How Can I Write Headlines That Increase Click-Through Rates on Digital Ads?

Introduction

If you don't know how to write headlines that make people want to read the rest of your article, what's the point?

You've written a killer article that you know people are going to want to read. It's helpful, informative, and speaks directly to a common problem that your audience is having. After you post it on your website, you sit and wait...and wait...and wait. If you don't know how to write headlines that make people want to click, this is probably you.

According to Copyblogger, it's not unusual, either—only 2 out of 10 people will actually click and read.

It doesn't have to be that way, though. These nine tips will help you figure out why your audience isn't clicking on your content—and what to do about it.

1. Offer to Solve a Problem

When you Google something, you probably notice a pattern: the top results usually offer to solve a problem associated with the term you searched. If you want to show that your content is valuable, you need to be a problem-solver for your audience.

Problem-Solving Headline Formulas

• "How to [achieve desired outcome] without [common pain point]" - Example: "How to Generate More Leads Without Spending More on Ads"
• "[Number] Ways to Fix [specific problem]" - Example: "7 Ways to Fix Your Low Email Open Rates"
• "The Ultimate Guide to [solving painful problem]" - Example: "The Ultimate Guide to Eliminating Customer Churn"
• "Stop [frustrating behavior] and Start [desired behavior]" - Example: "Stop Guessing and Start Measuring Your Marketing ROI"

The key is specificity. "Improve Your Marketing" is weak. "Double Your Lead Conversion in 30 Days" is compelling because it promises a specific, measurable outcome.

2. Use Emotional Language...or Don't

According to a study conducted by the folks at Moz, readers sit at two ends of a spectrum when it comes to emotional language in headlines. The respondents' clicking tendencies tended to favor either headlines that use positive or negative superlatives (think best, worst, most, least) once or less (51%) or four times (25%).

Power Words That Drive Clicks

• Positive: Best, Proven, Easy, Free, Instant, Guaranteed, Exclusive
• Negative: Worst, Mistake, Never, Fail, Warning, Avoid, Dangerous
• Curiosity: Secret, Hidden, Surprising, Unexpected, Revealed
• Urgency: Now, Today, Limited, Last Chance, Final

Jay Schwedelson, subject line expert and author of Subject Line Counseling, emphasizes that emotional triggers must align with your audience's mindset. A B2B executive responds to different triggers than a B2C shopper.

3. Put the Most Important Words at the Beginning

When you're learning how to write headlines that lead to clicks, the structure of your headline is perhaps the best place to look first. If your most important words—the words that have the most impact on a reader—are not toward the beginning of a headline, you may lose the reader's interest before you even begin.

Front-Load Your Value

Compare these two headlines:

• Weak: "Learn How Our New System Can Help You Save Money on Your Monthly Bills"
• Strong: "Save $500/Month: The New System That Cuts Your Bills in Half"

The second headline leads with the benefit, not the feature. In digital ads especially, you have milliseconds to capture attention. Put your biggest promise first.

4. Take Advantage of Your Audience's FOMO

FOMO is a powerful thing in marketing. Use the reader's fear of missing out to your advantage when you write your headlines. To do so, you must create a sense of urgency. Mention a limited time offer. Suggest that your reader might fail to achieve their goals if they don't click on your article first.

Urgency Without Being Spammy

• Time-bound: "Last Chance: 5 Marketing Tactics That Will Stop Working in 2026"
• Exclusivity: "The Strategy Top 1% of Businesses Use (But Never Talk About)"
• Trend-based: "Why Everyone's Switching to This CRM Platform"
• Scarcity: "3 Spots Left: What Our Clients Know About Lead Generation"

5. Rewrite Your Headline as Many Times as Necessary

"On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar." – David Ogilvy

What advertising legend David Ogilvy is getting at in this quotation is that your headline is the most valuable part of your content. You need to invest the time you spend on it accordingly. Learning how to write headlines means learning how to rewrite headlines. Don't just write one headline and call it quits. Write several different versions, then pick the best one.

The 25-Headline Challenge

Copywriter John Carlton's famous technique:

1. Write your first headline
2. Write 24 more variations
3. Force yourself to find different angles, structures, and promises
4. By headline 20, you'll discover gold you never would have found otherwise

Most people write one headline and publish. The pros write 25 and pick the winner. Which approach do you think produces better results?

6. Be Specific About What Your Article Offers

Is there anything worse than clicking on an article and then realizing halfway through that you aren't going to get what you came for? If your headline doesn't accurately reflect the content that people are going to get when they click, then you're just wasting their time and abusing their trust. People don't like that.

Specificity Beats Vagueness

• Vague: "Improve Your Marketing Results"
• Specific: "Increase Your Email CTR by 47% With This One Subject Line Formula"
• Vague: "Better Social Media Tips"
• Specific: "17 Instagram Caption Templates That Generated 10,000+ Comments"

Numbers, percentages, timeframes, and concrete outcomes all signal to the reader that you're delivering something tangible, not just marketing fluff.

7. Ask a Question

By their very nature, questions imply a solution. Writing your headline in the form of a question is an excellent way to pique the reader's interest.

Question Headlines That Work

• "Are You Making These 5 SEO Mistakes?" - Triggers self-doubt and curiosity
• "What's the #1 Reason Your Ads Aren't Converting?" - Promises a single, clear answer
• "Why Do Some Businesses Grow While Others Stall?" - Creates a knowledge gap
• "Is Your Marketing Budget Wasted on the Wrong Channels?" - Challenges assumptions

The key is asking a question your audience is already asking themselves. Get inside their head and articulate their internal monologue.

8. Use a Headline Analyzer

A simple Google search will reveal several different options for headline analyzers. It's important to understand that each will have different ideas about what makes a good headline. Try as many as you can until you find one that works for your audience.

Popular Headline Analysis Tools

• CoSchedule Headline Analyzer - Scores headlines on emotional impact, word balance, and clarity
• Sharethrough Headline Analyzer - Focuses on engagement and impression potential
• Advanced Marketing Institute - Analyzes emotional marketing value
• Monscrape Headline Grader - Provides A/B testing insights

These tools are helpful guides, not gospel. A high score doesn't guarantee clicks, and a low score doesn't mean failure. Use them to identify weaknesses, not to dictate your entire strategy.

9. Look at What Has Worked for You in the Past

You might already know how to write headlines that work and not even know it! Look at the headlines you've used in the past and use them as templates for future headlines.

Build Your Swipe File

Create a document of your top-performing headlines:

1. Pull analytics from your best-performing blog posts and ads
2. Identify common structures, word choices, and promises
3. Document the patterns you see
4. Create templates based on winners
5. Apply those templates to new content

Your audience has already told you what works. You just need to listen and replicate.

Learning How to Write Headlines Takes Time

Now that you know some of the basics of headline writing, go and put these tips to the test in your content! You may not have success right away, but the more you practice, the better your results will be—and isn't the result what really matters?

Remember: your headline is your first impression, your value proposition, and your conversion lever all in one. Treat it accordingly.