6 Simple Formulas to Write a Catchy Headline in 2 Minutes [Infographic]

Looking for an easy way to write a catchy headline?

Want to learn how to quickly create an attention-grabbing title for your blog post?

Your headline is even more important than the article itself. A great headline draws people in and makes them want to learn more. But if it’s dull, even the best-written post may go unread.

Jeff Goins shares a simple headline-writing formula that looks like this:

Number or Trigger word + Adjective + Keyword + Promise

Using that idea as a foundation, I put together six popular headline templates to help you quickly write a catchy headline.

Don’t forget to grab the infographic at the end of the post.

Quick Tips for Writing a Catchy Headline

“How to” posts, guides, and lists are very popular. These types of titles let readers know there’s practical information all in one place.

To make your headline even more eye-catching, try these tricks:

Include numbers

• 8 Efficient Components of Branding Videos

better than

• Efficient Components of Branding Videos

Add an Attractive Adjective

• The Simple Formulas to Write a Catchy Headline

better than

• The Formulas to Write a Catchy Headline

Use Call-to-Action

• Try This Formula to Quickly Write a Catchy Headline

better than

• A Formula to Quickly Write a Catchy Headline

Let’s see how this works altogether.

Templates to Write a Catchy Headline

Here are some easy-to-use templates. Below, you’ll also find a set of words to help you write different headline variations.

Notes:

• You can rearrange the words to write a better headline.
• The keyword and promise can be the same word or phrase.
• While the promise and details are optional, including them helps clarify the topic and motivates people to read your article.

The keyword is the main word or phrase that describes what your post is about. It’s what people will type into Google when searching.

Now, to write a good headline, all you need is to find the right keyword and insert it into one of the templates.

Number + Adjective + Noun + Keyword + Promise

Examples:

6 Simple Formulas to Write a Catchy Headline in 2 Minutes

19 Examples of Engaging Facebook Post Ideas

How to + Action + Keyword + Promise

Examples:

How to Write a Catchy Headline for Any Blog Post

How to Become a TEDx Speaker

Definition + Guide to + Action + Keyword + Promise

Examples:

An Easy Guide to Writing a Catchy Headline in under 2 Minutes

The Complete Guide to Building a Powerful Personal Brand Online

Positive Word + Number and/or Noun + Keyword + Promise/Detail

Examples:

The Fast Way to Write a Catchy Headline for a Social Media Post

The Best Pinterest Boards About Social Media Marketing

Negative Word + Action + Keyword + Promise

Examples:

Stop Worrying About Writing a Catchy Headline: Use This Formula

Stop Doing These 9 Social Media Marketing Mistakes

Call-to-Action + Keyword + Promise

Examples:

Try These 6 Strategies to Quickly Write a Catchy Headline

Use Content Marketing to Get More PR

Sets of words for writing different headlines

Use these words to create different headlines. Choose words from the lists below, insert them into the templates, and add your keyword.

Adjectives

Absolute / Accidental / Amazing / Attention-Grabbing / Beautiful / Big / Brilliant / Clever / Controversial / Crazy / Damn Good / Delicious / Disturbing / Easy / Efficient / Effortless / Epic / Essential / Fab / Fantastic / Fascinating / Fearless / Free / Fun / Gorgeous / Incredible / Indirect / Insane / Irresistible / Juicy / Key / Kick-Ass / Little / Little Known / Mind-Blowing / Modern / New / Outrageous / Painstaking / Powerful / Proven / Recommended / Required / Scary / Savvy / Seriously / Shocking / Simple / Sleek / Snazzy / Spectacular / Spiffy / Steal-worthy / Strange / Stunning / Successful / Surprising / Terrible / Trendy / Trust-Building / Unbelievable / Useful / Useless / Valuable / Winning

Nouns

Areas / Components / Concepts / Do’s and Don’ts / Examples / Facts / Forms / Ideas / Ingredients / Lessons / Lies / Marks / Mistakes / Methods / Metrics / Principles / Questions / Reasons / Recipes / Resources / Rules / Steps / Stages / Secrets / Statistics / Strategies / Skills / Sins / Tactics / Tips / Tricks / Techniques / Templates / Tools / Types / Ways / The #-Step Process

Actions / Call-to-Actions

Apply / Ask / Be / Beautify / Become/ Benefit / Break / Bring / Build / Create / Combine / Decide / Discover / Do / Double (Triple) / Drive / Eliminate / Engage / Enhance / Exclude / Fail / Fix / Gain / Generate / Get / Get Rid of / Have / Illustrate / Improve / Include / Increase / Keep / Learn / Make / Maintain / Manage / Master / Manipulate / Maximize / Meet / Move / Optimize / Overcome / Perform / Play / Prepare / Produce / Promote / Prove / Save (Time) / Search / Set / Shape / Show / Start / Spice Up / Think / Try This / Use / Write

Guide Definitions

101 / An Easy / A Step-by-Step / The Advanced / The Beginner’s / The Complete / The Definitive / The Essential / The Fun and User-Friendly / The Ultimate / The Short / The Simple

Positive Words

Always / Best / Biggest / Easiest / Ever / Fastest / Funniest / Greatest / Hottest / Largest / Most / Perfect / Strongest / Top

Negative Words

Avoid / By No Means / Don’t / Never / None / Nothing / No One / No Way / Worst / Stop

Writing a good headline takes time, and it doesn’t always guarantee that it will grab people’s attention. Use these templates to create different variations of your article headlines and social media posts.

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