51 of the most commonly used headlines to grab the readers’ attention.
This list will help you to get the inspiration you need to write your next article title. (This is the summary of an article found on Sumo.)
1- The How-To Headline
How to [Achieve a Desired Outcome]
Ex: How to Run Faster
2- The Ultimate List Headline
[Large Number] of Ways to [Achieve an Outcome]
Ex: 28 Ideas For Content Upgrades To Grow Your Email List
3- The Ultimate Guide Headline
The Ultimate Guide to [Achieve a Desired Outcome]
Ex: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Healthy on a Budget
4- The Fearmonger Headline
Warning! Are You [Something Undesirable]?
Ex: Warning! Are You Eating This Food That Could Kill You?
5- The Rally Cry Headline
Let’s Stop [A Call to Arms]
Ex: Let’s Stop Eating This Poisonous Food!
6- The Proven Methods Headline
[Number] Proven [Actions/Ways] to [Achieve Desired Result]
Ex: 18 Proven Techniques to Build More Muscle in Less Time
7- The Mistakes Headline
[Number] Mistakes Most People Make When/With [Common Action]
Ex: 11 Mistakes Most People Make When Washing Their Hair
8- The Secrets Headline
[Number] Secrets to [Achieve Desired Outcome]
EX: 7 Secrets to Becoming a Digital Nomad
9- The Outrageous Headline
Why [Outrageous/Controversial Claim]
EX: Why Canadians Are Actually Evil
10- The Lessons Learned Headline
[Number] Lessons I Learned When/From [Experience]
EX: 7 Lessons I Learned Doubling Sumo’s Blog Traffic
11- The Social Proof Headline
The [Object] Over [Social Proof] Use To [Desired Outcome]
EX: The Tool Over 283,000 Websites Use to Grow Their Traffic
12- The Testimonial Headline
How [Company] Got [Result] In [Timeframe]
EX: How Shopify Store BlendJet Made $163,633.50 Sales In 30 Days
13- The Objection Preemptive Headline
[No/Yes], You [Pre-Empt Objection] to [Achieve Desired Result]
EX: No, You Don’t Have to Count Calories to Lose Weight
14- The Question Headline
Are You [Provocative Question]?
EX: Are You Still Eating Dairy?
15- The See What Happened Headline
[Person] Did [Unusual Action] [Timeframe]. Here’s What Happened
EX: I Did Yoga Every Day for 6 Months. Here’s What Happened
16- The How/Result Headline
How [A Seemingly Inconsequential Action] Can Lead To [Undesirable Result]
EX: How Your Morning Coffee Can Lead to Heart Disease
17- The Celebrity Headline
How to [Achieve Desired Outcome] Like [Celebrity]
EX: How Tony Robbins Generates 1,000,000 Website Visitors Per Month
18- The How-To Without Headline
How To [Desired Outcome] (Without [Unpleasant Action])
EX: How To Get Featured on Large Publications (Without Guest Posting)
19- The Silver Platter Headline
[Number or How to] Simple/Easy Ways to [Desired Outcome]
EX: 14 Easy Ways to Save $100 This Month
20- The Analysis Headline
We Analyzed [Number] [Thing You Analyzed] ] (And This Is What We Learned)
EX: We Analyzed 100 Million Articles (And This Is What We Learned)
21- The Tutorial Headline
A [Power Word] Tutorial to [Achieve Desired Outcome]
EX: A Comprehensive Tutorial to Make a Budget
22- The Hacks Headline
[Number] Hacks to [Achieve Desired Outcome]
EX: 25 Hacks to Save More Money
23- The Explainer Headline
Why [Thing] Makes You [Outcome]
EX: Why Spirulina Makes You Smarter
24- The Steps To Result Headline
[Number] Steps To [Achieve Desired Outcome]
EX: 4 Simple Steps To Build An Email List From Scratch
25- The WTF Headline
[Person] And His/Her [Object] Doing [Odd Or Funny Activity]
EX: John Cena And His Giant Hands Playing With A Tiny Tortoise
26- The Quiz Headline
Quiz: Which [Topic] Are You?
EX: Quiz: Which Harry Potter Character Are You?
27- The Hot Button Headline
People Called This [Person] An [Controversial Title] After He/She [Controversial Activity]
EX: People Called This Mom An “Exhibitionist” After She Took A Breastfeeding Pic With Santa
28- The Fortune Teller Headline
You Won’t Be Able To [Claim] Until You [Action]
EX: You Won’t Be Able to Lose Weight Until You Eat This One Paleo Food
29- The News Headline
Breaking: [Story]
EX: Breaking: Whooping Cough Outbreak in Your City
30- The Command Headline
Stop [Strong Command]
EX: Stop Selling Out
31- The Reasons Headline
[Number] Reasons You’re [Outcome]
EX: 16 Reasons You’re Fighting With Your Spouse
32- The Imagination Headline
Imagine [Desired Outcome]
EX: Imagine Becoming a Millionaire
33- The Little Known Methods Headline
[Number] Little-Known Ways To [Desired Outcome]
EX: 13 Little-Known Call To Action Hacks You Can Use On Your Website
34- The Ignorance Avoidance Headline
What You Should Know About [Topic]
EX: What You Should Know About Your Roth IRA
35- The Snackable Headline
You [3 Words or Fewer Summarizing Topic]
EX: You Aren’t That Special
36- The Pattern Interruption Headline
How [Claim That Goes Against What Most People Think Is True]
EX: How Fruit Will Make You Fat
37- The Solutions Headline
Why [Problem] (And What To Do About It)
EX: Why You’re Not Getting Traffic To Your Website (And What To Do About It)
38- The Expert Roundup Headline
[Number] [Expert] Share Their [Topic]
EX: 14 Nutritionists Share Their Favourite Plant-Based Recipes
39- The Reminder Headline
Reminder: [Claim or Truth]
EX: Reminder: Your Weight is Not a Reflection of Your Health
40- The Comparison Headline
Are You More Like [X] or [Y]?
EX: Are You More Like a Tiger or a Lion?
41- The Trivia Headline
Can You Find The Problem With This [Object]
EX: Can You Find The Problem With This Photo?
42- The Front-Loaded Keyword Headline
[Keyword]: How To [Long Tail Keyword]
EX: Healthy Eating 101: How To Eat Healthy on a Budget
43- The Promise Headline
We Can Help You [Promise] By [Result]
EX: We Can Help You Boost Your Traffic By 20%
44- The Results Headline
How We Did [Desired Result] In [Timeframe]
EX: How 35 Marketers Would Grow Website Visitors From 0-10K In 30 Days
45- The Teaser Headline
These [Number] [Thing] Could Help You [Desired Outcome]
EX: These 6 Foods Could Help You Lose 15 Pounds
46- The Sidenote Headline
[Number] Lessons Learned From [Company/Person] (#[Number] Is [Teaser])
EX: 7 Lessons We Learned from General Assembly (#2 is Our Favorite)
47- The Branded Headline
[Headline Formula] (A [Unique Branding] Guide)
EX: 134 Ways To Increase Website Traffic In 2019 (A Sumo-Sized Guide)
48- The Urgency Headline
[Action] NOW!
EX: Fix Your Conversion Rate NOW!
49- The Target Audience Headline
[Target Audience]! Are You [Undesirable Outcome]?
EX: Bloggers! Are You Leaving Traffic on the Table?
50- The Bold Statement Headline
[Bold Statement]: What We Learned [Data-Backed Evidence]
EX: Pop-ups Aren’t Dead: What We Learned Analyzing 2 Billion Pop-up Examples
51- The Curiosity Headline
You Probably [Vague Statement to Trigger Curiosity]
EX: You Probably Won’t Read This
Let us know friends in the comments section, if you know of some better ways of writing that perfect headline for your article.