Purpose
Turn one piece of content into 30 distinct, ready-to-publish headline variants — each engineered around a proven viral formula and calibrated for a specific platform — so creators and editors can A/B test angles instead of shipping the first headline that comes to mind. Solves the problem of high-quality content dying under a flat, forgettable title.
When to Use
Invoke this skill when the user asks to:
- Generate multiple headline options for an article, video, newsletter, or post
- Make an existing headline more clickable or scroll-stopping
- Create platform-specific headline variants (YouTube title vs. Twitter/X hook vs. email subject)
- Get BuzzFeed-style or listicle-style headline ideas
- A/B test headline angles for a single piece of content
- Rewrite a boring or underperforming headline into stronger options
Inputs Required
Before starting, collect:
- Content topic/summary: 1–2 sentences on what the piece is about
- Core payoff: The single most valuable thing the reader gets by clicking
- Target platform(s): YouTube / TikTok / Instagram / Twitter-X / Email / Blog / Facebook
- Audience: Who this content is for
- Tone: Playful / bold / authoritative / warm / edgy
- Constraints: Any words to avoid, brand voice rules, or character limits
- Existing headline (optional): A current title to improve or replace
If tone or platform is missing, default to a versatile, medium-energy tone and produce platform labels across all major channels, noting the assumption.
Instructions
Generate 30 Headline Variants Across 6 Formulas
For every headline, output:
- The headline itself — fully written for this specific topic and audience, never a template with brackets
- Platform: Best-fit channel (or "All")
- Emotional driver: The specific feeling being activated
- Scroll-stop score: 1–10 estimate of stopping power on a crowded feed
Formula 1 — Curiosity Gap Headlines (6 variants) Open a loop the reader must click to close. The gap must feel resolvable and relevant — never bait-and-switch.
- Drivers: curiosity, intrigue, incompleteness
- Patterns: "The [surprising thing] nobody tells you about [topic]" / "What happens when you [action] — and why it matters" / "[Number] of [X] people get this wrong. Here's the fix."
- Withhold the payoff, but promise it clearly
Formula 2 — Numbered List Headlines (6 variants) Concrete numbers signal scannable, finite value. This is the classic listicle engine.
- Drivers: specificity, low effort, completeness
- Patterns: "[N] [things] that [outcome]" / "[N] [mistakes/signs/reasons] [audience] [experience]" / "The [N]-step way to [outcome] without [obstacle]"
- Use odd, specific numbers (7, 13, 27) over round ones; front-load the payoff word
Formula 3 — Emotional Trigger Headlines (6 variants) Lead with the feeling — awe, fear of missing out, relief, outrage, or delight. The emotion is the hook, not the topic.
- Drivers: awe, FOMO, validation, surprise, indignation
- Patterns: "This [thing] will change how you think about [topic]" / "I can't stop thinking about [surprising detail]" / "Why [common situation] is so much [worse/better] than you realize"
- The emotion must match the content — mismatched intensity reads as clickbait
Formula 4 — 'You' Framing Headlines (6 variants) Point the headline directly at the reader. Self-identification pulls them in because it's about them.
- Drivers: self-identification, relevance, personal stakes
- Patterns: "You're [doing common thing] wrong — here's the right way" / "If you [situation], you need to read this" / "Everything you know about [topic] is [incomplete/outdated]"
- The reader should feel personally addressed within the first three words
Formula 5 — Contrarian / Pattern-Interrupt Headlines (3 variants) Challenge a widely held belief. Tension and disagreement earn attention on saturated feeds.
- Drivers: challenge, surprise, loss aversion
- Patterns: "Stop [popular advice]. Do this instead." / "[Popular thing] is overrated. Here's what actually works." / "The [common belief] that's quietly costing you [loss]"
- Only claim a contrarian angle the content can actually back up
Formula 6 — Story / First-Person Hook Headlines (3 variants) Pull the reader into a narrative with a person, a moment, or a transformation.
- Drivers: curiosity, empathy, aspiration
- Patterns: "How I [achieved outcome] after [obstacle]" / "The moment I realized [insight about topic]" / "I tried [thing] for [timeframe]. Here's what happened."
- Concrete details (a number, a timeframe, a stakes word) beat abstractions
Platform Optimization Layer
After generating all 30, tailor delivery to each requested platform:
- YouTube: Front-load the hook, keep under ~60 characters visible, favor curiosity + numbers
- TikTok / Instagram: Punchy, casual, emotion-forward; works as an on-screen text hook
- Twitter / X: Under 100 characters, contrarian and 'you' framing perform strongest
- Email subject: Under 50 characters, curiosity gap + personal framing, no ALL CAPS
- Blog / SEO: Include the primary keyword naturally; numbered and how-to formats favored
- Facebook: Emotional triggers and story hooks; avoid engagement-bait phrasing
Final Recommendation
Name the top 3 headlines overall, each with one sentence on why it wins for this content, and flag any variant that risks reading as clickbait relative to the actual payoff.
Output Format
- Structure: 6 labeled formula sections with numbered variants, each carrying platform + emotional driver + scroll-stop score; followed by a platform optimization note and a top-3 recommendation
- Length: 900–1,300 words
- Format: Scannable swipe-file style — listed, not prose-heavy
- Sections: Formula 1–6 variant lists → Platform Optimization Layer → Final Recommendation (top 3)
- Tone: Punchy and confident, matched to the buyer's chosen tone — reads like a working editor's shortlist, not corporate copy
Quality Checklist
Before delivering output, verify:
- [ ] All 30 variants are present (count them: 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 3 + 3)
- [ ] Every headline is fully written for the specific topic — no brackets or placeholders remain
- [ ] Each headline has a platform label, emotional driver, and scroll-stop score
- [ ] No variant promises a payoff the stated content can't deliver
- [ ] Any headlines exceeding the platform's character limit are flagged or trimmed
- [ ] The top-3 recommendation names specific headlines with a reason, not a hedge
Notes
- The fastest wins usually come from Curiosity Gap and 'You' Framing formulas — start testing there
- A high scroll-stop score paired with a weak payoff is a trap; honest headlines protect long-term trust and retention
- Recommended workflow: publish the top variant, hold 2–3 alternates in reserve, and swap based on early click-through data
- If the content is genuinely nuanced, resist the urge to force a contrarian angle — a mismatched hook trains the wrong audience to click
How to use this skill
This file is a Claude Code skill in Anthropic's standard format — markdown with YAML frontmatter at the top.
Installing in Claude Code:
~/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md— auto-loads in every session anywhere on your machine (recommended for skills you'll use across multiple projects)<your-project>/.claude/skills/<folder-name>/SKILL.md— auto-loads only when working in that project (recommended for project-specific skills)
Restart Claude Code or open a new session to register.
Using in Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, or other AI tools:
- Drag this file into a new chat, or copy and paste its contents
- Send your task or request as your next message — the AI will apply the skill where it fits
For Claude Code skill details: https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code/skills