How to Write Headlines That Get Read + Curiosity Hooks

❤️ 15/15

The headline is the doorway: most people only read it, so flag them down with the four qualities

The headline decides whether anyone reads your copy. Ogilvy's classic observation: on average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body. Caples adds that a headline making a clear benefit promise delivers the pitch straight to the 'headline-only' reader — and those who read only the headline far outnumber those who read the body too. So the headline has two jobs: (1) filter — flag down the readers you actually want; (2) draw in — give them enough reason to read the next line. The takeaway is blunt: time spent on the headline pays back far more than fussing over wording in the body.

So what makes a headline qualify? In *Tested Advertising Methods*, John Caples names four qualities good headlines often share: self-interest, news, curiosity, and a quick-and-easy way. More importantly, he gives a tested order: self-interest is strongest (it promises what the reader wants, so they make time to read); news second; curiosity only third. Caples says bluntly: 'For every headline that succeeds on curiosity, a dozen fail.'

⚠️Curiosity is a garnish, not the main dish. What beginners overdose on is curiosity — thinking the more mysterious and sensational, the better. But headlines relying on curiosity alone mostly fail to convert, because they promise the reader no benefit — the reader only reads 'if they have time.' The right posture: lead with benefit/news, use curiosity for flavor — don't turn the whole dish into suspense.