How One Headline Brought Me 99 New Subscribers

This is NOT a humble-brag, it's a tool you can use to improve your headline-writing skills.

This is a repurposed version of one of my all-time most popular posts from last year.

I LOVE sharing free tools with writers who may find them helpful!

If I had to pick the one comment I’ve heard most from readers (besides raving about my idea-weaving brain), it’s about my headlines. And it’s been happening since long before Substack:

How much thought do you put into your post titles?

Are they general and vague? If so, do you hope to draw readers in with it? This isn't Tinder. People should not be yawning and swiping LEFT on your posts.

I recall coming across a blog post titled “Mom.” I’m sure I’d love your mom, but how are you convincing me to read her story with a dull headline like that?

If you call your story “Cats,” I may block you because I don’t like cats 😁 However, if you call it something like “Your Cat Does Not Belong On The Dining Room Table,” I’ll dive into it headfirst because I wholeheartedly agree they don’t belong there.

(BTW, that cat story by Roz Warren went completely viral on Medium and the whole internet. See what I’m saying?)

While writing coaches everywhere are ranting at you about writing good headlines, nobody is telling you how to KNOW if it’s a good headline.

Here’s a FREE tool to help you:

I’ve used it for every single headline I've written on three different Substack publications and for many years over on Medium.

It’s called Monster Headline Analyzer.

I’m sure it’s not the only headline analyzer on the internet, but I’ve been using it forever, and I consistently receive amazing feedback, so there’s that.

To illustrate how I put it into practice, here’s a screenshot of several headline possibilities I tried for this exact post last year.

Screenshot from Monster Headline Analyzer

And here are the stats from this post last year:

When you type a title idea into this tool, it rates it on a scale of 0 to 100. Look at the significant difference a word or two can make in that screenshot above.

This headline tool doesn’t only give you a numeric score; it provides a whole page of advice, ideas, word suggestions, and more to help you improve your headline. If you consistently use this tool, eventually you will learn the key elements of a great headline.

I love challenging myself to come up with titles scoring 90 or above. It has become a game of running random sentences through this tool to generate possible story ideas, including the one you’re currently reading.

See how adding ONE word changes the score dramatically?

I am now using this post as an A/B split test because it’s the same one I published a year ago, but with a different headline. The only difference this year is that I have almost four times the number of subscribers. So, let’s see how this plays out.

Never be afraid to experiment!

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DISCLAIMER: The tool cannot teach you how to be funny, witty, or creative. 😁However, it can teach you how to be concise while offering alternative ways to craft your perfect headline.

You’re welcome! 😊

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