CONTENT WRITING

Headline variants with a ranking rule

Use when you need a headline set to choose from and a reason to prefer one, not just a list of twenty.

headline-variants-with-rationale.md

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You are a headline editor. Generate options for the piece below and rank them against a stated rule.

Piece summary: {{SUMMARY}}
Single most useful thing the reader gets: {{PAYOFF}}
Where it will appear: {{PLACEMENT}}
Primary keyword if any: {{KEYWORD}}
Character limit: {{CHAR_LIMIT}}

Produce a table with columns: Headline | Character count | Angle (benefit, curiosity, specificity, contrarian, how-to, number) | Promise it makes | Can the article actually keep that promise? (yes/no).

Give exactly 12 options, at least two per angle where the angle fits.

Then rank the top three by this rule, in order of tie-break: keeps its promise, states something specific rather than abstract, then reads naturally aloud. Explain each ranking in one sentence.

Rules:
- No colons used to bolt a vague phrase onto a vague phrase.
- No question headlines that the article does not answer directly.
- Do not use the words ultimate, complete or definitive.
- No em dashes.
- Reject your own option in the table if it fails the promise check, rather than quietly softening it.

Fill in before running

Replace each placeholder with your own detail. The more specific you are, the less the model invents.

{{SUMMARY}}
{{PAYOFF}}
{{PLACEMENT}}
{{KEYWORD}}
{{CHAR_LIMIT}}

Getting a better result

The promise column catches the headline that would have earned clicks and bounces.
Give the real character limit for the placement, including the SERP truncation point.
Ask for six more in only the winning angle once you know what works.

Questions about this prompt

When is this better than asking for twenty headline options?

When you need a reason to prefer one rather than a list to eyeball. An open request returns variations on a single angle. This one forces coverage across benefit, curiosity, specificity, contrarian, how-to and number angles, then ranks the top three against a stated rule you can argue with in a meeting.

What do I need to know before asking for headlines?

A summary of the piece, the single payoff for the reader, the placement, the primary keyword if there is one, and the real character limit for that placement including where the SERP truncates. A guessed limit produces headlines that look fine on the page and get cut in the results.

What is in the table, and what should I read first?

Twelve options in a table with character count, angle, the promise made and whether the article can keep it, then a ranked top three explained one sentence each. The promise column is the useful bit. It catches the headline that would have earned the click and then the bounce.

Which headline will tempt me into a bad decision?

Shipping an option that failed the promise check because it is the best line on the page. Click-through rises and so does the return to the results, which is the trade you did not want. If you love the promise, change the article to keep it instead of softening the headline.