7 Tips On Creating Effective Headlines

2 min readFeb 6, 2023

Woman on a phone — Created by OpenDoodles

Despite people thinking they struggle to write, it’s arguably the easiest part. Why? Because you always leave the headline as the last thing to finish. And if you don’t, an exception confirms the rule, okay?

There are dozens of articles talking about crafting the perfect high-converting headline that will bring you millions of readers. But what is the mechanism behind creating such a headline?

Length and tone

Nobody wants to read lengthy headlines before getting to the actual text. Keep it short, simple, to the point, and easy to understand. The ideal length is to be from 6 to 12 words.

Clear-cut and descriptive

Focus on bringing out the main value of what the article is about. You can reach far with being specific and to the point. When you focus on the details you will most likely attract the right kind of audience as well.

Avoid smart words

If you use words like ‘’unequivocal’’ instead of ‘’clear’’ you cannot expect your average Joe to want to read your article at 9am or 9pm. Unless he likes it. Study your audience and see the jargon they use. Even though they will still prefer ‘’clear’’.

Use power-words

Incorporate numbers, statistics, or emotionally rich words to create excitement. A good tactic is to use at least one main keyword in your headline to get the reader’s attention.

Create a sense of urgency

You can increase the FOMO effect in your headline by using words such as ‘’now’’, ‘’today’’, ‘’immediately’’, ‘’free’’, ‘’limited’’, etc.

Use active voice

By using an active voice you improve the pacing of your writing.

For instance:

The new marketing strategies were presented at this years’ AdWords Conference by expert speakers.

Expert speakers presented new marketing strategies at this year’s AdWords Conference.

The sentence becomes more clear and easier to understand.

Cut the fluff

Extra words that lengthen your headline and don’t add any value make your text-heavy and takes away the focus from the action that the reader should take.

Examples of fluff words: totally, literally, really, absolutely, etc.