I learned headline writing craft as a newspaper editor for over 10 years. Picking the perfect headline is a word game for me. It could be a game for you too.

Picture this: Your brain as a bingo console. Think about one of those round hoppers with lots of numbered balls rolling around in it. But instead of numbers, your mind needs to churn round words.

It’s the headline writer’s job to select and spit out the right combination of words that make the perfect headline.

Ok so far, so random. Anyone can spew out words, but the trick is getting these words to make sense in a sentence. And that’s only the start – they must grab the reader’s attention and entice them to read on.

Rule #1: Keep it concise and clear.

Sounds simple, yet…

Godfather of advertising, David Ogilvy once said: “Never use tricky or irrelevant headlines…People read too fast to figure out what you are trying to say.”

It rings as true 50 years ago as it does today. Especially as we are more distractable than ever. Don’t make your reader fight for comprehension. Write in plain English and use words that are immediately understood and quick to digest.

As for length, your headline should be 8-10 words (or less). Use the minimum words you can to make the case for reading on.

Rule #2: Use strong, emotional words.

If you can get your reader to feel something at the outset, they’ll be compelled to read on. Think about the emotions you want to evoke. Are they inspiration, excitement, curiosity, urgency, fear, joy, or anger? Pick one as an emotional trigger to work with in your headline.

Emotional words can help you capture attention, generate clicks, and persuade readers to take action.

in contrast, intellectual or technical words may also get your point across, but the effect is not the same. So weed out the intellectual words you see and replace them with emotional words. Your reader will be more likely to take your desired action if you trigger an emotional response in them.

Have a look at these examples:

Emotional Words: Good for, Dare, Hurry, Dirty, Save, Smart, Proven.

Intellectual equivalents: Benefit, Challenge, Haste, Soiled, Preserve, Astute, Demonstrated.

And don’t use emotional trigger words for the sake of it. This is especially important in your email subject lines. Spam filters often frown upon words like Free, Guaranteed, Earn or Deal. There’s a real and present danger that those emails will get sent straight to the recipient’s junk mail or spam folder.

Rule #3: Incorporate numbers and statistics.

Numbers work well in headlines and titles as they give the reader a sense of predictability. It’s finite, with a number of points, a structure and an end. They act like a safety blanket, hinting that the text will not waffle endlessly.

Numbers help you know exactly what to expect. They give your audience a distinct and measurable insight into the value that they’re going to get from reading your article.

LinkedIn content expert and Ghostwriter, Ehilmana Wunderkind said: “Using specific numbers works well when writing social media posts because it helps build trust with the audience. When you use a number, like saying something happened “eight weeks ago”, it makes the post appear more authentic because it relates to a real example or an experience that actually happened.”

This builds credibility and trust between the writer and their audience.

Rule 4: The Promise

Your headline needs to make a promise to the reader about what they will get in return for their time and attention.

Beware of using click-bait tactics to reel someone in. You want their attention, yes. But not at any cost. If the article doesn’t deliver on the promise of the headline, it’ll do your reputation as a writer more harm than good.

If I can leave you with one takeaway, it’s this:

Your headline has just one job – to get your reader to the next line.

That’s it!