How to Write Headlines That Stop the Scroll and Start the Sale

Q: How long should a headline be?

There is no universal optimal length. Short headlines (5–10 words) work well for ads and subject lines where brevity is essential. Longer headlines (15–25 words) often outperform short ones in sales letters and landing pages because they can include more specific benefits. The rule is: your headline should be exactly as long as it needs to be to communicate the core promise — no shorter, no longer.

Q: What makes a headline clickable without being clickbait?

The difference between a compelling headline and clickbait is delivery. A compelling headline creates curiosity or promises a benefit — and the content delivers on that promise. Clickbait creates curiosity but disappoints the reader. The key is specificity: 'How One Company Increased Conversions by 340% in 60 Days' is specific and deliverable. 'You Won't Believe What Happened Next' is vague and typically disappointing.

Q: How do you test headlines effectively?

A/B testing is the gold standard for headline testing. Send equal traffic to two versions that differ only in the headline. Run the test until you reach statistical significance — typically at least 100 conversions per variation. Test one variable at a time. Start with radically different approaches (benefit vs. curiosity vs. problem) before testing minor wording variations. The winner often performs 50–200% better than the loser.

Q: What are the most common headline mistakes?

The most common mistakes are: being clever instead of clear, leading with features instead of benefits, being too vague ('We Help Businesses Grow'), writing for yourself instead of the reader, using jargon the audience does not understand, making the headline about your company rather than the reader's problem, and settling for the first headline you write instead of testing multiple variations.

Key Takeaways

Headlines carry roughly 80% of your copy's performance — five times as many people read the headline as read the body
The four proven headline approaches are benefit, curiosity, pain point, and news — the strongest headlines combine two or more
Always write 25–50+ headline variations before selecting one — your first idea is almost never your best
Specificity beats vagueness every time — "How to Cut Your Tax Bill by 30%" massively outperforms "Save Money on Taxes"
The headline's only job is to earn the next sentence — if it tries to do more, it will fail at this essential function
Testing headlines is the single highest-leverage optimisation you can perform on any piece of marketing

Why Headlines Matter More Than Everything Else Combined

Here is the uncomfortable truth that most marketers never accept: your headline carries roughly 80% of your copy's performance. The body, the offer, the testimonials, the guarantee — all of it combined accounts for the remaining 20%.

Definition

Headline

The primary text element at the top of any piece of marketing — a sales page, an advertisement, an email subject line, a blog post title, or a social media post. The headline's sole job is to stop the reader and earn the right to the next sentence. In direct-response copywriting, the headline is considered the most important element because if it fails to capture attention, no other element gets the chance to work.

The legendary advertising copywriter David Ogilvy said it plainly: "On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy." This ratio has not changed in the decades since. If anything, the explosion of content competing for attention has made headlines more important, not less.

I have tested thousands of headlines across 30 years of direct-response copywriting and $523 million in tracked results. The pattern is consistent: change the headline on a proven sales page and conversion rates swing by 200–500%. Change the body copy and rates move by 10–20%. The headline is not just the most important element — it is the element that makes every other element possible.

The Four Types of Headlines That Work

Every effective headline falls into one of four categories. The strongest headlines combine two or more of these approaches, but understanding each one individually gives you the building blocks for any headline challenge.

1. Benefit Headlines

Benefit headlines tell the reader exactly what they will gain. They are the most straightforward and often the most effective type because they appeal directly to the reader's self-interest.

The key to a strong benefit headline is specificity. Compare these two headlines:

Weak: "Improve Your Marketing Results"
Strong: "How to Generate 47 Qualified Leads Per Week Without Increasing Your Ad Spend"

The second headline works because it specifies the benefit (47 qualified leads per week), names the constraint that makes it impressive (without increasing ad spend), and implies a method the reader can learn (how to).

Benefit headlines work best when the reader already knows they have a problem and is actively looking for a solution.

2. Curiosity Headlines

Curiosity headlines create an information gap — a gap between what the reader knows and what they want to know. The reader must continue reading to close that gap.

"The $2.3 Million Marketing Mistake That 90% of Online Businesses Make"
"What a 30-Year-Old Sales Letter Can Teach You About Modern Digital Marketing"
"The Counter-Intuitive Pricing Strategy That Tripled One Company's Revenue"

Curiosity headlines are powerful, but they carry a risk: if the payoff does not match the setup, the reader feels manipulated. The line between compelling curiosity and clickbait is whether your content delivers on the headline's implicit promise.

3. Pain-Point Headlines

Pain-point headlines identify a problem the reader is experiencing and use that recognition to earn attention. They work because readers are often more motivated to escape pain than to pursue pleasure.

"Why Your Sales Funnel Is Leaking Money at Every Stage"
"The Reason Your Emails Get Opened But Never Get Clicked"
"Are You Making These 5 Conversion-Killing Mistakes on Your Landing Page?"

The strength of a pain-point headline is in specificity. "Is Your Marketing Working?" is vague and forgettable. "Why Your Facebook Ads Stop Converting After 72 Hours" is specific enough that the reader who has experienced that exact problem feels compelled to continue.

4. News Headlines

News headlines announce something new — a discovery, a development, a method, a release. They leverage the human attraction to novelty and the fear of being left behind.

"New A/B Testing Method Identifies Your Winning Sales Page in 48 Hours Instead of 3 Weeks"
"How AI Is Changing Direct-Response Copywriting — And What It Means for Your Business"
"The Emerging Sales Format That Is Outperforming Traditional VSLs by 40%"

News headlines work best when the news is genuine. If your product, method, or insight is genuinely new or different, lead with that novelty. If it is not, use a different headline type — forced newness feels artificial.

The Headline Writing Process

Writing headlines is not a flash of inspiration. It is a systematic process that produces better results the more disciplined you are about following it.

Step 1: Identify Your Reader

Before you write a single headline, you must know who you are writing for. What is their primary problem? What have they tried before? What do they fear? What do they want? What language do they use to describe their situation?

The best headlines feel like the reader's own thoughts reflected back at them. That only happens when you understand the reader deeply enough to speak their language.

Step 2: List Every Possible Angle

Write down every benefit, every pain point, every piece of proof, every unique mechanism, and every emotional trigger related to your offer. Do not filter. Do not judge. Just list.

This is your raw material. Most copywriters skip this step and jump straight to writing headlines — which is why they end up with predictable, obvious headlines that fail to stand out.

Step 3: Write 25–50+ Variations

Using your angle list, write at least 25 headline variations. Push past the obvious choices that come first. Headlines 1–10 tend to be predictable. Headlines 15–30 start to get interesting. Headlines 30+ are where the breakthroughs happen.

Try each angle as a benefit headline, a curiosity headline, a pain-point headline, and a news headline. Mix and combine approaches. Add specific numbers. Swap in different power words. The goal is volume — you cannot evaluate quality until you have quantity.

Step 4: Select Your Top 3–5

Review your list with fresh eyes — ideally after stepping away for at least a few hours. Select the 3–5 headlines that are most specific, most compelling, and most clearly communicate the core promise.

Ask yourself: "If I saw this headline in my inbox or in a social feed, would I stop scrolling?" If the honest answer is no, keep looking.

Step 5: Test

If you are running any kind of traffic, split-test your top headlines against each other. Even a simple A/B test with your top two candidates will give you data that is worth more than any amount of opinion or gut instinct.

The results will often surprise you. The headline you were most confident about will lose to one you almost discarded. This is normal. It is why testing matters more than taste.

Headline Power Words

Certain words consistently increase headline performance because they trigger psychological responses — urgency, curiosity, self-interest, or emotion. Here are the categories that appear most frequently in the highest-performing headlines I have tested:

Specificity words: exactly, proven, step-by-step, complete, specific, precise

Urgency words: now, today, before, deadline, limited, immediately, fast

Curiosity words: secret, surprising, unexpected, hidden, counter-intuitive, little-known

Benefit words: free, save, earn, discover, transform, breakthrough, guaranteed

Proof words: results, tested, proven, data, research, case study, evidence

These words are tools, not tricks. They work because they make headlines more specific, more urgent, or more concrete — not because they have magical properties. Using them without substance behind them produces clickbait, not conversions.

Headlines Across Different Formats

The principle behind headline writing is universal — stop the reader and earn the next sentence — but the application varies by format.

Sales Page Headlines

Sales page headlines can be longer because the reader has arrived with some intent. Use that extra space to be specific about the benefit and the audience. A strong sales page headline might be 15–25 words.

Email Subject Lines

Email subject lines must be shorter — typically 6–12 words — and must compete with dozens of other messages in the inbox. Curiosity and personalisation tend to outperform benefit-only approaches in email because the reader needs a reason to open this email over all the others.

Facebook Ad Headlines

Ad headlines have the smallest real estate and the most competition. They must communicate the core value proposition in 5–10 words. Specificity and numbers tend to outperform cleverness in paid advertising.

Blog Post Headlines

Blog headlines serve a dual purpose — attracting human readers and satisfying search engine algorithms. Include your primary keyword naturally while still making the headline compelling enough to click. "How to Write Headlines" satisfies SEO. "How to Write Headlines That Stop the Scroll and Start the Sale" satisfies both SEO and humans.

The Headline Testing Framework

If you take only one thing from this guide, let it be this: test your headlines. Testing is the single highest-leverage optimisation you can perform on any piece of marketing.

Here is the framework I recommend:

Start broad, then narrow. Your first test should compare radically different approaches — a benefit headline against a curiosity headline against a pain-point headline. Once you identify the winning approach, test variations within that approach.

Test one variable at a time. If you change the headline type, the specific benefit, and the wording simultaneously, you will not know which change drove the result. Isolate variables.

Demand statistical significance. Do not declare a winner after 50 clicks. Run your test until each variation has generated at least 100 conversions — or use a statistical significance calculator to determine when you have enough data.

Record everything. Keep a swipe file of your headline test results. Over time, you will develop pattern recognition that makes your first drafts stronger and your testing more efficient.

Getting It Right

The headline is the smallest piece of copy with the largest impact on results. It is also the element that separates professional direct-response copywriters from writers who are merely talented with words.

If you are struggling with headlines for your sales pages, email campaigns, or VSLs, I can help. I have written and tested thousands of headlines across a 30-year career in direct response. Book a free strategy call to discuss your specific headline and conversion challenges.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a good headline?

A good headline does one of four things: promises a specific benefit, provokes curiosity, identifies a pain point, or announces something new. The strongest headlines combine two or more of these approaches. Always lead with the reader's self-interest and be specific rather than vague.

Why are headlines so important in copywriting?

Headlines carry roughly 80% of a piece of copy's performance. Five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. If the headline fails to stop the reader, nothing else in the copy matters.

How many headlines should you write before choosing one?

Write at least 25–50 headline variations for any important piece of copy. The first few headlines that come to mind are rarely the strongest. The best headlines typically emerge after systematic exploration of different angles, benefits, and emotional triggers.

What is the best headline formula?

There is no single best formula, but the most consistently effective approaches are "How to" headlines, number-based headlines, question headlines, and "reason why" headlines. The AIDA and 4U frameworks provide useful structure.

How long should a headline be?

There is no universal optimal length. Short headlines work well for ads and subject lines. Longer headlines often outperform short ones in sales letters and landing pages. Your headline should be exactly as long as it needs to be to communicate the core promise.

What makes a headline clickable without being clickbait?

The difference is delivery. A compelling headline creates curiosity or promises a benefit — and the content delivers. Clickbait disappoints. The key is specificity: concrete, deliverable promises versus vague, sensationalised teases.

Should you use numbers in headlines?

Numbers increase headline effectiveness in most contexts. They signal specificity and make the headline more concrete. Odd numbers tend to perform slightly better than even numbers. Specific numbers outperform round numbers.

How do you test headlines effectively?

A/B testing is the gold standard. Send equal traffic to two versions that differ only in the headline. Run until you reach statistical significance. Test radically different approaches first, then refine the winner with minor variations.

What are the most common headline mistakes?

Being clever instead of clear, leading with features instead of benefits, being too vague, writing for yourself instead of the reader, and settling for the first headline you write instead of testing multiple variations.

Do headline rules apply to email subject lines and ad copy?

Yes — the same principles apply across every format. An email subject line is a headline. A Facebook ad's primary text starts with a headline. The format constraints change, but the underlying job is identical.