How to Write a Headline That Sells
Most people read the headline and nothing else. Seven headline types that work for adverts, websites and sales pages, the mistakes that kill them, and a quick test for any headline you write.
Most people who see your advert, website or flyer read the headline and nothing else. If the headline doesn't make them want to read on, the rest of your words don't matter.
That's why good copywriters spend as long on the headline as on everything else combined. Here's how to write one that sells.
What a headline has to do
A selling headline does one of three things, fast:
- Names a result the reader wants.
- Names a problem the reader has.
- Makes the reader curious enough to keep going.
And it does it in words the reader would use. Not your industry's words. Theirs.
Seven headline types that work
1. The direct promise
Say exactly what they get.
"Solar for your home, installed in one day."
2. The problem
Name the pain.
"Tired of buying generator fuel every week?"
3. The how-to
Promise to teach something useful.
"How to stop paying for likes and start paying for customers."
4. The specific number
Numbers stop the eye and feel credible.
"Five signs your business has outgrown WhatsApp."
5. The objection answered
Hit the doubt head on.
"Original iPhones in Accra, with a one-year warranty you can check."
6. The before and after
"From orders in a notebook to orders that record themselves."
7. The audience call-out
Tell the right people this is for them.
"For Accra businesses doing GH₵ 20,000 a month or more."
Mistakes that kill headlines
- Your company name as the headline. "Welcome to Kwame Enterprises" tells the reader nothing.
- Clever over clear. A pun nobody gets loses to a plain promise every time.
- Vague words. "Quality", "excellence", "solutions", "innovative". They mean nothing.
- Too many ideas. One headline, one message.
- Talking about yourself. "We are Ghana's leading..." Lead with the reader.
- Promising what you can't deliver. A headline that overpromises makes the rest of the page feel like a lie.
Write twenty, pick one
The fastest way to a good headline is to write many. Write twenty versions. Most will be bad. Two or three will be good. Test those.
Try writing a version for each of the seven types above. Then ask: which would make me stop scrolling if I were the buyer?
Test it
The five-second test
Show the headline to someone for five seconds. Can they tell you what you sell and who it's for?
The "so what?" test
Read your headline and ask "so what?". If the answer is a benefit, put that benefit in the headline instead.
"Our power bank has 20,000mAh." So what? "Charge your phone four times when the light goes off."
The real test
Run two or three headlines in adverts or on a landing page and let the numbers decide. Click-through rate on adverts shows which headline makes people curious. Sales show which one makes them buy. See our creative testing framework.
Headlines on different channels
| Channel | What matters |
|---|---|
| Facebook and Instagram advert | The first line of text, before "see more" |
| Video advert | The first spoken line and on-screen text in the first three seconds. See ad hooks |
| Website homepage | The biggest words on the screen. See website copywriting |
| Google advert | Matching the words the person searched |
| Flyer or billboard | Readable in two seconds from a distance |
| Email or SMS | The first few words, which show in the preview |
Common questions
How long should a headline be?
As short as possible while still saying something specific. For adverts and websites, usually under twelve words.
Should headlines be questions?
Sometimes. A question that names a real problem works well. A question the reader can answer "no" to doesn't.
Can you write headlines for our adverts and website?
Yes. See our copywriting service and the guide to ad copywriting formulas.