Headlines

The opening line of any piece of writing that must earn attention before earning comprehension. Nicolas Cole’s empirical summary from 5,000 articles and 100M+ views: 99% of viral content fits within five headline styles.

The five patterns (Cole)

1. The List — skimmable by design. “Everyone says they hate listicles… and then they click on them.” Works when the content delivers on the specific promise.
2. The Story — compresses a mountain into a few words. Rule: “Be CLEAR, not clever.” The best story headlines tell you exactly what you’re getting; mystery is a myth.
3. The Opinion — plant your flag, pick a side. “If you want to be heard on the Internet you need to be polarizing.” Polarizing means knowing who your content isn’t for and doubling down on who it is for. Avoid hedge words (maybe, might, sometimes); use conviction words (absolutely, always).
4. The Question — state your reader’s question and tease the answer. Never answer the question in the headline — the curiosity gap is what pulls the click. Tease the method, not the solution.
5. The Framework — readers love a shortcut. Communicate: what’s the name, who’s it for, and why is it helpful. “Do this, it’s a shortcut.”

Where this appears

• Over the Past 8 Years… (tweet)