How To Write Headlines That Hook: 8 Questions To AskHow To Write Headlines That Hook: 8 Questions To Ask
It’s the make-or-break moment. Is your headline written well enough to attract and motivate the target audience? Whether created by AI or humans, review it using this checklist (with examples) before publishing.
July 2, 2025
Headlines matter.
The "Father of Advertising," David Ogilvy, nailed it years ago: "On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar."
While that stat may cause sadness for writers who craft 20-cent body content, it explains why writers should make their best effort to deliver a headline that works for audiences and search engines alike in this digital-first world.
Whether you’re writing the headlines or analyzing AI-delivered suggestions, use this eight-question checklist. If you can answer yes to most — if not all — your high-quality, catchy headline will attract readers, viewers, and listeners. I've scoured dozens of marketing-related content pieces to illustrate each point.
1. Does the headline promise a benefit to the audience?
The best headlines help the audience solve a problem or achieve a goal. They convey relevance by indicating the value the content consumer will gain.
For example, this article from CMI advises on SEO-related content and design. It could have used a label headline: Graphic Design Tools and Techniques, which tells the reader what the content is about.
However, 5 SEO Content and Design Tips To Improve Your Ranking in SERPs works better. It describes what someone will get after reading the article — better rankings on search engine result pages.
2. Is the headline specific?
Precise details like numbers or percentages in titles draw attention to the content. Numbers provide order, making content easier to digest and signaling value to the viewer's brain. This neuro-writing tactic engages and motivates the headline readers to consume the content.
This Robert Rose article masters the technique — 7 (New) Laws for Content Marketing Success.
Imagine this headline without numbers: Laws for Content Marketing Success. Is that sufficiently convincing and promising for potential readers?
Numbers also help readers "eat the elephant one bite at a time." They indicate a logical, step-by-step approach to achieving a benefit, such as the headline from Lauren Bradshaw’s article: 4 Steps in the Research Process and Which Ones You Can Omit.
Numbers can also frame the content’s effect by setting deadlines or timelines for achieving a goal. This Mr. McMoney article did just that in How to Double Your Income in 14 Days (Real Way).
Abbas Ali takes it a step further. His headline specifies the result (30 articles) and the time frame to accomplish it (30 days).
The key to making numbers work in headlines is knowing which ones will attract and motivate your audience.
3. Does the headline identify the target audience?
Speaking to the audience in the title personalizes it. Name them directly or use key characteristics so they recognize themselves. The more obvious, the better.
In 25 Essential Branding Terms for Non-Designers, author Laura Busche targets the audience by specifying the proficiency level required for the content.
In my article, Embracing the Role of a Writer in the Age of AI Content, I specify the target audience (writers) by including the circumstances in which they find themselves (in the age of AI content).
The Belkins team does it with this title, How To Create a B2B Lead Generation Funnel, indicating the article is written for B2B marketing and sales teams:
The For Dummies book series ranks among the most successful examples of audience positioning. Their titles would hardly attract intermediates or gurus in the niche. They grab the interest of someone seeking basic knowledge about the subject, whether that’s British history, Judaism, psychology, project management, or logic (as shown in the screenshot below), or a myriad of other topics.
4. Does the headline evoke curiosity?
Titles that surprise and create pictures attract an audience. Several literary devices and other tactics can help your headlines stick in consumers’ minds. The key is to ensure that they relate to the content. If you hook readers with a catchy title but cheat their expectations with unrelated content, they won't trust you anymore.
Metaphors apply to words or phrases that are not literally applicable. They create images that linger in readers’ minds. Some examples from books include Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy and I Burn Paris by Bruno Jasienski.
Contradictions or unexpected expressions evoke curiosity and stand out from trivial headlines. I gave it a try with my article, I Wrote a Letter to Satan, but I Didn’t Expect to Hear Back from It So Soon. People don't believe it's possible, so they get curious about reading and learning the story.
Another example is my book’s title. It’s Ukrainian, but its English translation is I Don’t Know How To Write About It. A writer who doesn’t know how to write but writes and publishes a book anyway? That’s intriguing.
Using alliteration — starting all the words with the same letter or sound — is more particular to poetic speech, but it works well in most content forms. Alliteration can also help readers better recall the title. I used this technique in my article, On Walking, Writing, and Living After Death.
Semi-alliteration can also work in headlines, such as this one from SmartBlogger: 10+ Best Book Marketing Strategies to Boost Your Sales in 2024, where three words begin with the letter B.
5. Does it speak the audience’s language?
Often, the best headlines sound like everyday conversations with good friends in a cafe. Consider these titles: What Is a Content Marketer, Anyway? by Ann Gynn or Self-Editing, Anyone? by yours truly.
Choose active verbs for your headlines. Incentive verbs are especially effective. They encourage readers to take a desired action, such as Stop Writing Like a Loser by Derek Hughes.
6. Is your headline brief?
Short titles usually capture more attention. The human brain is lazy. It processes brief, clear messages better. Backlinko does it well with Leigh McKenzie's article, The Complete SEO Checklist, which is concise and straightforward.
Short headlines work better in attracting searchers viewing SERPs. SEO headlines should fit within 60 characters for optimal results. (Note: SEO headlines are different than the H1 headlines on the publishing site.)
The headline for my GetResponse article — The Psychology Behind Email Language — nails it:
7. Does it have a subhead?
Combining short headlines with longer subheads reveals more details, allowing you to better explain who the audience is and what they’ll get from the content. Nonfiction writers often use this trick for their titles, the way Robert Rose and Joe Pulizzi did for Managing Content Marketing: The Real-World Guide for Creating Passionate Subscribers to Your Brand.
Here are a few examples from B2B blog content:
Prompts Aren’t All That: Give Generative AI a Better Role in Creating Great Content by Content Marketing Institute Team
The AI Mindset Shift: How I Use AI Every Day by Hailley Griffis
AI Powered SEO: 7 Ways To Use ChatGPT for Higher Rankings by Andy Crestodina
8. Is the headline SEO friendly?
To rank high in search engines and drive traffic, make the headline both attractive to Google and appealing to searchers. As I mentioned, use 60 characters or fewer for an SEO headline. Also, mention a target keyword in your title; the closer to the beginning, the better. Finally, don’t game SEO titles to fit what you think the algorithm likes. Write the headline for readers who may see it in the search results and would be motivated to click to see your content.
Say yes to effective headlines
Whether you use an AI assistant or craft headlines all by hand, the published results must deliver for your audience and brand. By using this checklist and answering yes to at least half, expect to see higher engagement from your full-length content than the 20 cents on the dollar referenced by David Ogilvy.
Updated from an October 2023 story.
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