10 Headlines That Will Help Your Articles Get More Readers
Templated headlines for you to try next —tested & poached from several viral articles, with examples.
A great headline is an incredibly powerful thing. You could write the world’s most entertaining and well-crafted article but if your headline falters, no one will ever know about it. A beautiful headline is simple. It’s to-the-point, and it offers up no bullshit.
A good, effective headline says to all potential readers, “Hey, come over here and this is what you’ll get.”
There are several writers on Medium who have absolutely nailed this craft. I know this from personal experience, because I always find myself clicking on their articles without a moment of hesitation. It isn’t until the article opens and I see the author’s little picture appear on screen that I nod with utter admiration, “Ah, of course, you again!” Tim Denning / Brianna Wiest / Isaiah McCall / Shaunta Grimes / Nick Wignall (to name a few)
Below are 10 headline templates that pop up across Medium, time and time again. Each headline is always accompanied by its own unique article, but what they have in common is that they have successfully lured readers into the article’s realm in the first place. If you struggle to nail your headlines but have fabulous content to offer readers, test these little buggers out and see if you have more success in gartering readers.
Side note: the example headlines are not based off my own experiences. At least not all of them. I would have been a very busy girl if so.
Headline # 1
How To ___ A ___ That Everyone Wants To ___
Examples:
How To Write An Article That Everyone Wants To Read
How To Produce A Podcast That Everyone Wants To Listen To
How To Write A Novel That Everyone Wants To Publish
Headline #2
(#) Things I Learnt From/When ___
Examples:
5 Things I Learnt from Being an Intern at Google
10 Things I Learnt from Becoming a Teenage Parent
15 Things I Learnt From My Near Death Experience
Headline #3
I/My ____. This Is What I/I’ve Learnt.
Examples:
I Have Bipolar Disorder. This Is What I’ve Learnt
I Went To Jail. This Is What I Learnt.
My Kid Was The Bully. This Is What I/I’ve Learnt.
Headline #4
The Ultimate Guide To _____
Examples:
The Ultimate Guide To Writing on Medium in 2021
The Ultimate Guide To Being an Introvert in an Extrovert World
The Ultimate Guide To Starting a Side Hustle
Headline #5
(#) Ways To _____
Examples:
6 Ways To Protect Your Inner Peace
5 Ways To Improve Your Writing Technique
4 Ways To Make New Friends As An Adult
Headline #6
(#) Things (Person/Character/Thing) Can Teach Us About ___
Examples:
8 Things Robin Williams Can Teach Us About Comedy
7 Things Stephen King Can Teach Us About Horror
6 Things Netflix Can Teach Us About Entertainment
Headline #7
If You Want To ___, You Need To ___.
Examples:
If You Want To Write A Book, You Need To Do This.
If You Want To Become A Morning Person, You Need To Do This.
If You Want To Read Faster, You Need To Start Doing This.
Headline #8
How I/To _______
Examples:
How I Lost 10kg Without Ever Wanting To Cry
How To Write an Article in 60 Minutes
How To Invest in Crypto Currency: A Beginner’s Guide
(Source — viewer stats from two of my own articles using the above headline template)
Headline #9
How ____ helped me to ____.
Examples:
How Quitting My Corporate Job Helped Me Find Myself
How Waking Up An Hour Early Helped Me Achieve My Goals
How Walking 10,000 Steps a Day Changed My Life
Headline #10
(#) Tricks/Hacks/Ways To ____
Examples:
5 Hacks To Appear More Confident In Meetings
10 Tricks To Create A More Minimalist Lifestyle
15 Ways To Regain Control Over Your Finances
I know that once you’ve worked your ass off on an article, it can be incredibly tempting to hit ‘publish’ with little additional thought going into your headline. But I promise that if you spend a little more time and effort in crafting a simple, to-the-point headline, the effort you put into said article is less likely to be wasted because your article will actually be read.
More like this -
