Scan time: 2-4 min / Read time: 4-6 min
Hey rebel solopreneurs 🦸♀️🦸♂️
You have 25 proven headline templates sitting in every copywriting book.
Most creators ignore them. They'd rather spend 3 hours staring at blank screens. Typing. Deleting. Retyping.
Smart ones plug templates into their AI sidekick. 60 seconds later? 25 headline options for their newsletter.
⛳️ Why this works
Before you write your newsletter, you need a headline that stops the scroll.
Without one? Readers see your subject line and delete. They don't know what's inside. They don't know if it's for them. They don't care.
Manual headline writing? Hours of second-guessing every word. "Should I mention this? Or that? Does this sound too generic? Too clever?"
Here's the thing...
Your headline is like a fishing lure.
Most creators spend hours hand-carving custom lures. Different shapes. Different colors. Different hooks.
But professional anglers? They use proven lures. The ones that work. Every. Single. Time.
Headline templates work the same way. They're proven formulas that captivate readers and hook them into what you have to say. Clear promises. Specific outcomes. Strategic positioning.
When your headline uses a proven template, readers don't just skim and delete. They open. They read. They click.
With the prompts below, you turn blank screen paralysis into 25 headline options. Pick the one that fits your topic. Done.
Turns out, templates beat brainstorming every time. BOOM.
Let's see how Taylor figured this out...
📋 Get better results with context setup. Setup in 5 minutes | Download sample
Taylor runs a productivity newsletter.
But here's their problem.
Every week they'd spend 3 hours wrestling with headlines. Type something. Delete it. Type something else. Delete that too.
"7 Productivity Tips..." Delete. "How To Get More Done..." Delete. "Stop Wasting Time On..." Delete.
3 hours later? Maybe one headline. Maybe.
Their content was great. But without compelling headlines, open rates stayed stuck at 14%.
Then Taylor found something. A collection of 25 proven headline templates from copywriting legends. Templates that worked for decades.
Changed everything.
Taylor decided to follow these steps:
Step 1: Train their AI sidekick on 25 proven headline templates Step 2: Feed their topic, audience, and desired outcome Step 3: Generate 25 headline variations in different styles
Step 1: Train their AI sidekick on 25 proven headline templates
Taylor opened ChatGPT/Claude (their AI sidekick).
They needed headlines that made people open their newsletter. Not just skim the subject line and delete.
But wait.
Which template should they use? How do you even know which one fits your topic?
They had no clue.
Every headline felt like a guess. Try one approach. Hope it resonates. Usually doesn't.
Here's what they tried...
The headline template training prompt
I want to write headlines to capture my target audience's attention using proven headline structures.
Here's what we are going to do:
I will give you a topic (TOPIC), an audience (FOR WHO), and outcome the audience desires (SO THAT).
You will write 1 headline for each of the 25 headline structures I provide.
Your job is to replace the variables between the brackets "[]" or any X placeholders.
1. X Little Known [Something] That Could Be Causing Your [Outcome]
- 7 Little Known SEO Mistakes That Could Be Causing Your Domain Score To Drop
- 4 Little Known Nutrients That Could Be Causing Your Blood Sugar To Spike
- 9 Little Known YouTube Channels That Could Be Causing Your Kids To Do Worse In School
2. A Day In The Life Of A [Profession]
- A Day In The Life Of A Ghostwriter For Founders, Executives, Grammy-Winning Musicians, And Professional Athletes
- A Day In The Life Of A Magician
- A Day In The Life Of A COVID-19 ICU Nurse
3. How [Industry] Is Taking Advantage Of [Audience]—And How To Fix It
- How The Car Insurance Industry Is Taking Advantage Of Elderly People—And How We Can Fix It
- How The Pharmaceutical Industry Is Taking Advantage Of Drug Addicts—And What The U.S. Government Should Do To Fix It
4. Is [Thing] A Scam? Here's My Honest Review
- Are Online Courses A Scam? Here's My Honest Review
- Is The iRobot Really Better Than A Vacuum Cleaner (Or Is It A Scam?). Here's My Honest Review
5. How To Get Rid Of [Something] Forever, Even If You're Tried Everything
- How To Get Rid Of Financial Debt Forever, Even If You've Tried Everything
- How To Get Rid Of Writer's Block Forever, Even If You've Tried Everything
- How To Get Rid Of Termites In Your House Forever, Even If You've Tried Everything
6. A Step-By-Step Guide For Doing X
- A Step-By-Step Guide For Launching Your First Paid Product Online
- A Step-By-Step Guide For Writing Your First Book
- A Step-By-Step Guide For Starting Your First Business
7. How To Make A Ton Of Money [Doing Something Unconventional]
- How To Make A Ton Of Money Mowing Lawns
- How To Make A Ton Of Money Writing Mini-eBooks On Amazon
- How To Make A Ton Of Money Hiring College Students To Clean Other People's Gutters
8. The Secret To Achieving [Something Desirable]
- The Secret To Achieving Financial Freedom
- The Secret To Achieving Happiness In Your Marriage
- The Secret To Achieving First Place In A Local Marathon
9. 9 Out Of Every 10 People [Make This Mistake]. Are You One Of Them?
- 9 Out Of Every 10 People Have More Than $10,000 Of Credit Card Debt. Are You One Of Them?
- 9 Out Of Every 10 People Are Afraid Of Public Speaking. Are You One Of Them?
10. (Written By Someone In The Industry)
- Why Tech Stocks Are Falling (Written By A Stock Trader)
- The Real Reason Teachers Get Paid So Little (Written By A 3rd Grade Teacher)
- How Come The Rich Get Richer And The Poor Get Poorer (Written By A Self-Made Millionaire)
11. How To Survive Your First [Meaningful Experience]
- How To Survive Your First Blind Date
- How To Survive Your First Day Of Working In A Large Company
- How To Survive Your First Week Of College
- How To Survive Getting Fired For The First Time
12. What [Someone Credible] Can Teach Us About [Topic]
- What Michael Jordan Can Teach Us About Work Ethic
- What Oprah Can Teach Us About Becoming A Great Interviewer
- What Malala Yousafzai Can Teach Us About Overcoming Adversity
13. The Ultimate Guide To [Something]
- The Ultimate Guide To Buying Your First House
- The Ultimate Guide To Surviving High School
- The Ultimate Guide To Saving Your First $10,000, Investing In Technology Stocks, And Setting Yourself Up For Financial Freedom
14. X Lessons Learned [From Doing Something]
- 7 Lessons Learned Building 10 Products Over The Past 10 Years
- 5 Lessons Learned After Taking My Company Public
- 11 Lessons Learned Writing 187 Short Novels
15. Why Something Happens (According To Science)
- Why Eye Contact Feels So Awkward (According To Science)
- Why It's Hard To Make Friends In New Cities (According To Science)
- Why TikTok Is So Addictive (According To Science)
16. X Things [This Detail] Say About You
- 10 Things Your Clothes Say About You
- 27 Things Your Smile Says About You
- The 1 Thing Your Shoes Say About You
17. A Guaranteed Method For [Achieving Something / Avoiding Something]
- A Guaranteed Method For Creating Viral Content
- A Guaranteed Method For Avoiding Getting Fired
- A Guaranteed Method For Writing A #1 Hit Song
- A Guaranteed Method For Avoiding Getting Divorced Later In Life
18. How To Achieve [Something] Without Needing To Give Up [Something]
- How To Achieve Financial Independence Without Giving Up Your Morning Starbucks Coffee Addiction
- How To Become A Millionaire Without Creating A Budget
- How To Start Your First Business Without Needing To Take Out A Loan Or Raise Any Money
19. How To [Achieve Something] In [A Short Amount Of Time]
- How To Memorize An Entire Textbook The Night Before A Big Test
- How To Get A Girl To Fall In Love With You After Just 1 Date
- How To Make $100,000 In The Stock Market In Less Than A Week
20. The X Things Most People Don't Know About [Topic]
- The 7 Things Most People Don't Know About What It's Like To Be A Doctor
- The 11 Things Most People Don't Know About Saving Money
- The 28 Things Most People Don't Know About Buying Their First Home
21. The X Biggest Mistakes People Make When [Doing Something]
- The 18 Biggest Mistakes People Make When They Get A Raise At Work
- The 3 Biggest Mistakes People Make When They Decide To Have Kids
- The 13 Biggest Mistakes People Make When They Start Cooking At Home
22. The X Best Books To Read If You're Interested In [Topic]
- The X Best Books To Read If You're Interested In Copywriting
- The X Best Books To Read If You're Interested In Learning Graphic Design
- The X Best Books To Read If You're Interested In Becoming A Life Coach
23. X Tips For [Overcoming Some Obstacle]
- X Tips For Losing Weight In Your 60s
- X Tips For Eating Healthy In College
- X Tips For Getting Backstage Passes To Your Favorite Artist's Biggest Shows
24. The Best Ways To Get [Something] Without Needing [Something]
- The Best Ways To Get Accepted To Harvard Without Needing To Be A Straight-A Student
- The Best Ways To Eat Healthy On A Budget Without Needing To Shop At The Dollar Store
- The Best Ways To Get A Girlfriend Without Needing To Be Good Looking
25. Want [Something]? Try [This]
- Want To Raise Money For Your Startup? Try Using This Pitch Deck Template
- Want To Get A Raise At Work? Try This 1 Negotiation Technique
- Want To Start A Podcast But Not Sure What To Talk About? Try Using This Endless Idea Generator To Come Up With A Bunch Of Ideas
Their AI sidekick now had 25 proven headline formulas. Each one tested and validated over decades of copywriting.
Template library: Loaded.
Step 2: Feed their topic, audience, and desired outcome
Taylor had the templates. But they still needed to apply them to their specific newsletter topic.
Manual application? They'd have to study each template. Figure out which variables to replace. Write 25 different variations themselves.
That's still 2 hours of work.
Here's what they did...
The headline generation prompt
Topic = {Writing Headlines}
Target Audience = {Beginning writers who are frustrated with the headline writing process}
Outcome = {Generate a list of proven headline ideas for any topic without spending hours brainstorming}
Their AI sidekick analyzed the topic, audience, and outcome.
Then it generated 25 headlines. One for each template. Each one customized to Taylor's specific newsletter topic.
The AI sidekick returned 25 options...
7 little known headline mistakes that could be causing your open rates to drop
A day in the life of a headline copywriter
How the content industry is taking advantage of beginning writers—and how to fix it
Is headline brainstorming a scam? Here's my honest review
How to get rid of writer's block forever, even if you've tried everything
A step-by-step guide for writing magnetic headlines
How to make a ton of money writing proven headlines
The secret to achieving 40% open rates
9 out of every 10 writers struggle with headlines. Are you one of them?
Why great headlines convert (written by a copywriter)
How to survive your first headline writing session
What David Ogilvy can teach us about headline writing
The ultimate guide to writing headlines that convert
7 lessons learned writing 10,000 headlines
Why some headlines go viral (according to science)
10 things your headline says about your content
A guaranteed method for writing click-worthy headlines
How to write compelling headlines without giving up your authentic voice
How to write 25 headlines in under 60 seconds
The 5 things most people don't know about headline psychology
The 3 biggest mistakes people make when writing headlines
The 7 best books to read if you're interested in copywriting
5 tips for writing headlines that convert
The best ways to get readers without needing to be clever
Want better open rates? Try these proven headline templates
25 proven headlines. 60 seconds. Each one ready to test.
Not bad.
Step 3: Generate endless template variations in different styles
Taylor scanned the list. Picked their favorite headline. Published their newsletter.
14% open rates → 27% open rates.
But wait.
What about next week's newsletter? And the week after that?
They could keep using the same 25 templates. But eventually they'd repeat themselves.
Here's what they discovered...
The endless template creation prompt
Great now can you give me 5 proven headline templates in the style of "{Buzzfeed}"?
I don't want you to use any that I've already given you.
Give me the template and 3 examples under each template.
Their AI sidekick knew dozens of headline styles...
Buzzfeed. Entrepreneur Magazine. New York Times. Dan Kennedy. David Ogilvy. Eugene Schwartz.
It generated 5 new templates in Buzzfeed style. Then 5 more in Entrepreneur style. Then 5 more in New York Times style.
Endless templates. Different styles. All proven.
Taylor went from 25 templates to 100+ templates. Each one ready to generate instant headlines.
Headline paralysis? Solved.
🏆 Taylor's results after 3 months
Before:
Spent 3 hours every week wrestling with headlines
Tried dozens of variations manually with no system
14% open rates stuck for 6 months
Constant second-guessing every word choice
After:
Generates 25 headline options in 60 seconds
Uses proven templates systematically
27% open rates after first month
Zero brainstorming paralysis
Their process now:
Open AI sidekick (5 seconds)
Input topic, audience, outcome (20 seconds)
Review 25 options and pick best fit (30 seconds)
Publish newsletter with confidence (5 seconds)
Total time: 60 seconds. Not 3 hours.
Their AI sidekick handles headline generation in under a minute. BOOM.
🧩 Your turn
Copy the training prompt into your AI sidekick.
Paste all 25 headline templates. Their AI sidekick learns the formulas.
Then copy the generation prompt. Input your topic, audience, and desired outcome.
Done.
Generation time: 30-60 seconds. Time to publish: 2 minutes.
That's it, my fellow outliers!
Yours 'helping you automate the boring stuff' Vijay peduru 🦸♂️