<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
<!-- SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025-2026 Marcus Quinn -->

# Headline Swipe File

50+ proven headlines with analysis. Format: **Headline** — Source | Why it works | Template.

## Classic Headlines (Timeless)

1. **"At 60 Miles an Hour, the Loudest Noise in This New Rolls-Royce Comes from the Electric Clock"** — Ogilvy/Rolls-Royce
   Extreme specificity (60 mph), unexpected comparison, implies luxury without stating it, vivid mental picture.
   `"At [specific situation], the [surprising element] in this [product] comes from [unexpected source]"`

2. **"They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano — But When I Started to Play..."** — Caples/U.S. School of Music
   Social tension opener, curiosity about resolution, underdog identification, transformation implied.
   `"They [negative reaction] when I [action] — but when I [result]..."`

3. **"Do You Make These Mistakes in English?"** — Sherwin Cody
   Direct address, fear of looking foolish, curiosity about which mistakes, implies solution.
   `"Do You Make These [topic] Mistakes?"`

4. **"The Lazy Man's Way to Riches"** — Joe Karbo
   Desire for easy results, contradiction creates intrigue, aspirational outcome.
   `"The [Unlikely Approach] Way to [Desired Outcome]"`

5. **"How to Win Friends and Influence People"** — Dale Carnegie
   Clear promise, two benefits in one, universal desire, "How to" signals practical value.
   `"How to [Benefit 1] and [Benefit 2]"`

## SaaS Headlines (Modern)

6. **"Where Work Happens"** — Slack
   3 words, positions as essential, aspirational, category-defining.
   `"Where [Outcome] Happens"`

7. **"Get More Done"** — Todoist
   Universal desire, action-oriented, benefit-focused.
   `"[Action] [Outcome]"`

8. **"Financial infrastructure for the internet"** — Stripe
   Ambitious positioning, "infrastructure" = essential, appeals to builders.
   `"[Function] for [big thing]"`

9. **"The All-in-One Toolkit for Working Remotely"** — Notion
   "All-in-one" = simplification, specific use case, practical value.
   `"The All-in-One [Category] for [Specific Use Case]"`

10. **"Move Fast. Stay Aligned."** — Linear
    Two opposing ideas reconciled, speaks to team pain, rhythmic.
    `"[Action]. [Preserve something important]."`

## Curiosity Headlines

11. **"What Never to Eat on an Airplane"**
    Negative framing (loss avoidance), specific situation, curiosity about the secret.
    `"What Never to [Action] [Specific Situation]"`

12. **"What Your Doctor Doesn't Know About [Condition]"**
    Challenges authority, information asymmetry, reader becomes insider.
    `"What [Authority] Doesn't Know About [Topic]"`

13. **"The 1 Weird Trick That [Result]"**
    "1" = simple, "Weird" = curiosity, "Trick" = insider knowledge, specific result.
    `"The [Number] [Adjective] [Method] That [Result]"`

14. **"Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market"**
    "Some people" = exclusivity, "Almost always" = realistic, implies secret pattern.
    `"Why Some [People] Almost Always [Desirable Outcome]"`

15. **"An Open Letter to Anyone Who's Ever Been Frustrated by [Problem]"**
    "Open letter" = personal/intimate, self-qualifying audience, empathy first.
    `"An Open Letter to Anyone Who [Relatable Experience]"`

## Problem Headlines

16. **"Tired of [Problem]? There's a Better Way."**
    Acknowledges pain, implies solution, "better way" = improvement not just a fix.
    `"Tired of [Problem]? [Promise]."`

17. **"Is Your Website Costing You Customers?"**
    Question format, fear of loss, controllable, implies "yes".
    `"Is Your [Thing] Costing You [Valuable Thing]?"`

18. **"Warning: [Negative Outcome] May Be Destroying Your [Important Thing]"**
    "Warning" = urgency/fear, loss aversion, personalized ("Your").
    `"Warning: [Negative Element] May Be [Destroying/Harming] Your [Important Thing]"`

19. **"Are You Making These [Number] Common [Topic] Mistakes?"**
    Curiosity about which mistakes, fear of looking foolish, number adds specificity.
    `"Are You Making These [Number] Common [Topic] Mistakes?"`

20. **"Why [Thing] Doesn't Work (And What to Do Instead)"**
    Challenges conventional wisdom, reader wants what DOES work, provides solution.
    `"Why [Common Approach] Doesn't Work (And What to Do Instead)"`

## Social Proof Headlines

21. **"How I Made $15,000 in 30 Days with [Method]"**
    Specific numbers + timeframe, personal story, universally desired result.
    `"How I [Achieved Result] in [Timeframe] with [Method]"`

22. **"Steal Our [Result] Playbook (We Made $[X] Last Year)"**
    "Steal" = insider access, social proof via specific number, actionable.
    `"Steal Our [Outcome] Playbook"`

23. **"Join [Number] [People] Who [Desirable Action/Result]"**
    Social proof, specific number, FOMO, invitational.
    `"Join [Number] [People] Who [Action/Result]"`

24. **"What [Successful Person] Knows About [Topic] That You Don't"**
    Authority figure, information asymmetry, desire to emulate success.
    `"What [Successful Person/Group] Knows About [Topic] That You Don't"`

25. **"The [Method] That [Person/Company] Used to [Achieve Result]"**
    Proven methodology, social proof, replicable implied.
    `"The [Method] That [Person/Company] Used to [Result]"`

## Benefit Headlines

26. **"Get [Desirable Result] in [Short Time] — Guaranteed"**
    Clear benefit, time constraint, risk removed (guaranteed).
    `"Get [Result] in [Time] — Guaranteed"`

27. **"Double Your [Metric] Without [Common Sacrifice]"**
    Specific improvement (2x), removes objection, sounds achievable.
    `"Double Your [Metric] Without [Sacrifice/Objection]"`

28. **"Stop [Painful Activity] and Start [Desired Activity]"**
    Acknowledges current pain, shows transformation, clear contrast.
    `"Stop [Pain] and Start [Desired State]"`

29. **"Finally: A [Category] That Actually Works"**
    "Finally" = long-awaited, addresses past failures, "Actually works" = different.
    `"Finally: A [Category] That Actually Works"`

30. **"The Secret to [Desired Outcome] (It's Not What You Think)"**
    "Secret" = exclusive knowledge, challenges assumptions, curiosity gap.
    `"The Secret to [Outcome] (It's Not What You Think)"`

## Urgency Headlines

31. **"Last Chance: [Offer] Ends [Date]"**
    Clear deadline, FOMO, action required now.
    `"Last Chance: [Offer] Ends [Date]"`

32. **"Before You [Action], Read This"**
    Positions reader mid-decision, implies important information, curiosity.
    `"Before You [Action], Read This"`

33. **"Only [Number] Spots Left"**
    Scarcity, specific number, urgency.
    `"Only [Number] [Things] Left"`

## Question Headlines

34. **"What Would You Do with [Desirable Resource]?"**
    Gets reader imagining, focuses on outcome, personal.
    `"What Would You Do with [Desirable Thing]?"`

35. **"Can You [Achieve Desirable Thing]?"**
    Challenge to ego, curiosity about the answer, implies "yes, with help".
    `"Can You [Desirable Achievement]?"`

36. **"Who Else Wants [Desirable Outcome]?"**
    Social proof implied, self-qualifying, direct benefit stated.
    `"Who Else Wants [Outcome]?"`

## How-To Headlines

37. **"How to [Achieve Result] in [Timeframe] Even If You [Common Objection]"**
    Clear benefit, specific timeframe, handles objection.
    `"How to [Result] in [Time] Even If You [Objection]"`

38. **"The Step-by-Step Guide to [Achieving Outcome]"**
    Process-oriented, systematic, low barrier (just follow steps).
    `"The Step-by-Step Guide to [Outcome]"`

39. **"[Number] Ways to [Improve/Achieve Something] Today"**
    Multiple options, specific number, immediate action ("Today").
    `"[Number] Ways to [Outcome] [Timeframe]"`

40. **"The Only Guide to [Topic] You'll Ever Need"**
    "Only" = definitive, "Ever need" = complete solution, reduces search.
    `"The Only Guide to [Topic] You'll Ever Need"`

## Applied Examples: BrowserBlast

41. **"Stop Waiting for Google — Force Your Pages to Index in 24 Hours"** — Clear benefit, specific timeframe, addresses frustration.
42. **"The Indexing Secret 10,000 SEOs Don't Want You to Know"** — Curiosity, social proof, insider knowledge.
43. **"Why Your Content Marketing Is Failing (Hint: It's Not Indexed)"** — Problem revelation, "aha" moment promised.
44. **"Finally: Predictable, Reliable Google Indexing"** — Addresses randomness of current solutions.
45. **"Is Your Best Content Invisible to Google?"** — Fear-based question, self-qualifying.

## Applied Examples: LocalRank

46. **"See Exactly Why You're Not Ranking on Google Maps"** — Clear benefit, specific platform.
47. **"The Local SEO Dashboard That Proves Your Work is Working"** — Addresses agency reporting pain point.
48. **"Stop Guessing. Start Ranking."** — Contrast, action-oriented, rhythmic.
49. **"Your Competitors Know Their Rankings. Do You?"** — Competitive fear, self-qualifying.
50. **"The Only Local SEO Tool That Tracks Across Every Zip Code"** — Differentiator, unique capability.

## Build Your Own Swipe File

Save headlines that grab YOUR attention. Ask: What made me stop? What emotion? What technique? How to adapt?

Tools: Notion database, Swipefile.com, Google Doc, screenshot folder.
