Generate and pressure-test headline options across proven formulas. Use when asked for headlines, a title, a subject line, a hook, or to improve a weak headline for a page, post, email, or ad. Produces 10–15 headline options grouped by formula (benefit, how-to, number, question, curiosity, social proof), each scored for clarity and specificity, with the top 3 recommended and why.
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Use headline-options to generate and score 10–15 headlines for [subject and benefit] aimed at [audience] for a [medium], respecting any character, tone, and claim constraints.
Required inputs
[subject and benefit]
[audience]
[medium]
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SKILL.md
name: headline-optionsdescription: "Generate and pressure-test headline options across proven formulas. Use when asked for headlines, a title, a subject line, a hook, or to improve a weak headline for a page, post, email, or ad. Produces 10–15 headline options grouped by formula (benefit, how-to, number, question, curiosity, social proof), each scored for clarity and specificity, with the top 3 recommended and why."
Headline Options Skill
The headline does 80% of the work — most people read it and decide. This skill generates a range of
headlines across proven formulas (so you're not betting on one), scores them for clarity and
specificity (the two things that actually drive clicks), and recommends the strongest — for a landing
page, blog post, email subject, ad, or video title.
Required Inputs
Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:
What it's for — landing-page H1, blog title, email subject, ad headline, YouTube title? (changes length + style).
The subject — the product/post/offer and its single biggest benefit or hook.
Audience — who reads it, and the words they'd use.
Any constraint — character limit (subject lines, ad fields), tone, banned claims.
Output Format
Headlines: [subject] — for [where it's used]
Options by formula (10–15 total), grouped:
Benefit — the outcome, stated plainly ("Ship your roadmap in an afternoon")
How-to — ("How to cut churn without discounting")
Number / list — ("7 ways teams lose activation")
Question — ("Still building decks by hand?")
Curiosity / pattern-interrupt — (a gap that demands the click, without clickbait)
Social proof / authority — ("How 5,000 teams onboard faster")
Score each on Clarity and Specificity (1–5), since vague + clever loses to clear + specific:
Headline
Formula
Clarity
Specific
Note
Top 3 picks — the strongest, with one line each on why, and which to A/B first.
If subject-line / limited — flag any that exceed the character budget.
Quality Checks
10+ options spanning multiple distinct formulas (not variations of one)
Each scored on clarity and specificity, not cleverness
Top picks are recommended with reasoning + an A/B suggestion
Options use the audience's language and the real benefit
Character limits respected where the medium demands it
Anti-Patterns
Do not favour clever over clear — a confusing headline isn't read twice; clarity wins
Do not write clickbait the content can't pay off — the bounce destroys trust and SEO
Do not give one-formula variations — the value is the spread to test
Do not stay vague — "Transform your workflow" says nothing; name the specific outcome
Do not ignore the medium's limit — a truncated subject line is a wasted headline
Based On
Headline-writing practice (Ogilvy, Advertising's clarity-over-cleverness, the 4 U's) + formula-driven ideation and A/B discipline.