Nobody reads bad headlines. They scan them, feel nothing, and move on. It doesn't matter how good the rest of your copy is — if the headline doesn't pull them in, it's over before it starts.

David Ogilvy said 80 cents of every dollar you spend on advertising is spent on the headline. He was right then. He's more right now.

Here's how to write headlines that work.

The Only Job a Headline Has

A headline has one job: get the first sentence read. That's it. It's not supposed to be clever. It's not supposed to win awards. It's supposed to make someone physically unable to stop reading.

Every time you write a headline, ask yourself: does this make someone need to know what comes next? If the answer is no, rewrite it.

The 4 U's Formula

This framework comes from Kyle Milligan's book Take Their Money — one of the best straight-talking books on copywriting out there. Every strong headline hits at least two of these four qualities. The best ones hit all four.

  • Useful — Does it promise something valuable?
  • Urgent — Does it create a reason to read now?
  • Unique — Does it say something they haven't heard a hundred times?
  • Ultra-specific — Does it use numbers, names, or details instead of vague generalities?

Compare these two headlines:

Weak: "Tips to Improve Your Email Marketing"

Strong: "The 3 Subject Line Mistakes That Are Killing Your Open Rates"

The second one is specific (3 mistakes), useful (you'll learn what's hurting you), and creates urgency (you might be making these right now). That's why it gets clicked.

Steal These Proven Headline Formulas

You don't need to invent a new headline structure. These have worked for decades. Fill them in with your topic and test them.

The "How To" Headline

Simple, useful, and evergreen. The key is being specific about the outcome.

Weak: How to Write Better Copy
Strong: How to Write Copy That Converts Cold Traffic Into Paying Customers

The Mistake Headline

People are terrified of doing things wrong. Use it.

"The Biggest Mistake Copywriters Make on Landing Pages — And How to Fix It in 10 Minutes"

The Specific Number Headline

Numbers make headlines concrete and scannable. Odd numbers perform better than even ones — nobody knows exactly why, but the data is consistent.

"7 Copywriting Rules That Doubled Our Client's Conversion Rate"

The Warning Headline

Creates urgency without being salesy. Works especially well in email subject lines.

"Warning: Your About Page Is Costing You Clients"

The "What Nobody Tells You" Headline

Implies insider knowledge. Makes the reader feel like they're about to get something most people don't know.

"What Nobody Tells You About Writing Long-Form Sales Pages"

The Specificity Rule

Vague headlines get ignored. Specific headlines get clicked. This is the single biggest upgrade most copywriters can make immediately.

Every time you write a headline with a word like "better," "improve," "great," or "effective" — stop. Replace it with a number, a timeframe, a name, or a result.

Before: "How to Get Better Results From Your Emails"
After: "How to Go From 18% to 40% Email Open Rates Without Changing Your List"

Same topic. Completely different level of pull.

Write 20 Headlines Before You Pick One

Your first headline is almost never your best one. Neither is your fifth. Professional copywriters write 20, 30, sometimes 50 headlines for a single piece before choosing one.

The process forces you to exhaust the obvious angles quickly and get to the ideas that are actually interesting. Your first five headlines will be generic. Your headlines 15 through 20 will surprise you.

Write them all down without judging them. Then go back and pick the strongest two or three to test.

Test Your Headline Before You Publish

Read your headline out loud. If it sounds like something a robot wrote for a corporate blog, rewrite it. If it sounds like something you'd actually say to a friend — you're getting close.

Then ask yourself: if I saw this headline in my inbox or on Google, would I actually stop and read it? Be honest. Most people aren't honest enough with themselves at this step and it costs them clicks every single day.

The Bottom Line

A great headline won't save bad copy. But bad headlines will kill great copy every time. Treat headline writing like a skill you practice deliberately — not something you knock out in 30 seconds before hitting publish.

Write more of them. Be more specific. Make the reader feel like they'd be an idiot to stop reading.

If you want to see these principles applied to email subject lines specifically, grab the free subject line guide here. Subject lines are just headlines for your inbox — the rules are the same. Or if you want me to look at your headlines directly, book a free call and we'll dig in together.