The most crucial part of any piece of content starts here… The Headline.
In one of my previous blogs about the art of Cold Emails, I took a deeper dive into the body and simple ask, but not much on the headline.
Are your emails ending up in spam? Are your open rates sub-par compared to your Black Friday sale? If you’re still reading the answer is probably yes.
Lucky for you there is a common format and method Shaan Puri recommends. From personable LinkedIn headlines to witty emails, Shaan brings it all.
Bad Headlines lead to Unread Masterpieces.
The Basics
It’s your duty as a brand owner to get your AMAZING product in front of people, once successful they will thank you tremendously.
To maximize success, you must spend a minimum of 30% of your time writing the headline.
The Curiosity Gap:
You’ve got to give your customer a reason to click—like a legit itch they need to scratch.
Write like a real human (not a robot or a “guru” ad agency guy), and sprinkle in your own weird, unique flavor. This boosts the odds they’ll actually read your stuff. But don’t worry, I’ve got more tricks to flatten that learning curve for you.
Basic Tips:
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- Use Simple Words (Yes it’s that simple)
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- Use a storyline framework.
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- Make a Promise
Email Example: Tortilla brand, selling new stuff.
Subject: New Tortillas for Spring? – Boring & Vague
Subject: New Whole Grain Tortillas for Cinco de Mayo! – Boring & Specific
Subject: I need your opinion – are these the best Cinco de Mayo tortillas or what? – Drives curiosity & asks for their opinion.
The Formula:
For every piece of content, you must write 25 headlines.
The first few? Total trash. But around number 20, you’ve shoveled the dirt and struck gold.
The more desperate you get at the end, the more creative you get.
With little to no practice, this should take you 20 minutes, but with time you can reduce the amount of headlines and time it takes you.
The trick? Keep swinging. Don’t cry over the first 20 stinkers—they’re just warm-ups.
Examples
Shaan’s all about putting in the reps, so I thought—why not make mine with the brands I love?
Obvi
Trevi
Brumate
Milk Bar 
Conclusion
Writing headlines isn’t magic—it’s a muscle you build with reps.
Flex it enough, and you’ll turn “meh” into “damn, that’s good” quick.
Those 25 tries? They’re your push-ups, and the weird ones at the end hide the gold.
Don’t overthink—just write, laugh at the flops, and stay real.
Your customers want you, not perfection, so sling those tortillas and watch ‘em bite!
At This Point In Time:
Age: 20
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Job: Southern Tide