Scan time: 3-5 min / Read time: 5-7 min
Hey rebel solopreneurs 🦸♀️🦸♂️
Most creators spend 3 hours testing headline variations manually for their newsletters.
Write one version. Test it. Rewrite it. Still get 12% open rates.
Smart ones run 3 prompts in 90 seconds and upgrade any weak headline into a magnetic headline.
⛳️ Why this works
Before you hit publish, you need a headline that stops the scroll.
Without one? Readers bounce. See your post and keep scrolling. Don't know what it's about. Don't know who it's for. Don't know why they should care.
Manual headline writing? Hours of second-guessing every word.
"Should I make it more specific? Add numbers? Sound more urgent?"
You're basically throwing darts blindfolded.
Here's the thing...
Your headline is like a storefront sign.
Most creators write the equivalent of "STORE." Accurate. Boring. Forgettable.
But a great sign tells you exactly what's inside and why you should walk in.
"Fresh Bagels Baked Hourly Since 1952."
The 3-prompt diagnostic system works the same way. Each prompt identifies what's missing and fixes it.
Prompt 1 asks: What's the topic? Who's it for? What's the outcome? Makes it specific.
Prompt 2 asks: Is this tangible or fluffy? Transforms "make more money" into "make $5,000."
Prompt 3 adds: Trust signals. Obstacles removed. Bonus outcomes. The whisper that pushes readers over the edge.
When your headline answers all 3 questions clearly, readers don't just scan and scroll.
They click. They read. They act.
Turns out, diagnostic beats guessing every time. BOOM.
Let's see how Nina figured this out...
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Nina runs a productivity newsletter.
But here's her problem.
Headlines averaged 12% open rates. She'd been stuck there for 3 months.
Every week? Same routine.
Stare at the blank doc. Type "Maximize Your Productivity." Delete. Type "Unlock Better Time Management." Delete.
45 minutes gone. Still nothing that felt right.
She'd publish something okay-ish. Get 12% opens. Repeat next week.
Then Nina found something. A principle from multi-million dollar copywriting experts. Something about how great headlines answer 3 questions.
Changed everything.
Nina decided to follow these steps:
Step 1: Run her headline through a specificity diagnostic Step 2: Transform intangible language into concrete numbers Step 3: Add a whisper that builds credibility or urgency
Step 1: The headline feels generic but she doesn't know what's missing
Nina opened ChatGPT/Claude (her AI sidekick).
She had a headline: "5 Days Of Copywriting Mastery."
Sounds decent, right?
Wrong.
It lacks specificity. Mastery FOR WHAT? Who's this for? Beginners? Veterans? B2B writers?
She had no clue what was missing.
She needed a diagnostic. Something that would show her exactly what gaps exist.
Here's what she tried...
The specificity diagnostic prompt
I am going to give you a headline and I want you to make more specific.
A good headline must answer 3 questions:
- What is this about? (the specific topic)
- Who is this for? (the specific type of audience)
- And why should they read it? (the specific promise/outcome)
For example:
Using the headline "6 Tips For Entry-Level Project Managers To Get Promoted In Their First 30 Days"
- The topic = Promotion Tips
- The audience = Entry-Level Project Managers
- The promise = Get promoted in your first 30 days
And to make a headline more specific...
For the topic:
- Specify the topic within the topic (instead of "project management" pick a topic inside the umbrella topic of project management—like "task delegation" or "risk assessment" or "stakeholder communication," etc.).
- Specify the application of the topic (project management "what" specific asset—like "project management techniques for software development" or "project management strategies for construction projects.").
For the audience:
- Specify the audience (instead of just "grilling tips," pick a specific audience you want to give grilling tips to—like "grilling tips for beginners" or, even more specific, "grilling tips for people who have never used a grill before in their life," etc.).
- Specify the location of the audience (instead of just "grilling tips," specify where that audience is located in the world or in terms of their grilling environment—like "grilling tips for city dwellers with small balconies" or "grilling tips for those who live in rainy climates," etc.).
For the promise:
- Specify the benefits (not just "enterprise marketing strategies" but "enterprise marketing strategies that lead to what benefits"—like "…strategies that attract higher-quality clients, that churn less, and stay loyal customers over a longer period of time."
- Specify the problems (not just "enterprise marketing mistakes" but "enterprise marketing mistakes that lead to what problems"—like "…mistakes that cause you to lose your most valuable clients, waste more sales resources, and lower the profitability of your department.")
I will give you the headline.
You will list the topic, the audience, and the promise. If any are missing, say so.
You will transform the headline into a specific headline folowing the guidelines from above.
Her AI sidekick analyzed the headline.
Returned exactly what was missing:
Topic: Too broad (copywriting mastery)
Audience: Not specified (who needs this?)
Promise: Intangible (what IS mastery?)
Then generated specific versions:
For email marketers to boost open rates and prevent costly mistakes
For B2B copywriters to master client-attracting techniques
For beginners to master email subject lines specifically
Nina picked the email marketer angle.
Now she had specificity.
But wait. Something still felt off.
Step 2: The headline sounds fluffy and vague
Nina looked at the improved headline: "5 Days To Email Copywriting Mastery For Marketers To Boost Open Rates And Avoid Costly Mistakes."
Better.
But "mastery," "boost," and "costly mistakes" were all fluffy.
What does "boost" mean? 5%? 50%? What ARE the costly mistakes worth?
She needed concrete numbers. Real outcomes readers could visualize.
Here's what she tried...
The tangibility diagnostic prompt
I am going to give you a headline and I want you to make it "TANGIBLE."
Your task is to transform intangible problems, benefits, or outcomes into TANGIBLE problems, benefits, or outcomes.
TANGIBLE problems, benefits, and outcomes are noun-oriented ("...to buy your first $1 million house")
Intangible problems, benefits, and outcomes are adjective-oriented ("...to live happily ever after").
For example:
Intangible: Make more money
Tangible: Make $2,000
Intangible: Fall in love
Tangible: Fall in love in your early 20s—and reduce your risk of getting divorced
Intangible: Have a fulfilling career
Tangible: Have a career you are proud to talk about around the dinner table
Intangible: Get into real estate
Tangible: Buy your first single-family rental property
Intangible: Become a pro email marketer
Tangible: Increase the open rate of you emails by 78%
I will give you the headline.
You will list any intangible pieces of the headline.
You will transform the headline into a tangible headline.
Her AI sidekick identified the fluff:
"Boost open rates" (by how much?)
"Costly mistakes" (what's the dollar cost?)
"Mastery" (what does mastery actually look like?)
Then transformed them:
Boost open rates → Achieve 90% open rate
Costly mistakes → Prevent $5,000 in losses
Mastery → (implied by the specific results)
Now Nina had: "5 Days To Email Copywriting For Marketers To Achieve 90% Open Rates And Prevent $5,000 In Losses."
Specific. Tangible.
But still missing one thing.
Step 3: The headline needs credibility or urgency
Nina's headline was clear. It promised concrete results.
But why should readers trust it?
She needed something that pushed skeptics over the edge. A credibility marker. An obstacle removed. A bonus outcome.
The "whisper" - that parenthetical addition that makes readers think "okay, I'm in."
Here's what she tried...
The whisper technique prompt
I am going to train you to use the "Whisper Technique."
The "Whisper Technique" is where you make your primary promise in your headline (and then you "whisper" a follow-up idea in parenthesis).
The things you can "whisper" are:
- A "trust me" sentence
- A "without this obstacle" sentence
- A "and with this additional benefit" sentence
- A "and so you can achieve this outcome too" sentence
For example:
- Trust Whisper = "Written By A Twitter Creator With 100k Followers"
- Obstacle Whisper = "Without Spending Any Money On Ads"
- Benefit Whisper = "And How To Solve It"
- Outcome Whisper = "And Start Earning $250,000 Per Year In Your Sweatpants"
I will give you a headline and you will create 4 new headlines using the "Whisper Technique," one for each type of whisper.
Her AI sidekick generated 4 variations:
Trust: "(Written By A Marketer With 400,000+ Email Subscribers)"
Obstacle: "(Without Spending Hours On A/B Testing)"
Benefit: "(And Build A Profitable Email List)"
Outcome: "(And Turn Subscribers Into Paying Customers)"
Nina picked the obstacle whisper. Perfect.
Final headline: "5 Days To Email Copywriting For Marketers To Achieve 90% Open Rates And Prevent $5,000 In Losses (Without Spending Hours On A/B Testing)"
Specific. Tangible. Credible.
Done.
🏆 Nina's results after 2 months
Before:
Spent 3 hours per week testing headline variations manually
Headlines averaged 12% open rates
No systematic way to know what was missing
Guessed what readers wanted
After:
Headlines consistently hit 24-27% open rates
Systematic diagnostic process catches gaps every time
Runs 3 prompts in 90 seconds per headline
Generates 6 options, picks the best
Her process now:
Run specificity prompt (30 seconds)
Run tangibility prompt (30 seconds)
Run whisper prompt (30 seconds)
Pick best option from the 6 variations (2 minutes)
Total time: 3 minutes. Not 3 hours.
Her AI sidekick handles the diagnostic analysis in 90 seconds. BOOM.
🧩 Your turn
Got a headline that feels weak but you don't know why?
Copy the specificity prompt into your AI sidekick.
Paste your headline. Their AI sidekick shows you what's missing and generates specific versions.
Copy the tangibility prompt.
Paste the improved headline. Their AI sidekick transforms fluffy language into concrete numbers.
Copy the whisper prompt.
Paste the tangible headline. Their AI sidekick adds credibility markers that push readers over the edge.
Pick your favorite version. Publish.
Generation time: 90 seconds. Time to publish: 3 minutes.
That's it, my fellow outliers!
Yours 'finding high-potent AI shortcuts so you work less' Vijay peduru 🦸♂️