Let's talk facts: If you've invested well in distribution, e.g. SEO or social media, and directed your target audience to your content piece, then the only thing standing between you and your readers is the headline. Because we all read those. Always!

But if the headline isn't compelling, then all the effort you put into the content is wasted. Titles are similar to shop windows: if the content is promoted correctly, you will capture the interest of customers.

Tiffany & Co. provides a good example. Their shop windows are special and different. And that's exactly why they arouse curiosity. As a result, passers-by stop, look into the shop and are highly likely to go inside. The same applies to your headlines. They are crucial in determining whether your target audience goes inside – i.e. reads the text – or moves on.

Writing an interesting and imaginative headline that optimally informs readers and search engines about the content of the text is often a real balancing act. But don't worry. There are plenty of methods you can use to get that Tiffany & Co. spark into your headlines.

What makes a good headline?

You're probably familiar with classic clickbait headlines that promise you the world but often disappoint. They may work for superficial gossip content that is meant to entertain, but they won't convince a discerning target audience. In the worst case, such misleading and superficial headlines can annoy your readers and cause them to avoid your content in the future.

However, we don't sell headlines, we sell high-quality content. And if you want to do serious marketing with your content, you're facing a critical target audience. You need to hook them with your headlines and make the content that follows appealing – without making empty promises.

A good headline immediately grabs the reader's attention and makes them want to read the next few lines. So the job of a good headline is to sell the content, to get readers to take the plunge. You have to sell the content to your target audience – like the perfectly arranged shop window at Tiffany's.

How we write high-quality headlines

Our readers take in the first three and last three words of a headline. So we need to start with a strong opening and finish with a good point.

The fact is, we use headlines to appeal to people. And we humans have basic needs such as belonging, recognition and security. You can use these to trigger interest.

A headline must appeal to the target audience for whom the text was created. If you want to appeal to mothers, your headline should contain the word ‘mothers’. If you want to appeal to both men and women, your headline should not only target ‘women’.

Basically, it must be immediately clear what the text promises. So address the right target group and show what benefits your readers can derive from the text. A high-quality headline should sell an idea that helps solve the problems of your target group. Good ideas attract attention and ensure that the right people respond to them.

Also, make sure that your headline shows your target group that you support them and help them achieve their goals. This creates trust and a sense of belonging, as readers perceive that you know them and their problems.

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[[callout]] In summary

• Address people's basic psychological needs: belonging, recognition and security.
• Address the target audience of the content directly.
• Take a storytelling approach: encourage people to think and express the desires of your target audience.
• Help your target audience solve a problem and support them.

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9 Formulas and Examples for compelling Headlines

We have identified the 9 most effective formulas to help you structure your headlines in a targeted manner.

1. Challenge - Solution - Promise

Challenge: First, address the current challenge facing your target audience. What are they struggling with right now? What is keeping them awake at night? What events are weighing on their minds?
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‍Solution: Then you show them the right solution to this problem. And just by doing this, you can already win over a large proportion of your readers.

Promise: But what's in it for the target group? By making a promise, you can convince even more interested parties to consume your content.

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Here's an example:

How to double your content output in two weeks without investing more time.

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Even more sophisticated is the thinking of copywriter Gary Bencivenga, who maintains that the target audience will read content if the headline piques their interest. He has created his own formula for this:

2. Interest = Benefit + Curiosity‍

Benefit: Pique interest by explaining what the benefit is for your readers.

Curiosity: The headline should not reveal everything right away, but rather suggest that there is something great to learn if the target audience continues reading.

Interest: Combining these two factors creates a headline that automatically makes people want to read on.

3. Numbers + Adjective + Target Keyword + Rationale + Promise

The third formula is a little more detailed. It was developed by Lenka Istvanova, Digital Marketing Executive at Koozai, and is based on her analysis of the best headlines.

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Here's an example:

5 formulas you need to turn readers into customers

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4. [Do Something Desirable] Like [an Expert] Without [Something Expected & Undesirable]

This formula was inspired by Gatorade's ‘Be Like Mike’ advertising campaign, which revolves around superstar Michael Jordan. It directly addresses the target audience's desired state and links it to a well-known role model in the industry. This suggests that readers identify with this role model and naturally want to know what this person does to achieve the desired result.

At the same time, something undesirable is addressed in order to address and anticipate the fears of the target group. Readers can therefore be sure that it is worth consuming the content.

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Here's An Example:

How you can achieve more without training more using Ronaldo's sleep method.

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5. SHINE: Specific - Helpfulness - Immediacy - Newsworthiness - Entertainment Value

The SHINE formula can be applied to any headline – the order of the individual elements does not matter. Translated, it means that the content piece offers specific help while also providing a certain entertainment value.

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An example would be

The best content marketing tips you'll ever read: Learn from Digital Leverage how you can massively increase your traffic.

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6. [Adjective] & [Adjective] [What You Are / SEO Keyword Phrase] That Will [Highly Desirable Promise of Results]

SEO keywords can be incorporated into most headlines without much effort. However, specific SEO headlines are mainly about the keyword that is relevant to the content.

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‍An Example:

Simple and useful text formulas that make your articles more exciting.

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7. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]

We all want to solve our problems quickly and easily. This headline formula does just that. It promises quick instructions for dealing with an acute problem faced by the target group. The advantages of this formula are obvious: it is helpful and offers a quick method for readers. Anyone who doesn't read on has only themselves to blame!

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Here's an Example:

Not enough time to study? Then follow these 7 tips

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8. Number or Trigger Word + Interesting Adjective + Keyword + Promise (as near to six words as possible)

This formula begins with a trigger word that is designed to immediately grab the attention of the target audience. Alternatively, a number (preferably an odd one) can also be used. An interesting adjective ensures that curiosity is aroused.

The keyword is not only relevant for SEO, but also signals to readers that they will find helpful, tailored information in this article. The promise at the end reassures them that reading on will be worthwhile.

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An Example:

Selling digital art: Become profitable with your own gallery in 6 weeks.

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9. Additional tip: Be careful when using questions in headlines.

A headline that ends with a question mark can also be answered with ‘no’. And that will shoot your content down. So be careful when using questions in headlines. It's best to turn the question into a statement so that there are no misunderstandings.

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For Example:

'Can you really win customers in the long term with SEO?’ becomes ‘Win customers in the long term with SEO: How these agencies did it’

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How do we make the headline catchy enough?

If we apply the above formulas, we have a basic framework for every type of headline. But to really make it rock, we need to choose the right language and narrative style. We need to create a hook!

What is a Hook?

A hook is like a fishing hook that attracts readers and keeps them hooked. It is the hook that stands out from the crowd, is memorable and ultimately attracts the attention of the target audience.

How do you create a hook?

There are a few common methods for this.

• Real-life Features: Use numbers, people, places, brands or anything else that actually exists to grab attention. (Example: ‘SEO case study: 7,000 clicks and 30+ backlinks in 1 month.’)
• Odd Numbers: The brain seems to believe odd numbers more than even numbers. They also attract more attention. Use this for your hook.
• Opposites Attract: For example, ‘Get started with content marketing even if you're not good at writing.’ This contradiction piques readers' interest and makes them want to know more.‍
• Unique Mechanism: Talk about the one thing that sets your product or service apart from others and show HOW you deliver on your promise.

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3 Tools to help you create headlines

We'd be silly not to use all the tools at our disposal, right?

That's why we'd like to finish by introducing you to a few tools you can use to gather ideas for headlines:

The Kickass Headline Generator

This tool allows you to create compelling headlines by simply entering a few details. It uses common text formulas to do so.

neuroflash

The neuroflash tool is an AI text generator that also uses common formulas to create cool headlines.

headlinegenerator.de

The headline generator also has some compelling headlines in store. With this tool, you can enter a lot of information in advance, which will then be incorporated into the headlines:

ChatGPT

Of course, you can also easily generate or optimise headlines with ChatGPT. You can also instruct ChatGPT to use one of the above formulas. Start with a simple prompt first. You can always make it more complex later.

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Here is an example prompt:

Can you give me 5 suggestions for a compelling headline (H1) for my blog post on [topic]? The term [main keyword] should definitely appear in every suggestion. The target audience is [brief description of the target audience].

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Here is the Text:
[insert blog body text]

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If you often find yourself searching for headlines, we recommend creating a swipe file or idea bank. You can collect and save several ideas and inspirations in it. Then, when you write another post, you can draw inspiration from it.

In any case, always make sure that your headline is unique. To test this, simply enter it into Google and see what comes up and how many results there are.

Either way, headlines are always a bit of a rollercoaster: some headlines will be successful and go through the roof, others won't work so well. As with many things, trial and error is the name of the game!