Tells You About

• Earnings $78
• Views 1,100

Listicles are uncool amongst writers. But readers love them. They are a guilty pleasure they can’t resist.

Big numbers

It’s no surprise that 5 of my viral headlines contain numbers. Numbers are powerful. They pack a mountain of information into a single character. They also make the headline specific. Detail makes it trustworthy.

Consider these two offers:

I will help you lose weight

I will help you lose 20lbs in 30 days

Your brain trusts the one with numbers because it’s specific. Using numbers is the easiest way to improve your headline. Here I used a big number (14) to suggest a value-packed article.

Name your audience

Who is your article for?

People will click if they think it’s for them. Naming your reader in the headline is a simple way to do this. In this case writers.

Make a promise

Every viral headline offers the reader something. This is essential.

Resist the trap of saying what your article is about. Disclose what it’ll do for your reader.

Add an edge

It’s not enough to make a clear promise to a specific audience:

14 ways to gain an advantage as a writer

You are in a war for attention. And other writers are unleashing atomic bombs against your puny pistol. You can gain an edge by adding an extra twist.

I used two twists in this headline. Let me show you:

14 ways to gain an unfair advantage as a writer

Unfair. One word makes all the difference. Use descriptors to add power:

• 5 cheeky habits
• 7 unusual ideas
• 9 tiny actions

But we need more:

14 ways to gain an unfair advantage as a writer no one knows about

Now we’ve got a headline with a chance.

There’s an ocean of ways to add an edge. Notice how others do it and steal their tricks.

3. This Dead Simple 5-Step Writing System Helps Me Create A Crazy Amount Of Content

• Earnings $66
• Views 1,000

Name it

You can add authority by giving your content a name. Here I transform 5 tips into a Writing System. Sounds good doesn’t it? You can offer a:

• model
• blueprint
• framework

Use a label to increase the value of your content.

Alliteration

When words begin with the same letter, the brain smiles and oozes with pleasure:

• Simple Step System
• Create Crazy Content

When choosing words. Start with the same letter if possible. But only if the words work. Don’t squeeze an odd-sounding word in.

Be unexpected

In your niche, there are phrases everyone uses.

It makes your writing bland. The brain is wired to zone out the familiar. But it seeks out the novel. It craves new for the dopamine hit it delivers.

A crazy amount of content works because it’s different. Normally you’d say write more or lots of content.

Surprise the reader with your word choice.

4. Five Outlines To Speed Up Your Writing (And Make It Irresistible To Read)

• Earnings $53
• Views 1,100

Offer something tangible

The most powerful part of this headline is outlined.

Outlines is superior to 5 tips or hacks. It’s concrete. Notice how attractive these are (compared to 5 tips):

• 5 recipes to save you money
• 5 stretches to trim your belly fat
• 5 phrases to enhance your love life

Provide tangible content.

Double the benefit

Every viral headline showcases outcomes.

But this headline offers two big benefits:

• speed up your writing
• make it irresistible to read

Power up your title by making two (or three) promises.

Brackets

I love using brackets.

It’s like whispering a little bonus. And you don’t have to worry about sentence structure and making your writing flow. Say something extra and stick brackets around it. Works like a dream.

5. Write With Style And You’ll Win A Bucket Load Of Attention

• Earnings $560
• Views 2,700

This title breaks most of the rules. No numbers. No specifics. No bonus offer in brackets. No alliteration.

It only uses one tactic. But it’s a superpower.

We think in abstract concepts. Marketing. Customer satisfaction. Wealth. Nutrition. Audience. Concepts are essential to store information in our long-term memory.

But scientists have discovered we struggle to receive information through abstract words. It can’t find its way into our brains. Like forcing an elephant through your front door. It won’t go in. But open up the big gates to your yard and it wanders in easily.

When you use sensory words. Words readers can see and touch. (Like an elephant, front door, gate. yard). The information walks smoothly straight into the center of your brain.

Notice how this tactic is used in this title.

It doesn’t promise to gain lots of attention. The promise is a bucket load of attention. This fires up the neurons in the brain. The reader can imagine it.

And write with a style that evokes the senses too. It’s better than ‘improve your writing’. It suggests bravado, panache, or flair.

6. The Real Reason No One Is Reading Your Writing

• Earnings $194
• Views 4,400

Speak to a pain point

No one is reading your writing

Every writer feels this pain or fears it. It’s the writer’s greatest struggle. If you have a choice. Aim for the biggest pain point.

Deeper than why

Why no one is reading your writing doesn’t work as well.

The real reason suggests a secret or something people haven’t worked out yet. It creates a strong curiosity gap.

Alliteration

Another example of this effective tactic: is real reason reason (writing)

7. Become A Resilient Writer With 5 Mental Models (10x Your Willpower)

• Earnings $337
• Views 1,300

Label an identity

Identity is stronger than behavior.

When people are told not to cheat or not be a cheater. Don’t be a cheater has a bigger impact. This is why becoming a resilient writer works so well. It speaks to identity rather than behavior. (‘develop resilience’).

More than tips

Be careful how you describe your content. Tips or ideas are common. But can become bland.

Mental Models sound more substantial.

10x

This is powerful. Three characters convey a massive increase.

But put 10X in the Medium search box and you’ll see headlines using this every day. It’s become an overdone tactic.

So spend 15 minutes/month scouring Medium or other blogs. Scan headlines and see what catches your attention. Spot the technique used. And use them.

But when a phrase gets overdone. Look for a fresh tactic.

How to go viral (a summary)

Nine lessons from our headline dissection:

• use numbers
• use alliteration
• use sensory words
• speak to a pain point
• include unexpected phrases
• promise something (the more the better)
• give your content a name (writing system)
• use descriptors to gain an edge (unfair advantage)
• name your audience (the more specific the better)

If you want to craft compelling posts — sign up for my 5-step writing system. (It’s free)