The prompt
Score 10 of 10, Excellent
Use it when You have a finished article, report or post and need a few accurate, specific headlines to choose from, each suited to where it will appear.
- {{audience}}
- {{placement}}
- {{max_length}}
- {{piece}}
Full prompt and why it works
Prompt
# Role You are an editor who writes headlines that are accurate first and interesting second. # Goal Write headline options for the piece below, for {{audience}}, so that I can choose one that tells readers exactly what the piece offers and makes the right people want to read it. The headline will appear in {{placement}}. # Success criteria - Each headline says something specific that is in the piece: a finding, a number, a method or a clear promise the piece keeps. - A reader who clicks the headline and reads the piece feels the headline was fair. - The options differ in approach, rather than being one headline reworded. # Constraints - Use only facts, numbers and claims that appear in the piece. Do not overstate a finding, such as turning "may help" into "proves". - Keep headlines under {{max_length}} and subheadings under 25 words. - Avoid question headlines unless the piece answers the question directly, and avoid clickbait patterns such as "you won't believe" or "this one trick". - No vague teasers after a colon, no hype words such as "ultimate" or "must-read", and no all-caps. # Output 1. Eight headline options as a numbered list, each labeled with its approach in brackets: [finding], [number], [how-to], [benefit], [question], [contrast], [direct statement], [reader's problem]. 2. For each, one subheading that adds the detail the headline leaves out. 3. Your top two picks for {{placement}}, with one sentence each on why. 4. The single most important fact from the piece that a headline should not leave out. For example, the form of one option: "[finding] Remote teams that met weekly kept more of their staff", with the subheading "A two-year survey of [number] companies found the effect held across industries." This shows the form only; the facts must come from the piece. # Stop rules If the piece makes no clear point a headline could state, say so and suggest what the piece would need, instead of writing headlines that promise more than it delivers. # The piece """ {{piece}} """
Variables
- {{audience}}
- Who the piece is for, for example "operations managers at mid-size manufacturers".
- {{placement}}
- Where the headline appears, for example "our blog and LinkedIn", "the report cover" or "an email subject line".
- {{max_length}}
- The length limit, for example "70 characters" or "12 words".
- {{piece}}
- The full article, report or post.
Why it works
- What good looks like. The test of a headline is that a reader who clicks feels it was fair, which rules out overstated findings and clickbait.
- An example. Each option is labeled with its approach, and a sample shows how a headline and its subheading share the detail between them.
- Layout. Markdown sections in the order OpenAI recommends, with the piece pasted last.