Why is it so Hard to Write Great Headlines?

Research shows these 5 ingredients create titles with mass appeal

What does it take to write the perfect title? One that is so well crafted that the majority of people will be enticed to read whatever comes next. Is that even possible? And why is it so hard?

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time studying great headlines. When I made up my mind to do so, I wasn’t sure what to think… especially since I’m not the strongest title writer in the world. But I want to be.

I was wondering about these two things:

Is there such a thing as a perfect title? And, can I come up with one?

So when I dissected some of the headlines that went viral on Medium and other parts of the web, I expected to find a pattern or a breakthrough of some kind. But I have to tell you, what I found was disappointing.

It was frustrating and I was more confused than ever… at least for a little while.

Even though I didn’t find a secret recipe for crafting the perfect headline, I did learn some key things about the mechanics of how you develop a great one. You can learn how to copy the types of headlines that went viral.

I found that the best titles are the result of 3 things: great story ideas, hard work, and a little luck.

If there was a magic formula for generating the perfect headline, a writer’s life would be much easier. But there’s not. Instead, the not-so-magic formula for a great headline looks like this: part Science, part Psychology, with a dash of Art.

There’s no magic formula and there’s also no such thing as a perfect headline. Although you can’t learn how to put together a perfect headline, I did discover the ingredients you can use to make great ones.

And once you get good at putting it all together, it gets easier. A little easier.

What’s the Big Deal?

Isn’t a good title good enough?

Maybe. If your goal is to be good. If you want to be great, it takes something more. Is that your goal?

That’s mine. I want to be a great writer. The truth is, maybe I’ll never achieve it. But that’s not going to stop me from trying. I want to be the best I can be.

It’s hard enough to write a great article. Coming up with a great title is just as difficult… maybe more so. Without it, you may find yourself lost in a forest of voices on medium. So how do you find your unique voice?

If you want a lot of people to read your stories, it starts with getting good at designing winning titles. It’s been said many times already, that a great story is not enough. You have to have a great headline.

A good headline will generate a good response. But if you don’t want to waste a great story, you have to absorb some advice on how to write great headlines.

Here’s why it’s so important to write great headlines

1. It boosts engagement
2. It’s the first impression of your audience
3. It sets the tone of your story, and what the reader expects to happen in your story
4. It works to boost SEO
5. It builds trust with your readers
6. It pulls in a broader range of readers

Writing powerful headlines is a lot like learning how to be a great chef or artist. Anyone can throw together some ingredients but become highly skilled and you’ll start to create works of art that “wow”.

This doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a skill that you can learn.

I’m not proposing I can teach you life-changing title skills… since I’m still working it out myself. What I am saying is this: I can show you the ingredients you need to use. What you do with them is up to you.

Great titles are way more than just a string of words. They are the keys to unlocking the gateway to all your content.

Think of it this way: a great title invites people through the gate and into your intellectual treasure trove. Write a poor title and it’s like you hung a big, bright sign that states “STAY OUT!”

By understanding what you need to pull off a compelling headline you can significantly strengthen your connections. You’ll increase the strength of your circle of peers as well as boost the size and scope of your audience.

There are a lot of factors that you’ll have to use when deciding the starting point for your headline, and where it will end up.

Let’s take a look at the kind of titles you can learn to use for your benefit. They will be different depending on your niche, audience, and goal of each particular story.

It will also depend on what platform you intend to use. Here are the kinds of headlines you can expect to use on Medium, Substack, LinkedIn, blogs, or other sites that function similarly to these platforms.

The Four Main Types of Headlines

1. Questions
2. Listicles
3. Testimonials
4. How-to’s

These four types of headlines are what you will be dealing with 99.99% of the time. They are pretty self-explanatory. Questions, testimonials, and how-to’s are exactly as they sound.

Listicles is just a silly way of saying the title includes a list like, “13 Things You Need to Conquer Your Fear of Bad Luck.” Wow. That’s not a bad title for 15 seconds of thought. I may use that one in the future.

As I was researching the bulk of the viral headlines I’ve read, I was able to pinpoint one trend. Unfortunately — as I said before — identifying the trend didn’t create a breakthrough for creating the winning headline. There is no magic formula.

The trend is every winning headline was written with the right mix of tone and wording.

It doesn’t matter which type you choose, it’s not going to change the setup you need to pull off a great headline. It’s all about the words you use and in what order you use them.

Since no type of headline can give you an advantage over the others, my advice is to mix it up. Play around with all of them. See which ones come more naturally to you and narrow your focus.

The main lesson here… it’s not important what type you choose, what’s important is what you do with it. If you work really hard, you’ll probably get really good.

I’ve already improved my title writing skills after just a couple of days of practicing.

How do you develop the best headlines?

1. Nail down your story topic long before you start thinking about your title
2. Choose topics based on what readers want to read, not what you want to write about (research topics and searches that are hot)
3. Finalize your story, then develop your headline to the story (I was writing stories to my headlines… that didn’t work)
4. Write your headline for your audience, not for yourself (keep their perspective in mind)
5. Never settle for your first idea. Keep working until you can no longer improve it

Those 5 things are way easier said than done but if you practice them, your titles will get stronger and stronger.

Not only will you start writing better stories but you’ll also start seeing a larger audience picking up on your stories. In the few days I’ve been improving my skills, I’ve seen a steady rise in my numbers.

I’m most proud of making my first Top 10 List on Medium. You can check it out below. My article The #1 Reason You’re Not Very Productive is #9!

When you’re ready to start working on improving your headline writing skills, there are a few things you need to figure out. Even though there’s no magic formula for writing titles, I intended to give you one that I’m developing to help me write the best titles possible.

However, I think it’s easier to understand what you need to do if you see a list rather than a formula.

So I created a list of 5 ingredients that you’ll want to keep in mind. These are more specific than the 5 general themes above.

Research shows these 5 things are critical in working towards the strongest title you can develop. Notice I said working towards the strongest title. You need to always be working to create better titles.

Your first headline is never going to be your best one. Keep working… dig deep… and you will end up with the best headline you can create. This is what you need to pull it off:

The 5 Ingredients of a Headline with Mass Appeal

1. The right length
2. Relevant to the story
3. Stirs in deep human emotions
4. Hints at the value of reading further
5. Makes the reader hungry to take action

Lets briefly recap

Is it possible to write the perfect title? No

Is it possible to learn how to write powerful headlines? Yes

Is there any luck involved? A little

What does a great title do for you? Opens up new readers and audiences

What does a great title do for your readers? Unlocks valuable content

Writing a great headline is part Science, part Psychology, and a dash of Art.

While it’s not possible to create the perfect headline, you can expect to create some great ones that will help you achieve your goals.

Once you learn how to build great headlines, you’ve won. Your voice will be heard. Your talents will go further. And your efforts will have a deeper payoff for you and your readers.

References

https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2022/02/01/headline-examples

https://optinmonster.com/why-these-21-headlines-went-viral-and-how-you-can-copy-their-success/

https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~rcollins/313editing/onlineclass/lecturetwelve.htm

https://training.npr.org/2015/10/25/the-checklist-for-writing-good-headlines/