HEADLINE EXAMPLES
Headline examples: ten types, each with a rewrite
Pick the reader. Make one promise.
A headline decides who keeps reading. Below are ten types of headline with a weak and a stronger version of each, three famous ones, a five-question test and a way to choose between versions.
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how to read this
What the examples show
Each row changes the headline and keeps the subject. The weak and stronger versions are invented for illustration, so none of it is a claim about a real company.
The stronger versions do the same few things: they pick a reader, name a result and give a number, a time or a detail. That is principle no. 5 in the playbook, specificity over hype.
ten types
Ten types of headline, with a rewrite for each
| Type | Weak | Stronger | Why it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| How-to | How to improve your sales | How to get five booked calls a week from your website, without paid ads | A result, a number and a limit. |
| Number | Tips for better email | Seven subject lines that brought lapsed customers back | A count sets the size of the read, and the result makes it worth reading. |
| Question | Do you need a new website? | Is your website losing the calls your ad already paid for? | The right reader answers yes. |
| Warning | Common invoicing errors | Four invoice mistakes that delay your payment by a month | It names a cost the reader can feel. |
| Proof | Customers love our software | 214 shops now close their week’s books in 20 minutes | A count sits beside the claim. |
| News | New features available | New: send a quote from your phone in 30 seconds | It says what is new and what it gives you. |
| Direct offer | Special offer on roof inspections | Free roof check this month, with a written report in 24 hours | Offer, deadline and deliverable. |
| Audience call-out | A guide for small businesses | For independent shop owners who still reconcile receipts on Friday night | The headline selects the reader (no. 8). |
| Curiosity | You won’t believe this one trick | The one email we stopped sending, and what happened to refunds | A gap tied to a stake. |
| Testimonial | Great service | “I stopped chasing late invoices in March, and I have not chased one since.” | A real voice, with a date. |
For two types in more depth, see curiosity headlines that convert and headlines that attract the right customers.
famous
Three famous headlines
These come from the advertising literature, and each did a lot of work in a single line.
| Headline | Who and what for | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| They laughed when I sat down at the piano, but when I started to play! | John Caples, for a mail-order music course (1920s) | A scene, a stake and an unanswered payoff in one line. |
| At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock | David Ogilvy, for Rolls-Royce (1958) | One concrete fact carries the claim of a quiet car. |
| Do you make these mistakes in English? | Sherwin Cody, for a mail-order English course | The reader checks themselves, and the answer is a worry. |
The companion Workbook takes apart 14 famous ads, each with the original and a link to see it.
the test
Five questions to test a headline
- Who is it for, and would the wrong reader skip it?
- What does it promise? Can you point to the exact words?
- Is it specific: a number, a time, a named result?
- Is it believable, or does it need proof beside it?
- Does it still work when read alone, as in an inbox, a search result or a feed?
Specific headlines pass more of these. Specificity in copywriting shows why.
choosing
How to choose between versions
- Write ten headlines for one piece without editing as you go.
- Cross out any that fail the five questions.
- Pick two that differ in one thing, such as the promise or the reader.
- Run them against each other with the same offer and the same audience.
- Keep the winner and write a new challenger.
The habit comes from Claude Hopkins, who counted the replies to every ad. See Scientific Advertising.
the full method
Headlines are one of ten systems
The playbook gives headlines their own system, with principles from eight masters and 30 modern example ads, in 48 pages.
the playbook
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before you go
Common questions
What makes a good headline?
It picks out the right reader, makes one specific promise and gives a reason to read the next line. A headline can be clever and still fail if it does none of these.
What are the main types of headline?
How-to, number, question, warning, proof, news, direct offer, curiosity, audience call-out and quoted testimonial. Each suits a different reader and a different level of awareness.
How long should a headline be?
Long enough to carry the promise and the reader. Do not cut words that do that work, and test a specific long headline against a short one.
Are these real headlines?
The weak and stronger versions are invented for illustration. The three famous headlines are marked as such, and their wording varies between reprints.
How do I write more than one version?
Write ten for each piece without editing as you go, pick two that differ in one thing and test them against each other. The first headline you think of is rarely the best.
What is the difference between a headline and an email subject line?
A subject line is a headline for the inbox. It has to work in a few words, beside the sender’s name and a preview line.
keep reading
Related
Direct response copywriting
The seven parts of a piece and a five-step process.
Copywriting examples
Eight before-and-after rewrites and why each one works.
Swipe file
What to save, how to organize it and how to use it.