They Studied Nearly 2000 Headlines - These 5 Types Got The Most Clicks

🌟 Headline Magic (By The Pen Pivot)

Sad fact:

If the headline sucks, the content won’t get clicked, read, or viewed.

(No matter how many painful hours you spent making it).

A lot of content creators who aren’t getting enough views think they have a content problem…

But they actually often have a headline problem.

They also don’t know that simple, 10-second tweaks to their headlines could triple their views (or more).

That’s why we’re launching Headline Magic.

It’s an online course for content creators who want to learn how to:

• Use the dead-simple, evidence-based headline secrets of top creators to get a tonne more views (with barely any extra effort).

• Use small headline tweaks to get back the clicks (and revenue) currently going to their competitors.

• BONUS: Use ChatGPT to write headlines (that are actually good).

Click here to learn the 10-second pro headline tricks that’ll 3x your clicks and views

📣 Get More Clicks

5 Evidence-Based Headline Features To Get Your Content The Clicks It Deserves

There’s a tonne of bad headline advice out there.

That may not sound too disastrous at first.

But a bad headline usually means the difference between getting your content read/viewed and getting ignored.

So yeah - bad headlines are a disaster.

As a veteran headline nerd, I regularly hunt for solid data on what types of headlines get clicks.

I came across this study from 2017.

It analyzed 1836 news headlines and picked out the features that got them more clicks.

There were quite a few.

But these were the 5 most interesting:

1. Concise Wording

2. Direct Statements

3. Signal Words

4. Personal or Possessive Pronouns

5. Sentimental Words

I’ll be digging deeper into each of these in future newsletters.

But here’s a quick explanation of what these features are (and how to use them in your headlines).

P.S. I’ve used examples from our “Look At Hooks” headline database.

Concise Wording

How to Use: Write headlines with short, snappy words that quickly convey the message.

Example: "The Real Crime in San Francisco: Fashion" - Derek Guy

Direct Statements

How to Use: Clear, assertive statements were found to be better than questions. Direct, unambiguous information draws more clicks.

Example: "This Brisket Bourguignon Got Me Out of My Hosting Slump" - Bon Appetit

“Signal” Words

How to Use: Include words like “this,” “why,” or “what” in your headlines.

These 'forward referencing' words hint at intriguing details in the content without giving it away.

Example: "Why Navajo Is The World’s Hardest Language To Learn" - BigThink

The 'Why' provokes curiosity about the content ahead.

Personal or Possessive Pronouns

How to Use: Headlines with pronouns like “you,” “your,” “we” create a personal connection.

Pronouns at the beginning of headlines were actually found to be more effective.

Example: "If You Want People to Follow You, Stop Being a Boss — 8 Steps To Truly Effective Leadership" - Entrepreneur

Sentimental Words

How to Use: Use both positive/negative sentimental words to evoke emotions. It’ll your headlines more compelling.

Positive Example: "The Gorgeous Scratch-Resistant Flooring Jenny Marrs Has In Her Home" by House Digest

'Gorgeous' evokes a sense of beauty.

Negative Example: "Retirees In These 12 States Risk Losing Some of Their Social Security Checks" - Motley Fool

The word 'risk' adds a sense of urgency and concern.

Conclusion

There you have it.

Concise wording, direct statements, signal words, personal pronouns, and sentimental words.

It almost sounds too simple.

So simple that I’m curious as to why more people don’t take advantage of it.

Use this data-backed headline wisdom to generate 3x more clicks than your competitors (with hardly any extra effort).  

🐰 rabbit holes and resources

🍫 Today’s link candy for content creators:

• Superstar marketer Seth Godin teaches you exactly how to get your ideas to spread like wildfire [link]

• The 4 dead-simple frameworks she used to grow to 26K followers on Twitter & 9K on LinkedIn [link]

• 5 simple steps to mine Reddit for endless content ideas [link]

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