Need a Hot Headline? 4 Places to Find Sexy, Seductive Headlines for Inspiration

Once upon a time, I wanted to be a magazine journalist.

As a teenager (who was equal parts angsty as hell and also totally stereotypically girly), I was obsessed with a capital ‘O’ with magazines. I subscribed to at least 5 – Cosmo, Teen People, Seventeen, BUST, Teen Vogue, the list goes on – and whenever a beauty hit my mailbox, I lit up like a kid on Christmas. My joy (and compulsion to check the mailbox at least 3 times a day) might have been a little over-the-top, but there was literally no problem a quick flick through a glossy couldn’t fix.

And why was I so obsessed?

Because those damn magazine writers were fucking awesome at writing compelling headlines.

“16 Easy Ways to Feel More Pleasure Now” – Sign me up for that!
“12 Love Moves that Turn Him to Mush” – Yes, please!
“Feel Happier in 10 Seconds or Less” – I mean, come on.

And not only would I gladly throw down my last $5 for a chance to find out “how to rock his world with hot new moves,” as a budding writer with a few articles under my belt, I knew I had, had, had to learn how to craft titles like that. (Side note: I did go to school for Magazine Journalism, but let’s just say the coolest headline I wrote was about the local Red Cross blood drive. Such is life, yo.)

Now, let me let you in on a little secret: Magazine writers know what they’re doing. They’re not writing headlines like that for fun (except I’m sure it’s one helluva blast).

Magazine writers write headlines for one reason only: to grab your attention by playing on the powers of innate human curiosity.

Of course you want to find out how to look sexier with one new easy makeup trick. Right?

Humans always want to know about the newest, most innovative, easiest and quickest thing…and headlines need to play on one of those attributes.

And since western society has a serious case of ADD, headlines are even more important in the online realm. You’ve got literally seconds to grab a reader’s attention.

That said, headlines are arguably the most important part of any piece of writing you’ll ever write.

But how the hell do you write a headline? Where do you even start? There are tons of headline hacks available online, but I’m going to encourage you to get a little more creative.

Here are a few of my fave online hotspots for snagging some seriously sweet headline ideas:

1. Reddit.com

Reddit is an awesome place to scour for juicy headlines….as long as you make sure not to get lost in it’s vortex. It’s also a double-whammy where you can hit two birds with one proverbial stone. You can find fresh story ideas, too, either by swiping the concept + tweaking it to fit your niche or stumbling upon a story that’s already in your niche.

Need an example of headline-tweaking for your niche? I just happened upon this gem: Are PCs Dying? Of Course Not, Here’s Why. If I was using this as inspiration for a blog post, maybe I’d write a post titled, “Are Long Form Sales Pages Dying? Nope, Here’s Why.” Just be sure not to straight up plagiarize, ’cause that aint cool.

2. The local rag rack

Obvs, this must be included. Really any magazine will do, but Cosmo’s got headline-writing down to an art. In fact, I have a blog post planned titled, “4 Signs This Client is ‘The One'” – highjacked straight from a Cosmo cover headline about knowing if you’ve found Mr. Right.

Here’s link to check out some of Cosmo’s more recent covers. Swipe away, ladies.

3. Huffington Post

If you use the Internet at all ever, you’ve seen Huffington Post stories pop up somewhere – most likely your Facebook news food. You know, the whole, “This woman looked inside her dresser drawer. What she found next was astonishing.” bit.

Now, while I don’t advocate using “click-and-switch” headlines – meaning they look like they’re going to be about one thing but are about something totally different, a tactic the HuffPo does use occasionally– I think the Post does an amaaazing job piquing human curiosity with their headlines.

So while they may be mildly annoying, these types of headlines still get me to click every time, which proves to me they’re doing something right.

4. Retail Sales E-mails

Okay, so this isn’t necessarily for headlines in particular, but I create some of my most punny writing (yes, that was totes intended) based on the sales e-mails of my fave online shops. Not only do copywriters for retail brands have to come up with clever, succinct calls to action, they also have to grab a reader’s attention and FAST.

Retail copywriters are experts at playing on words, creating puns + using idioms. (Trust me – I used to be one!)

Although I wouldn’t use a headline like, “Sweet Hearts” (this was for a feature on heart-shaped accessories) for a blog  headline or sales copy headline, I would totally use this in email marketing, within the body copy or as inspiration for naming a product.

Alright girlfrands, that’s all I got. Now it’s time for you to share your headline secrets. Spill in the comments, por favor.

 

 

 

P.S. If you want more tips like this, I’ve got a secret for ya. I’m currently whipping up my FIRST EVAH e-book. Crushworthy Sales Copy 101 is a short-n-sweet guide to your most burning copywriting Qs….with my signature sass + flair. And pop culture references. The best part? You can pre-order it starting today at a PAY-WHAT-YOU-WISH price. That means you can pick your own price (minimum $5) + you’ll get the beauty automagically sent to your e-box on March 7, 2014 in downloadable PDF form. Click right hurr to hop on over to the special Crushworthy Copy pre-order page.

Your turn! //

Ready for Action, Jackson? Here’s what I want you to do:

1. Re-write 1-3 of your blah-est headlines (either from a blog post or sales copy) using one of the websites above as inspiration.
2. Sign up over at VisualWebsiteOptimizer.com (tutorial forthcoming!) and create a “headline test.” Pit your old headline against your new headline. (This website is pretty easy to use if you’re mildly tech savvy.)
3. Wait a month + check back. Which one got more engagement? More shares? More likes? Use that headline for good. And congrats – you just ran your first A/B test!