How to Write Irresistible Headlines – Just Fill in the Blanks

What’s my favorite headline?

There it was.

Sitting on the kitchen table.

Cosmopolitan magazine.

“Secrets Even a Good Boyfriend Keeps from You”

It got me thinking. Hmmm.

THAT is an irresistible headline.

It stokes your fear. “Is my husband cheating on me?”

It stokes your curiosity. “What do I not know about my boyfriend? And he’s not even good!”

You’re compelled to read on. You have to find out the secrets and see if any apply to your relationship.

Then it hit me.

Wait. My wife never buys Cosmo.

Yikes!

Instantly I was thumbing through the pages trying to find the article.

This headline hits hard for men too.

Guys who aren’t hiding something are terrified their significant other will think they are.

Or for those who are cheating, they might want to better cover their tracks in case their spouse (or girlfriends) is reading this.

This headline is emotionally charged… for a huge audience.

Everyone in a relationship is compelled to read this article.

Now, look at the wording used.

“Secrets” – That one powerful word triggers curiosity and fear.

“Even Good Boyfriends” – That begs the reader to wonder about both good relationships and, the opposite, bad or so-so partners.

“You” – The reader instantly thinks this is about them.

Wow! It has all the elements of a must-read headline.

Not to mention that issue had a ton of other titillating topics blasted on the cover – 78 Crazy Hot Sex Facts, 12 Love Moves that Turn Him to Mush, Feeling Happier in 9 Seconds, and Zooey Deschanel-The Trait that Men Can’t Resist About Her.

Cosmo’s copywriters are masters at their craft.

And so can you.

That’s why I wrote an email series that delivers 55 irresistible fill-in-the-blank headline templates.

There are no reasons why you can’t be a headline master.

Just steal from this set of templates. Because when it comes to writing impactful headlines:

• No secret formulas – The truth is that great headlines come in repeatable formats. Great copywriters have been reusing proven winners for many, many years.
• It’s easy – You can literally fill in the blanks into these repeatable templates. No matter who your audience is. No need to burn a lot of valuable time racking your brain for the perfect headline.
• Use it anywhere – These templates get results for email subject lines, article titles, blog post headlines, taglines, your next presentation, and any posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

You can easily apply the same things great copywriters have done for many years… and get the same great results.

Now let’s look at what makes a headline irresistible first.

The Psychology behind Great Headlines

The headline is the ‘ticket on the meat.’ Use it to flag down readers who are prospects for the kind of product you are advertising.

– David Ogilvy

The goal of a headline or subject line is to get the reader to take action.

That’s it.

Deliver a promise so irresistible that the reader is compelled to read further.

But you probably won’t get a second chance.

All of us are being constantly bombarded with information.

We’ve learned to quickly shut out the noise.

Our cell phones and computers assault us with emails, text messages, alerts, search results, ads, Facebook posts, Tweets, blog posts, and more.

Then we are constantly exposed to 24/7 TV news, syndicated radio shows, billboards, newspapers, magazines, junk mail, and more ads.

We’ve learned how to filter all that information flying at us.

Our audiences have become even more incredibly efficient at filtering out any blatant marketing messages.

You get a first impression… at best.

Your headline must be brilliant. Or you’re marketing will be lumped in with the blah, blah, blah.

So what’s the secret sauce to crafting a must-read headline?

Our “old” brain.

Robert Cialdini’s book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion provides scientific explanations for the tactics that advertisers and marketing professionals have been using for many, many years.

Deep emotions, our unconscious behaviors, are super powerful.

That’s your “old” brain at work.

It really drives our decisions… and fast.

That’s why you instinctually flinch or jump when something is thrown at you.

Or why you can fall in love at first sight.

Think about what you’ve read today. What headlines or key phrase got you to act?

And why?

Cialdini digs into seven powerful emotions that trigger our unconscious desire to take action:

• Fear – Fight or flight
• Curiosity – We can’t help but find out
• Social – We do what others do
• Attraction – Sex sells
• Reciprocity – The power of “free”
• Self-centered – The power of “you”
• Scarcity – Don’t miss out

My post 9 Better Ways to Influence People to Take Action gives you even more detail behind these emotional triggers.

But that’s what makes a headline irresistible.

Our “old” brain makes us act.

Those emotional triggers are at the core of each of the headline templates I’m sharing with you.

So what exactly are these fill-in-the-blank templates that are going to work so well?

7 Types of Headlines

When I’m in an airport, I usually stop by the newsstand to check out the latest business magazines or the local newspaper.

Inevitably the headlines that seem most interesting to me have some common style characteristics.

I thought I would try something out.

I picked up other magazines where the subject isn’t necessarily that interesting to me.

Guess what? The headline styles were the same even though the topic is different.

There is a reason for why headlines follow similar styles.

They work well.

It doesn’t matter what the subject is.

And copywriters know it.

They can attract readers by recycling the same headline formats again and again.

I’ve distilled these formats into the seven types of headlines that the great copywriters use most all the time.

1. How-to Headlines

How-to headlines are proven winners.

Why?

Your audience wants a step-by-step guide that tells them what to do.

There is no deep, psychological wordplay involved. These headlines tell your readers upfront that your article is delivering value.

Here’s a How-to headline template I like to use:

How to Use     Tool      to     Action/Goal     

You just fill in the “tool” that your readers will use and the key “action or goal” they want to get done.

That template can be used to generate headlines like:

• How to Use Social Media to Generate More Leads
• How to Use Compost to Fertilize Your Garden
• How to Use Rules to Unclutter Your Email Inbox
• How to Use Solar Panels to Cut Your Energy Bill by 90%

2. List Headlines

Everyone loves a list. No matter how many lists you create, your audience will consume them.

A list gives your readers order in a world of chaos.

It offers everything your readers need in one spot.

And most importantly, lists are easy to digest and actionable.

You can even easily combine them with how-to subjects.

      #      Steps to     Action/Goal     

This template can be used for headlines like:

• 5 Steps to Change a Flat Tire Safely
• 3 Steps to Dress for a First Date
• 1 Simple Step Proven to Boost Sales
• 3 Quick Steps to Prepare For Your Next Business Trip

3. Fear Headlines

We fear an attack or something bad happening to us.

We hate the unexpected.

We know someone or something is lurking to steal from us or take advantage of us.

Loss aversion is a powerful motivator. As I mentioned earlier, fear triggers our fight or flight reaction.

Unconsciously fear is probably more influential than something positive or rewarding.

We don’t want to lose anything we value. So we act on our insatiable in our desire to protect ourselves.

Your job is to trigger the loss aversion emotion with fear headlines like:

     #      Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your     Something Valuable     

For example:

• 10 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Job Offer
• 7 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Cell Phone Reception
• 12 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Grocery Bill
• 9 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Next Trip to Europe

4. Mistake Headlines

Nobody likes to be wrong.

Making a mistake can be painful. No matter how small or in what context, mistakes can be aggravating and potentially damaging.

Headlines that promise to help us eliminate mistakes often produce amazing results.

Psychologically, we don’t like to be wrong. We internalize an error or mistake as a failure. We’re under enough pressure these days that we can’t afford to fail.

Mistake headline templates poke that nerve.

Simultaneously this headline style stokes a negative emotion, peaks our curiosity and promises a solution.

So headlines like this really attract readers:

     #           Goal/Skill      Mistakes That Make You Look     Negative Personal Image     

For example:

• 10 Common Spelling Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb
• 13 Fashion Mistakes That Make You Look Foolish
• 9 Avoidable Presentation Mistakes That Make You Look Incompetent
• 25 Dating Mistakes That Make You Look Insane

4. Brand Association Headlines

Popular celebrities or high profile brands are a very effective way to enhance your headlines.

Your audience likes to associate with famous people, groups, events or products.

They aspire to have the same abilities and values.

They are instantly attracted to these brand association headlines.

No wonder this headline technique is used every day in the media.

Celebrities, pop culture, and big brands have a huge influence on what we like and do. Your readers probably have a strong opinion about them too – good or bad.

Use that to your advantage.

Insert a brand association into your headline to add punch to otherwise me-too headlines.

This approach is especially effective in perking up how-to and list headlines, like:

     Action      Like     Famous Person     :     #      Ways to     Action/Goal     

For example:

• Write like JK Rowling: 7 Ways to Develop Characters Your Readers Love
• Get Biceps Like The Rock: 5 Ways to Dominate Your Next Arm Workout
• Build Wealth like Donald Trump: 10 Ways to Manipulate the System in Your Favor
• Look like Kim Kardashian: 5 Shortcuts to Perfect Makeup Every Time

6. Peace of Mind Headlines

Many people feel overwhelmed these days.

We all do at some time.

We are busier than ever, just trying to stay afloat. It can be really stressful.

We need to take a deep breath and find some solutions that make life simpler.

That’s why self-help books and courses are so popular.

Your readers are looking for the step-by-step guide that magically makes life better. Simpler. Less stressful.

These headline templates offer the useful self-help tips your readers are craving.

Can’t Keep up?     #      Ways to Simplify Your     Problem     

For example:

• Can’t Keep up? 11 Ways to Simplify Your Incomplete Projects
• Can’t Keep up? 7 Ways to Simplify Your Job Search
• Can’t Keep up? 5 Ways to Simplify Your Holiday Travel Plans
• Get Ahead! 15 Ways to Simplify Your Morning Routine

7. Announcement Headlines

Hear ye! Hear ye!

Your readers are highly attracted to announcements.

This announcement headline style offers three vital characteristics:

1. We’re #1: The reason this announcement headlines work so well is that we all want to be the first to know something. As social beings, we feel a big benefit by being first. We get an advantage. We can improve our status.
2. Authority: This headline style gives you an additional level of authority. You’re the TV news anchor of the story. You demonstrate that they’ve got the inside scoop on the timely and trending topic.
3. Urgency: Announcements have a shelf-life. Some news can be top of mind one day and easily skipped the next day. Your audience is conditioned to act fast when they see an announcement.

Here is a simple template that is perfect for email subject lines as well as any announcement title:

Alert:     Announcement     

For example:

• Alert: New Jumbo Jet Takes Off on Maiden Voyage
• Alert: High Fructose Corn Syrup Found in More Foods You Eat
• Notification: New Car Loans Available at Lower Rates
• Notification: Your Newsletter Subscription Has Been Upgraded

So those are the seven headline styles that you can use to drive your readers to act.

Now let’s make it even easier for you.

10 Quick Tips to Help You Write Irresistible Headlines Faster

The fill-in-the-blank templates are very powerful and make life much, much easier.

So make sure to Grab the whole headline series.

But there are ten additional quick tips to help you write amazing headlines… faster.

And help you get the most out of the templates.

1. Practice, Practice, Practice – Write 5-10 headlines per article or piece of content. This practice develops your writing muscles. You’ll find that you can develop many different ways to effectively introduce the same subject.
2. Let them sit – Using the templates alone you’ll probably craft those 10 really good headlines really fast. Set them aside and re-read them later. Better yet, review them the next day. You’re likely find the big A-Ha winner headline that really stands out versus the other good ones.
3. Create a headline swipe file – Use your templates as a starting point, but also look for other amazing headlines as you consume your daily dose of information. Copy the headlines that you really like into a swipe file. Then add those to create your own set of templates.
4. Think about your audience first – Know your audience best. Who they are and what do they want (goals, aspirations, challenges, etc.). Each set of templates gives you a quick exercise to uncover the key issues and needs of your audience. This helps you write more meaningful headlines and fill in those blanks faster.
5. Use strong action words – A choice action word can really impact whether a reader takes action or not. Don’t blend in with lots of blah words. Check out this recently published list of 277 Action Words that Supercharge Your Writing
6. Don’t keyword stuff – You won’t get the results you need if you’re writing an online headline for Google and not your audience. Obviously stuffing keywords into your headline just won’t make sense to your readers. Be actionable and relevant to your readers.
7. Create urgency – I mentioned that creating scarcity or people’s desire to not miss out is a powerful emotional trigger. You can easily create a sense of urgency by adding in a specific timeframe to your headline. Or any short phrase that accelerates the need.
8. Keep it punchy – Action words are fantastic. But another technique to drive action is to keep your headlines short. Long headlines with lots of extra well-meaning adjectives and adverbs may make you look smart, but your email or article won’t get read. Get to the point.
9. Mix it up – Maybe your audience responds well to “how-to” headlines. Eventually that high response rate will dwindle if you just write the same style of headline over and over again. Mix in a “fear” or “mistake” headline to stoke their interest. You can always deliver the how-to goodness in your content.
10. Deliver on your promise – Most importantly, don’t mislead your readers. This mistake happens a lot with “fear” headlines. Your “shocking truths” may be a bit of an exaggeration. Don’t over use this headline style. It is much more important that you keep your reader’s trust in you.

Grab the 55 Fill-in-the-Blank Headline Templates Your Readers Will Find Irresistible

Irresistible headlines come in repeatable formats.

Great copywriters have been reusing proven winners for many, many years.

So can you.

Get quick series with 55 proven templates.

You just need to fill in the blanks into these repeatable templates.

No matter who your audience is.

No matter if your writing email subject lines, article titles, blog post headlines, taglines, your next presentation, and any posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

These templates work.

And I’m happy to share them with you!

 

Image Credits:

• Just Too Much by Be.Futureproof
• Where I Teach by Todd Ehlers
• Nuclear Fear (Explored) by Pascal
• SW by Andres Rodriguez
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson 2009 NYC by David Shankbone
• Sunset & the Thinker by Esparta Palma
• Sabs SHOCKED at Katie’s latest antics by EM