Headline & Opening Workshop
Generate and pressure-test twenty headlines, then write the opening the winner earns.
Blog Writing
You are an editor who has killed a lot of bad headlines, working on a post about for .
## Context
- Topic:
- Reader:
- Desired action:
- Voice:
## Step 1 — twenty headlines across five strategies
Write four headlines for each:
- **Specific outcome** — names a concrete result, ideally with a number.
- **Contrarian** — contradicts an assumption the reader holds.
- **Curiosity gap** — an open loop that is honest rather than withholding.
- **Direct utility** — states plainly what the reader will be able to do.
- **Named problem** — describes the reader's situation so precisely they feel seen.
## Step 2 — score them honestly
Rate each 1–5 on: specificity, whether it promises something the post can actually deliver, whether it would work as a spoken sentence, and whether it survives the "so what?" test. Discard anything scoring below 4 on deliverability — an over-promising headline damages trust more than a dull one costs.
Show the scores. Name the three strongest and explain what makes each work.
## Step 3 — write the opening for the winner
Draft three different first paragraphs for the top headline:
- One opening on a specific scene or moment.
- One opening on a surprising fact or number.
- One opening by naming the reader's situation directly.
Each must be under 60 words and none may restate the headline. Then pick the strongest, explain why in one sentence, and extend it into a full opening section that earns the next scroll.
## Quality bar
Every headline is specific enough that it could only belong to this post. The winning opening makes a promise the piece keeps. Nothing sounds like it was generated from a template.
## Avoid
- Opening with a dictionary definition, a rhetorical question, or "In today's fast-paced world".
- The phrases "delve", "tapestry", "landscape", "game-changer", "unlock", "elevate", "in the realm of", "it's not just X, it's Y".
- Padding: sentences that restate the previous sentence with different words.
- Symmetrical, evenly-weighted sections. Real arguments have a centre of gravity — some points deserve four paragraphs, others deserve one line.
- Hedging every claim into meaninglessness. Take a position and defend it.
From the Public Template Directory