I sat there looking at the empty screen.
After 10 minutes of brain fog I just couldn't find an idea for my headline.
30 minutes later... nothing.
Despite noting down a few ideas I quickly deleted everything I'd written.
This used to be my life every time I had to write a headline.
I hated the process.
So much so that I'd put off starting everything else just so I could avoid it.
That was until I hired a coach who changed the way I write headlines.
And now, using this 5-step process writing headlines has never been easier.
In fact, it's actually pretty fun.
Let's jump right in.
1. Outline WHO you're writing for
Before you even think about what to write outline who you're writing for.
My favourite way is to brainstorm my ICP (ideal customer profile).
Who is the person?
What are their pain points?
What is stopping them from achieving a solution?
How does my product/ service provide a solution?
After outlining your readers main pain points start listing them in terms of how bad they are.
The most "painful" should be the focus of your headline.
2. Research the pain point to create a big idea
A big idea will help to attract your audience's attention.
However coming up with one can be a bottleneck in itself.
To help kickstart the process I spend 30 to 60 minutes researching the main pain point.
This will involve:
The more unique a story you find, the better it could be for your big idea.
After all, people love learning new things.
Once you've found an idea that will catch your reader's attention, it's time to move on to step 3.
3. Find numbers to back your idea
People are naturally attracted to numbers.
They're easier on the eye and can be used with great effect.
This is why they've been used in headlines for some of the world's most popular written pieces.
"The 7 habits of highly effective people"
"1,000 songs in your pocket"
"5 ways to achieve X without Y"
When using numbers I'd also recommend finding a stat that shocks people.
The overuse of listicles and click bait have created skepticism about numbers.
This means you need to do more with your numbers to stand out.
It's more difficult than it used to be, but with the right numbers people are always going to want to keep reading.
4. Brain dump
By now you should have an ICP, big idea and some numbers to back it.
Head out for a short walk (without your phone) and start writing as soon as you get back.
At this point you don't want to write the perfect headline.
You just want to brain dump on the page.
Set yourself a timer (15 to 20 minutes is fine) and just write.
Once your timer goes off read through the different headlines you've written.
Start to rank them and list the top 5 at the top of your page.
This is when the final stage begins.
5. Edit and finalise
Now you turn rocks into gems.
Look at your 5 favourite headlines.
Choose the top 3 and write 3-5 variations of each.
You can literally just change a word or two, they don't need to be completely different.
After that take another small break.
Get back to your desk and see which of your finalised headlines fits best.
If you're unsure on 1 or two, you can always A/B test (if you're client is happy to let you).
And just like that, you have an amazing headline (as well as others to test if yours doesn't work out).
All in all this process should take about 2 hours.
Which, considering your headline is the most important part of your copy, isn't really very long at all.
This process has completely changed the way I research and write headlines.
It's also significantly improved how fast I can write subject lines and come up with ideas...
