Why You Should Always Write the Headline First
Here’s a hard truth: You only have seven seconds to grab someone’s attention online.
And in that time, your audience is doing one thing: looking for a reason to keep scrolling.
That means your content has to hook fast—and hard.
And it all starts with one thing: your headline.
The Real Job of Your Headline
Your headline isn’t just a title.
It’s a promise.
It’s a scroll-stopper.
It’s the one shot you have to make someone say, “I need to see more.”
But most creators treat the headline as an afterthought. Here’s the common content flow:
👉 Come up with an idea
👉 Write the content
👉 Slap on a headline before publishing
On paper, this seems logical.
But in reality, it’s how good content ends up unseen, unloved, and ignored.
Flip the Script: Start with the Headline
Now imagine this:
👉 Idea
👉 Headline
👉 Content
This small shift completely changes how you create—and how well your content performs.
It’s the strategy behind some of the most successful creators and marketers in the world.
Not because it’s trendy, but because it works.
Why Headline-First Content Wins
When you write the headline first, you’re doing more than writing a catchy title.
You’re setting the intention of the entire piece.
That headline becomes your north star, guiding what you say, how you say it, and who it’s for.
Let’s break it down with an example.
The Generic Approach
You’re writing a travel guide about the Pacific Northwest.
You land on a headline like:
“Top Spots in the Pacific Northwest You Have to Visit”
It’s okay.
But it’s vague, safe, and forgettable.
It doesn’t spark curiosity or urgency.
The Headline-First Approach
Now imagine you start with the headline.
You think like your audience.
You ask: What would make me click?
You consider:
Exclusivity: People want what others don’t know about.
→ “Hidden gems”Clarity: Specifics sell.
→ Use a number, like “11”Urgency: Give a reason to act now.
→ “Before the crowds do”
Now your headline becomes:
“11 Hidden Gems in the Pacific Northwest (Go Before the Crowds Do)”
That’s a headline with pull. It sparks interest and sets a clear expectation.
And more importantly, it gives you direction.
Suddenly, you know:
✅ What to include
✅ What to leave out
✅ What the audience will value most
That’s the power of starting with your headline.
Headline-First Means Audience-First
Most creators unknowingly build content for themselves.
They focus on what they think is interesting.
Headline-first flips that mindset. It forces you to think about:
What will stop the scroll?
What’s worth someone’s time?
What’s the real takeaway?
When you focus on the headline first, you’re building for them, not for you.
And that shift is what gets your message seen, shared, and remembered.
Make Your Content Work Harder
Here’s your next move:
📌 Start your next piece of content with a headline that demands attention.
📌 Then build the content that delivers on the promise.
Don’t just hope your ideas get noticed.
Engineer them to be un-ignorable.
Because when your headline leads, your content doesn’t just look better—it performs better.
