Headline Formulas

25+ proven headline formulas that stop the scroll, capture attention, and drive clicks. Templates and examples for every situation.

When to Use This Skill

Writing headlines for landing pages, ads, or articles

Creating email subject lines that get opens

Crafting social media hooks

A/B testing headline variations

Overcoming headline writer's block

Training teams on headline best practices

Methodology Foundation

Source

Compiled from David Ogilvy, John Caples, Gary Halbert, Joanna Wiebe, and decades of tested direct response advertising.

Core Principle

"On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy." (Ogilvy) Your headline is 80% of your ad's success.

Why This Matters

A great product with a weak headline fails. A decent product with a magnetic headline succeeds. Headlines are the highest-leverage words you'll write.

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

"Claude generates options. You choose winners."

Claude handles

You provide

Generating 10-20 headline variations rapidly

The core benefit/offer to highlight

Applying proven formulas systematically

Audience knowledge and pain points

Mixing formula types for variety

Brand voice and tone constraints

Scoring headlines against criteria

Final selection based on intuition + data

Creating A/B test candidate sets

Testing decisions and winner analysis

Remember

Headlines are iterative. Claude accelerates generation; you apply taste and test results. What This Skill Does Generates headlines by formula - Plug-and-play templates Matches formula to goal - Curiosity, benefit, news, etc. Creates headline variations - A/B test candidates Evaluates headline strength - Scores against proven criteria Adapts headlines to format - Landing page, email, social, ad How to Use Generate Headlines Give me 10 headlines for: Product: [description] Key benefit: [main value] Format: [landing page/email/ad/social] Use a Specific Formula Write 5 headlines using the [How-To / Number / Question / etc.] formula for: [product/offer description] Evaluate Headlines Score these headlines against best practices and rank them: 1. [headline] 2. [headline] 3. [headline] Headline Variations Create 10 variations of this headline for A/B testing: [original headline] Instructions When creating headlines, apply these proven formulas: Category 1: How-To Headlines

HOW-TO FORMULAS

The "how-to" headline promises practical instruction. Works when audience wants to learn.

Formula 1: Basic How-To

"How to [achieve desired outcome]" Examples: - "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - "How to Write Copy That Sells" - "How to Double Your Conversion Rate in 30 Days"

Formula 2: How-To for Specific Audience

"How to [achieve outcome] (Even If [obstacle])" Examples: - "How to Build a 6-Figure Business (Even If You Have No Audience)" - "How to Run a Marathon (Even If You've Never Run a Mile)" - "How to Write a Book (Even If You Failed English)"

Formula 3: How-To with Timeframe

"How to [achieve outcome] in [specific time]" Examples: - "How to Learn Spanish in 90 Days" - "How to Build Your Email List in 30 Days" - "How to Get Your First 1,000 Customers in 6 Months"

Formula 4: How I Did It

"How I [achieved specific result]" Examples: - "How I Built a $10M Business from My Bedroom" - "How I Lost 50 Pounds Without Giving Up Pizza" - "How I Got 1 Million YouTube Subscribers in 18 Months" Category 2: Number/List Headlines

NUMBER HEADLINES

Specific numbers create curiosity and implied ease. Odd numbers often outperform even.

Formula 5: The Basic List

"[Number] Ways to [achieve outcome]" Examples: - "7 Ways to Increase Your Email Open Rate" - "21 Productivity Hacks for Remote Workers" - "101 Blog Post Ideas for Any Niche"

Formula 6: Things You Didn't Know

"[Number] [Topic] Secrets [Audience] Doesn't Know" Examples: - "7 Copywriting Secrets Most Marketers Never Learn" - "5 Tax Deductions Your Accountant Forgot to Tell You" - "9 Things Your Competition Doesn't Want You to Know"

Formula 7: Mistakes/Errors

"[Number] [Topic] Mistakes That Are Costing You [Loss]" Examples: - "5 Landing Page Mistakes Costing You Conversions" - "7 Resume Errors That Get You Rejected" - "3 Diet Mistakes That Make You Gain Weight"

Formula 8: Reasons Why

"[Number] Reasons Why [unexpected claim]" Examples: - "11 Reasons Why You're Not Getting Traffic" - "5 Reasons Why Your Ads Aren't Converting" - "7 Reasons Why Smart People Stay Poor"

Formula 9: Specific Result Number

"Get [specific number] [result] with [method]" Examples: - "Get 10,000 Email Subscribers with One Landing Page" - "Generate $5,000/Month with This Simple System" - "Lose 15 Pounds in 6 Weeks Without Exercise" Category 3: Question Headlines

QUESTION HEADLINES

Questions engage the brain automatically. The reader mentally answers—and keeps reading.

Formula 10: Do You Make This Mistake?

"Do You Make These [Topic] Mistakes?" Examples: - "Do You Make These Mistakes in English?" (famous John Caples headline) - "Do You Make These LinkedIn Mistakes?" - "Do You Make These Common SEO Errors?"

Formula 11: Are You...?

"Are You [characteristic of target audience]?" Examples: - "Are You Too Busy to Be Rich?" - "Are You Tired of Diets That Don't Work?" - "Are You Losing Money While You Sleep?"

Formula 12: What Would You...?

"What Would You Do With [desirable thing]?" Examples: - "What Would You Do With an Extra $1,000 a Month?" - "What Would You Do With 10 Extra Hours a Week?" - "What Would You Do If You Could Start Over?"

Formula 13: Who Else Wants...?

"Who Else Wants [desirable outcome]?" Examples: - "Who Else Wants to Write a Bestselling Book?" - "Who Else Wants to Build a 6-Figure Side Hustle?" - "Who Else Wants Gorgeous Skin at 50?"

Formula 14: What Happens When...?

"What Happens When [intriguing scenario]?" Examples: - "What Happens When an AI Writes Your Emails?" - "What Happens When You Ignore Your Customer's Complaints?" - "What Happens When You Stop Chasing Clients?" Category 4: News/Announcement Headlines

NEWS HEADLINES

News headlines leverage our wired attraction to novelty. Works best for launches, updates, discoveries.

Formula 15: Announcing/Introducing

"Announcing: [New thing and its benefit]" "Introducing: [New solution to old problem]" Examples: - "Announcing: The First AI That Writes Like You" - "Introducing: The Fastest Way to Build a Website" - "Finally: A CRM That Works the Way You Do"

Formula 16: Now You Can

"Now You Can [previously impossible/difficult thing]" Examples: - "Now You Can Build an App Without Coding" - "Now You Can Get Custom Suits Without the Tailor" - "Now You Can Invest Like a Hedge Fund"

Formula 17: Discover

"Discover [surprising benefit or method]" Examples: - "Discover the Morning Routine of Top CEOs" - "Discover Why 80% of Diets Fail (And What Actually Works)" - "Discover the One Change That Tripled Our Revenue"

Formula 18: New/Revolutionary/Breakthrough

"New [category] [does remarkable thing]" (Use sparingly—overused and often feels hypey) Examples: - "New Software Writes Emails in Your Voice" - "New Study Reveals the Real Cause of Burnout" - "Breakthrough Technology Cuts Shipping Costs 50%" Category 5: Benefit-First Headlines

BENEFIT HEADLINES

Lead with what they GET. The most direct approach.

Formula 19: Get [Benefit]

"Get [Specific Desirable Result]" Examples: - "Get More Traffic With Less Content" - "Get Abs Without Sit-Ups" - "Get Booked Solid Without Cold Calling"

Formula 20: The Only/Ultimate

"The Only [Category] That [Unique Benefit]" "The Ultimate Guide to [Topic]" Examples: - "The Only Landing Page Builder With Built-In A/B Testing" - "The Only Email Tool Made for Creators" - "The Ultimate Guide to Facebook Ads in 2024"

Formula 21: Transformation Statement

"Go From [Current State] to [Desired State]" Examples: - "Go From Freelancer to Agency Owner in 90 Days" - "Go From Overwhelmed to Organized in One Week" - "Go From Zero Followers to Verified in 6 Months"

Formula 22: Without

"[Achieve Result] Without [Common Pain Point]" Examples: - "Lose Weight Without Counting Calories" - "Build Muscle Without Living at the Gym" - "Get Clients Without Cold Outreach" Category 6: Curiosity/Intrigue Headlines

CURIOSITY HEADLINES

Create a gap between what they know and what they want to know. Compels the click.

Formula 23: The Secret

"The Secret to [Desirable Outcome]" "The [Unexpected] Secret to [Outcome]" Examples: - "The Secret to Writing 10X Faster" - "The Weird Secret to Getting Your Kids to Listen" - "The Japanese Secret to Living Past 100"

Formula 24: What [Experts] Know

"What [Authority Figures] Know That You Don't" "What [Industry] Doesn't Want You to Know" Examples: - "What Top Salespeople Know About Closing" - "What Insurance Companies Hope You Never Find Out" - "What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Sleep"

Formula 25: The Reason Why

"The Real Reason [Surprising Fact]" "Why [Counterintuitive Statement]" Examples: - "The Real Reason Your Content Isn't Working" - "Why Working Harder Makes You Less Successful" - "Why Your Best Clients Came From Your Worst Marketing"

Formula 26: Strange/Unusual/Weird

"The Strange [Method] That [Achieves Result]" Examples: - "The Strange Email That Gets 60% Reply Rates" - "The Weird Diet Trick That Actually Works" - "The Unusual Marketing Strategy Behind a $50M Brand" Category 7: Social Proof Headlines

SOCIAL PROOF HEADLINES

Leverage what others have achieved. Creates credibility and FOMO.

Formula 27: Number of People

"Join [Number] [People] Who [Achieved Result]" Examples: - "Join 50,000 Marketers Getting Our Weekly Newsletter" - "Join 10,000 Developers Who Shipped Faster" - "Join 25,000 People Who Lost Weight Our Way"

Formula 28: Stolen/Borrowed Authority

"[Celebrity/Brand] [Uses/Recommends/Does] [Thing]" Examples: - "Why Warren Buffett Reads 500 Pages a Day" - "The Productivity System Used by Elon Musk" - "The Framework McKinsey Uses for Strategy"

Formula 29: Specific Testimonial

"[Person] Went From [Before] to [After]" "How [Person] [Achieved Specific Result]" Examples: - "How Sarah Went From Side Hustle to $1M Business" - "How This Teacher Built a YouTube Channel With 500K Subs" - "How Tom Made $47K in 30 Days (Starting From Zero)" Headline Power Words

WORDS THAT BOOST HEADLINE PERFORMANCE

Urgency Words

• Now, Today, Immediately, Instant
• Limited, Final, Last Chance
• Deadline, Expires, Before

Benefit Words

• Free, Save, Easy, Simple
• Fast, Quick, Guaranteed
• Proven, Tested, Works

Curiosity Words

• Secret, Hidden, Discover
• Revealed, Unusual, Strange
• Shocking, Surprising, Finally

Emotion Words

• Afraid, Frustrated, Overwhelmed
• Excited, Confident, Peaceful
• Embarrassing, Devastating, Life-changing

Specificity Words

• Exactly, Precisely, Step-by-step
• Complete, Comprehensive

• [Specific numbers and percentages]

  Examples

  Example 1: Headline Generation for SaaS

  Context

  Landing page for email marketing software

  Input

  :

  Give me 10 headlines for an email marketing tool. Key benefit: higher deliverability. Audience: frustrated marketers.

  Output

  :

  How-To

  "How to Land in the Inbox (Not the Spam Folder)"

  Number

  "5 Reasons Your Emails Aren't Getting Delivered—And How to Fix Them"

  Question

  "Are Your Emails Even Reaching Your Subscribers?"

  News

  "Finally: Email Deliverability You Can Actually Trust"

  Benefit

  "Get 99.2% Deliverability Without Changing Your Content"

  Curiosity

  "The Inbox Secret That 2,500 Brands Already Know"

  Social Proof

  "Join 10,000 Marketers Who Stopped Losing Emails to Spam"

  Problem-Agitate

  "Your Emails Are Going to Spam. Here's the Fix."

  Specific

  "Go From 73% to 99% Deliverability in 14 Days"

  Without

  "Maximum Deliverability Without Deliverability Headaches"

  Winner Analysis

  9 leads with specificity (before/after numbers). #5 leads with a bold, specific claim. Both would make strong A/B test candidates.

  Example 2: Subject Line Variations

  Context

  Email promoting a webinar Input : Create 10 subject line variations for a webinar about content strategy for B2B SaaS Output :

Subject Line

Formula Used

1

The content strategy mistake every SaaS makes

Mistake

2

How we generated 200 leads from one blog post

How I + Specific

3

[Webinar] Your content isn't working. Here's why.

Problem

4

3 content plays that actually work for B2B SaaS

Number + Specificity

5

Why your blog isn't generating leads (free webinar)

Why + Offer

6

Steal our B2B content strategy (it took 3 years to build)

Curiosity + Value

7

Join 500 SaaS marketers for this live session

Social Proof

8

Stop creating content. Start this instead.

Counterintuitive

9

The $0 content strategy behind our growth

Curiosity + Specific

10

Your competition's content playbook (revealed)

Curiosity

A/B Test Recommendation

Test #3 (direct pain) vs #6 (curiosity + value) vs #4 (number + specificity)

Example 3: Headline Scoring

Context

Evaluating three headline options Input : Score these headlines: "Introducing our new software" "The software 10,000 marketers switched to" "Get 3X more leads with half the effort" Output : Criterion

1

2

3

Specific benefit 1 2 5 Curiosity/Interest 1 3 4 Target audience clear 1 4 4 Self-interest appeal 1 3 5 Avoids vagueness 1 3 4 Memorability 1 3 4 TOTAL 6/30 18/30 26/30 Verdict :

1: Too vague, no benefit, could be anything

2: Decent social proof, but lacks specific outcome

3: Winner—specific, benefit-driven, measurable claim

Improved version of #1

"Introducing: The First Email Tool Built for Conversion (Not Just Sends)" Checklists & Templates Headline Evaluation Checklist

Before Publishing, Check:

Clarity

• [ ] Can someone understand it without context?
• [ ] Is the benefit obvious?
• [ ] Is the audience clear?

Specificity

• [ ] Are there specific numbers?
• [ ] Is it concrete (not abstract)?
• [ ] Could only YOUR product use this headline?

Emotion

• [ ] Does it trigger curiosity, desire, or urgency?
• [ ] Does it speak to a real pain or aspiration?
• [ ] Would someone want to click to learn more?

Credibility

• [ ] Is the claim believable?
• [ ] Can you prove it?
• [ ] Does it avoid hype words?

Format

• [ ] Is it the right length for the platform?
• [ ] Does it work on mobile?
• [ ] Is key info at the start (in case of truncation)? Formula Quick Reference

Copy-Paste Formula Bank

HOW-TO: □ How to [achieve outcome] in [timeframe] □ How to [achieve outcome] without [common pain] □ How I [achieved specific result] NUMBER: □ [#] Ways to [achieve outcome] □ [#] [Topic] Mistakes Costing You [Loss] □ [#] Reasons Why [surprising claim] QUESTION: □ Do You Make These [Topic] Mistakes? □ Are You [characteristic of target]? □ Who Else Wants [desirable outcome]? BENEFIT: □ Get [Specific Result] Without [Pain] □ The Only [Category] That [Unique Benefit] □ Go From [Current] to [Desired] in [Time] CURIOSITY: □ The Secret to [Outcome] □ Why [Counterintuitive Statement] □ What [Experts] Know That You Don't SOCIAL PROOF: □ Join [#] [People] Who [Achieved Result] □ How [Person] [Achieved Specific Result] Headline Swipe File Template

Headline Swipe File

Collect winners here for future inspiration:

[Category: e.g., Email Subject Lines]