Headline Analyzer
Paste a headline and get an instant score with the breakdown behind it — length, word balance, emotional and power words, sentiment and headline type — plus specific tips to make it stronger. Everything runs in your browser.
A headline is the one line everyone reads
On average about five times as many people read the headline as read the body beneath it, which makes it the highest-leverage sentence you will write all day. A blog post, an ad, a subject line or a landing-page title all live or die on it: get it wrong and the best writing in the world goes unread. Yet most headlines are dashed off last, in seconds, with no test against anything. The point of analysing one isn't to chase a perfect number — it's to slow down for thirty seconds and look at the levers that actually move clicks, so you ship the third draft instead of the first.
What the score is really measuring
Strong headlines tend to share a few measurable traits, and that's all this tool checks. Length matters in two ways: keep it under about sixty characters and it won't get truncated in Google or most inboxes, and a word count in the high single digits reads as specific without rambling. A mix of common and uncommon words keeps a line easy to read while still feeling fresh. Emotional and power words — "proven," "surprising," "instantly," "mistake" — give a reader a reason to care, and a concrete number or a clear "how to" promises a payoff. None of this is a formula for a guaranteed winner; treat the score as a checklist that nudges a flat headline toward a sharper one, then trust your judgement and, where you can, an A/B test.
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Frequently asked questions
What makes a good headline score?
The score rewards the traits strong headlines tend to share: a length that reads in one glance, a healthy mix of common and uncommon words, at least one power or emotional word, and ideally a concrete number. It's a checklist that nudges a flat headline toward a sharper one, not a guarantee of clicks, so treat a high score as a green light to test rather than proof of a winner.
How long should a headline be?
Aim for roughly six to twelve words and keep it under about sixty characters. Under sixty characters stops Google and most email clients truncating it mid-thought, and a word count in the high single digits reads as specific without rambling.
What are power words and emotional words?
Power words are persuasive triggers like 'proven', 'instantly', 'free' and 'essential' that give a reader a reason to act. Emotional words such as 'surprising', 'mistake' or 'stunning' add feeling and curiosity. A headline with none of either tends to read as flat, while one or two well-chosen ones lift it noticeably.