How to write irresistible headlines — the ‘Method’ Method

Sam Zhao
Sam Zhao
Jul 30, 2017 · 3 min read

Here’s a quick tip for people who wants to write irresistible headlines for their contents — simply use this formula:

“How to [ABC] — the [XYZ] Method”

OR “The secret of [ABC] — the [XYZ] Method”

Examples:

  1. “How To Write A Novel Using The Snowflake Method
  2. “The Secret of Perfect Living: The Miracle Mind Method
  3. “The Secret behind The SecretThe Sedona Method” (so meta…)

How does it work?

I can’t speak for others, but personally, I find it almost impossible to resist clicking on such headlines…

But why?

Well, it seems that the secret behind these irresistible headlines is…

The ‘Method’ Method

Haha, I got you! But seriously…

Let’s break this down and see how it works.

First part of the headline

“How to [ABC]…”

This is the “promise” of the content. It’s the benefit, takeaway and main reason why readers would bother reading it.

Do you want to write a novel?
Do you want the perfect living?
Do you want to know the secret to everything?

If so, then read on!

This incentivizes you to click on the headline because you may want the result promised here. People go in with a problem and expect the content piece to solve it for them.

Sometimes you can even get away with not having the main benefit. An example of that is “Why the KonMari Method Works, According to Behavioral Science” written by Courtney Lynne.

Second part of the headline

“… — The [XYZ] Method”

After reading the first part of the headline, you might wonder to yourself:

“Yeah yeah, everyone wants to write a novel, have a perfect life, and know the secret to everything, but everyone is also writing/talking about it… what’s so unique about your opinions?

Sure, everyone’s talking about how to do XYZ, but does everyone give you a systematic way to achieve the results promised in the headline?

Does everyone provide you with the exact method to do that?

The Effect of the ‘Method’ Method

With the ‘Method’ Method, you deliver several things with your headline:

  1. Intrigue (“Hmm, I’ve never heard of the XYZ Method, what is it?”)
  2. Confidence (“There’s a method to get what I want.”)
  3. Authority (people subconsciously associate the word “method” to something scientifically proven or battle-tested)

This brings up an interesting point about the origin of the word ‘method.’

The shocking origin of the word ‘method’

According to Online Etymology Dictionary, the noun ‘method’ means “regular, systematic treatment of disease.” From its Latin origin methodus, it means “way of teaching or going”. And its Greek origin methodos means “scientific inquiry, method of inquiry, investigation”.

It all makes sense now, doesn’t it??!

A method is a regular, systematic treatment of disease, pains, problems, etc. It’s scientific and a way of teaching — very appropriate in a “how-to” article.


Now you know the secret behind some of the most irresistible headlines, would you fall for it next time?

My guess is, no :)

Personally, I see this used everywhere, but I still have a hard time resisting.

I don’t see it as a bad thing either. As long as you are actually giving people value in your actual content, then using the ‘Method’ Method shouldn’t be a problem.


Thank you for reading!

I write about random things like this all the time on Medium and on my personal blog: ilovecomputering.com. Feel free to follow me anywhere :)

Sam Zhao

Written by

Sam Zhao

People are tired of being sold to by intrusive and superficial online ads. I help companies resonate with their customers and create a genuine digital presence.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade