Developing effective headlines can be challenging. You often only have a limited amount of time, space and words to grab someone’s attention in that very first instance. So what can you do to ensure you are writing headlines that get clicks? Below we share 10 winning formulas with examples that you can use to make your headlines more click-worthy.

Think about what makes you click on an article or open an email. Chances are it's the enticing, attention-grabbing headline. It has sparked your interest and generated intrigue.

Therefore, if you are struggling to get your blog posts read, emails opened or ads clicked on, then maybe your headlines are not working.

A powerful headline can vastly improve the traffic to your content. Interestingly, 8 out of 10 people will read the headline, but only 2 out of 10 will actually click through and read the rest of the content.

So what's the key to headlines that get more clicks?

A click-worthy headline sparks curiosity, and immediately captures (and then keeps) your reader's attention.

Getting someone to click through to your content is essential to increase your conversions. But creating that catchy marketing hook is a trickier task than it sounds.

Recent studies show the average human attention span is just 8 seconds, so in a sea of content, you don't have long for your reader to take notice. For this reason, good headlines are typically concise, clear, specific and compelling.

So no matter what you sell, read on to see 10 examples of actual headlines across multiple industries to help get your creative juices flowing.

The importance of headlines that get clicks

Here are 10 headline formulas to help you get more eyes on your content and products:

Infographic 10 Headlines To Get More Clicks

Let's dive into some examples:

1. How to:

e.g. How to sleep better
People love to learn things. 'How to' is one of the most popular search phrases that people use in YouTube to learn more. It can easily be used for your blog posts and longer social media posts.

2. Question:

e.g. Is Paleo or Vegan better for your health?
By asking a question, someone naturally wants to know the answer. This formula works great for email subject lines, social media captions or ad headlines and even blog posts.

3. Why:

e.g. Why headlines are the answer to getting more clicks
For this one try and illustrate a key point. Maybe it is a reason why someone needs what you specialise in. This is a versatile one too and can be used anywhere.

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4. Secrets:

e.g. The secret ingredient that helps you to lose weight
We always want to know about a good secret, right? 😉

5. Mistakes:

e.g. 7 mistakes every new business owner makes & how to avoid them
We all tend to want to know if we are making a mistake, so this one can work particularly well across all your marketing. Even if you sell products how can you get creative with the mistakes someone makes when using it?

6. Protection:

e.g. Use this to protect your website from getting hacked
This example has a couple of techniques being used. Not only does it use protection, it also says "use this" which creates that curiosity that makes someone want to click. By now you might start to see how you can combine elements from each these types.

7. Quick and easy:

e.g. Your quick and easy blueprint to getting more energy from your food
Most of us are time poor, so seeing something like this means we know we'll get access to something that will help us get to the result we want, fast. This is a good one to use when brainstorming lead magnet titles.

8. Lists:

e.g. 5 steps to finding your soul mate
This is one of the most popular ones. It's because it is specific. You know exactly what you will get. Put a number in front of the subject you're talking about - for example, 6 ways, 8 strategies, 10 tips, etc - and people will click because they know they will get that exact amount! And you can easily use this in most of the other headline types.

9. Do this:

e.g. Do this if you want to sell your house
Just fill in the gap for the thing that your target market wants from you. This one can help to give your content a sense of urgency and authority. And whenever you say "use this", "try this" or "do this" those words generate curiosity as to what "this" is. Remember, part of creating a headline people want to click is creating intrigue.

10. Did you know:

e.g. Did you know that we also have a package where you can save 20%?
Using "did you know" in front of something attracts someone to find out what they might be missing. It can be a great way to create "FOMO" (fear of missing out). This is one of our favourites for social media posts and ads for captions and headlines.

Now it's your turn. Take one of these formulas, or a combination, and use it in your next email subject line, social media post or blog post title.

And speaking of blog posts, if you start using some of these formulas for your blog post titles, you will turn that website traffic into clicks. For extra tips on getting your content seen by more people, check out our article on how to get more traffic for your blog.

10 Headlines That Get You More Clicks

So what's the key to headlines that get more clicks?