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5 Headlines Proven To Hook Readers

How I tested 468 headlines and cracked the code for writing viral content

Derek Hughes
Write A Catalyst
5 min readJan 20, 2025

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Photo by Allef Vinicius on Unsplash

1,700 people read my words.

Every. Single. Day.

Why? Because I’ve cracked the code for writing headlines that demand attention.

Here’s the proof:

author’s screenshot

And how did I discover what works? Over the last 24 months, I’ve published 468 articles and headlines. Putting them to the test in the real world and seeing what sticks.

Let me be real with you.

Writing viral headlines isn’t an exact science. There’s no magic formula that guarantees a smash hit. But there are techniques that tilt the odds in your favor. And I’ve tested them, refined them, and watched them work.

I’m going to break down 5 of my headlines that went viral. I’ll show you exactly why they worked and how you can steal these tactics to craft headlines that command clicks.

I’ve got so much gold for you. Let’s dive in.

1. This One Tiny Habit Will Make You Better Than 93% of Writers

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Write A Catalyst
Write A Catalyst

Published in Write A Catalyst

Write A Catalyst and Build it into Existence.

Derek Hughes
Derek Hughes

Written by Derek Hughes

I'm an old bloke with zero writing experience. In 18 months, I built a $35k writing business. Get my free 5-step system: https://www.derekhughes.biz/

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