# Ten headline options with the reasoning behind each one

> Generates ten headlines across five styles with character counts and rationale, flags any that overpromise, and picks the top three for your placement.

- **Author:** [Sofia Hernandez (@sofia_hernandez)](https://promptabide.com/sofia_hernandez)
- **Tested on:** Claude · Opus 5.5
- **You fill in:** `summary`, `placement`, `reader`
- **Published:** 2026-09-14
- **Updated:** 2026-09-24
- **Tags:** `copywriting`, `writing`, `editing`, `content-creation`
- **Keywords:** headline ideas for an article, write better headlines prompt, news headline options with reasons, blog post title generator prompt, how to write a headline that gets clicks
- **Views:** 1806
- **Likes:** 30

**Best for:** Writers, editors and marketers who've finished a piece and want a range of headline options to choose from, not just one suggestion.

## Prompt

```
Write headline options for this piece.

The piece: {{summary}}
Where it runs: {{placement}}
The reader and what they want: {{reader}}

Give me 10 headlines, 2 in each of these styles: plain statement of the key finding; a specific number or detail; a question the reader already has; practical or "how"; contrarian or surprising (only if the piece truly supports it).

For each: the headline, its character count, and one line of rationale: what it promises and who it will pull in.

Then:
- Mark any headline that promises more than the piece delivers, and cut or fix it.
- Pick your top 3 for the placement I gave (search results need the key term early; social feeds reward a clear surprise; newsletters can be more playful), and say why.
- Write a dek (subhead) for your top pick, under 25 words.
```

## Variables

- `{{summary}}` — What the piece says, including key facts (e.g. Library checkout data shows adult e-book loans overtook print while kids' print loans rose 14%)
- `{{placement}}` — Where the headline will appear (e.g. local news site homepage, shared on Facebook)
- `{{reader}}` — Who reads it and what they want (e.g. local parents and library users)

## Example input

```
summary: Our city library analyzed 3 years of its own checkout data (1.2 million loans). E-book loans overtook print for adults in 2025, but children's print loans rose 14% over the same period. Interviews with 4 librarians and 6 parents suggest parents are choosing print on purpose to limit screen time. The piece also covers the library's 2027 budget request to expand the children's print collection.
placement: local news site homepage, also shared on Facebook
reader: local parents and library users who want to know what's changing at their library
```

## Output

*Produced by Claude · Opus 5.5.*

```
**Plain statement**
1. Adults now borrow more e-books than print. Kids are going the other way. (72) Promises a clear two-sided finding; pulls in general library users.
2. E-books overtook print for adults at the library in 2025 (56) Straight news; the key fact, but only half the story.

**Specific number or detail**
3. Kids' print loans up 14% at the library as adults switch to e-books (67) The number gives it weight; pulls in parents.
4. 1.2 million library loans show a split: adults on screens, kids on paper (72) The scale signals real data; appeals to readers who like numbers.

**Question**
5. Are kids still reading print books? The library's checkout data says yes (72) Answers a question parents already ask; the payoff is in the headline.
6. Why are parents choosing print books for their kids? (52) Promises the interviews; pulls in parents, though it's based on six of them.

**Practical / how**
7. How the library wants to grow its kids' print collection in 2027 (64) Promises the budget story; pulls in regular users and civic-minded readers.
8. Looking for print books for your kids? Here's what's changing at the library (76) **Overpromises:** nothing has changed yet; the piece covers a budget *request*. Fixed: "Parents want print books for kids. The library is asking to buy more." (69)

**Contrarian**
9. Screens didn't win at the library. Not with kids, anyway. (57) Plays against the "print is dying" assumption; the second sentence keeps it honest.
10. Print isn't dying at the library. It's moving to the kids' section. (67) Same surprise, more concrete image; strong for sharing.

**Top 3 for a local homepage and Facebook**
1. **#10.** A clear surprise with a concrete picture, the kind of thing people share with "did you know."
2. **#3.** Leads with the number and the local angle; best if the homepage shows headlines without images.
3. **#1.** The plainest version of both halves; a safe choice if the site's style is straight news.

**Dek for #10**
Checkout data from 1.2 million loans shows adults moving to e-books while kids' print loans rose 14%. Parents we spoke to say it's deliberate.
```

## Why it works

Requiring **two headlines in each of five styles** forces genuine range; asked for "10 headlines," models usually write ten versions of one idea. **Character counts** matter because homepages, search results and social cards all truncate. The **one-line rationale** helps you decide on purpose rather than by gut. The **overpromise check** is the editorial safeguard: headlines are where accuracy slips first. Tying the **top 3 to the placement** reflects that a good search headline and a good Facebook headline are different things.

## When not to use it

Don't use this to pick a winner on its own: if you have traffic, A/B test the top two. For SEO, check the actual search term people use rather than trusting the model's guess. If the piece itself is unclear about its main point, fix the piece first; no headline will rescue it.

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