headlines-and-titles
Headlines and titles
A title has one job before any other: to tell the right reader that this piece is for them. Everything else (curiosity, wit, keywords) is in service of that. Titles fail in two opposite ways. Some are so plain they could sit on any piece on the subject ("Thoughts on remote work"). Others promise more than the piece delivers, which earns the click and loses the reader's trust for next time.
The useful range sits between those, and it depends on where the title will appear. A search result rewards plain words that match what people type. A social feed rewards curiosity and specifics. An inbox rewards clarity about what is inside. A talk title has to survive being read aloud by a host. This skill writes options across styles, says what each trades, and recommends one.