Headlines That Work

In this regular series, Director of Content Jerod Morris analyzes particularly strong headlines and points out the specific elements that make them work.
Spoiler alert: every post includes the suggestion that you download our PDF How to Write Magnetic Headlines, which features proven, time-tested advice on headline writing, plus template after template that you can use to immediately become a better headline writer.

Written by Jerod Morris | February 26, 2014 | 44 Comments

Can You Resist Clicking These 3 Headlines? (One is So Good I Had to Copy it)

If this headline were a woman, I’d marry it.

That’s an odd thing to think, no?

Back in the day, my friends and I used that phrase to denote something inanimate that we were particularly fond of. “This pizza is so good, if it were a woman I’d marry it!”

That was a long time ago. I can’t remember the last time such a thought flashed into my head. Which is what made it so weird when it happened last week.

Especially after reading a headline about … video streaming quality and Internet service providers.

But what can I say? The headline was that good.

Written by Jerod Morris | January 27, 2014 | 51 Comments

Could This Headline Technique Double Your Click-Throughs Too?

It was a slow morning in my feedly folder for content marketing.

My eyes skimmed headline after headline. There was nary a flinch from my oft-twitchy index finger indicating it was itching to click and read more.

Until I came across this headline:

Can You Double Your Clicks with the Jeopardy Effect?

I wiped the flash flood of drool away from the side of my mouth and clicked.

Written by Jerod Morris | December 17, 2013 | 58 Comments

I Hated This Headline … So Why Did it Work?

This Copyblogger post missed the boat (I thought).

The bitter wording of its headline blemished the Copyblogger brand and should have been replaced. Chances are you wouldn’t have run it. Brian Clark did.

There are four people at Copyblogger whose job it is to inspect headlines at each stage of editing. (One Copyblogger post is published daily; there are more inspectors than posts.)

Headlines have been rejected for miscalculations of word choice barely visible to the eye.

We pluck the lemons, you get the plums …

Written by Jerod Morris | November 19, 2013 | 53 Comments

Headlines That Work: Has Science Finally Settled the Geek/Nerd Debate?

Image of a 'Headlines That Work' logo

Welcome to Headlines That Work, a new regular feature here at Copyblogger where we will nerd out about writing headlines.

Headlines, as you know are “the first, and perhaps only, impression you make on a prospective reader.” This is why your headlines need to be magnetic.

And it is why nerding out about headlines — studying them in-depth to analyze why they work — is such a worthwhile endeavor.

But wait … are we really nerding out about headlines … or are we geeking out about them? Is there even a difference?