What Nobody Tells You About How To Write Good Headlines

This isn't Tinder. People should not be yawning and swiping LEFT on your posts.

I’m not here to be a writing coach, it’s not my wheelhouse. But what I love doing is giving out free tools to writers who might appreciate them.

If I had to pick the one comment I hear most from readers 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?

I remember reading an article advising writers to avoid using overly general titles such as, “Mom.” I agree. I’m sure I’d love your mom but unless you can get me to buy into her from the start, it's a no.

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 use it for every single headline I write on three different Substack publications and for many years over on Medium.