7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work

Since people truly seemed to find my 10 Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work useful for coming up with headlines and post titles that don’t follow the typical “how to� and “list� conventions, I thought I’d share a few more.

So here are 7 more sure-fire headline templates that will work when you’re aiming to score more readers:

1. Give Me [short time period] and I’ll Give You [blank].

This headline promises a strong benefit to the reader, like all good headlines do. But this one is especially effective because it promises to deliver in a very short time period.

• Give Me Five Days – And I’ll Give You the Secret of Learning any Subject!
• Give Me Three Minutes a Day – and I’ll Give You a Better Complexion.
• Give Me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make You a Better Blogger.

2. If You Don’t [blank] Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.

We love to belong, but feeling excluded is a real bummer. Whether it be a financial opportunity or the social event of the year, we simply hate it when we get left out.

• If You’re Out of the Market Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.
• If You’re Not at SXSW 2007, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.
• If You Don’t Edit Your .htaccess Now, Google Will Hate You Later.

3. The Lazy [blank’s] Way to [blank].

This headline has always worked well with time-pressured people, and that’s certainly true for most people today. No one likes to think of themselves as lazy, but everyone likes to save time and effort.

• The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches.
• The Lazy Dad’s Way to Quickly Getting Dinner on the Table.
• The Lazy Blogger’s Way to Write Great Post Titles.

4. Do You Recognize the [number] Early Warning Signs of [blank]?

OK, technically this is still a list, but it’s wrapped up in a much more compelling structure than your typical “Top 10� article. People want to avoid problems, and this headline promises the critical tips before it’s too late.

• Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of High Blood Pressure?
• Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of an Employee Meltdown?
• Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of Digg Addiction?

5. See How Easily You Can [desirable result].

We love quick and easy when it comes to learning something new or gaining some advantage.

• See How Easily You Can Learn to Dance This New Way.
• See How Easily You Can Own a Lamborghini Miura.
• See How Easily You Can Increase Traffic With Social Media.

6. You Don’t Have to Be [something challenging] to be [desired result].

People almost always have preconceived notions about things, and this can be a barrier to taking action. Remove the barrier that stands between them and the desired result with your headline, and people will flock to read what you have to say.

• You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Retire on a Guaranteed Income for Life.
• You Don’t Have to Be a Geek to Make Money Online.
• You Don’t Have to Be an A-Lister to Be a Kick-Ass Blogger.

7. Do You Make These Mistakes?

This is always a powerful attention grabber, since no one likes to make mistakes. If you’ve targeted your content well for your intended audience, helping people avoid common mistakes is a sure-fire winner with this type of headline.

• Do You Make These Mistakes in English?
• Do You Make These Ajax Coding Mistakes?
• Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Blog?

Find these headline templates useful? Bookmark this page at del.icio.us for future reference. 🙂

For more headline advice, check out the Magnetic Headlines series.

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger, CEO of Copyblogger Media, and Editor-in-Chief of Entreproducer. Get more from Brian on Google+.