How do you analyze and learn from your competitors' headlines?

I meticulously analyze my competitors' headlines as they serve as a rich resource for learning and improvement. I study how they craft compelling and attention-grabbing headlines, noting the keywords they use, the emotional triggers they target, and the promises they make to their readers. I also keep track of their most successful headlines and try to understand why they worked. Was it the tone, the offer, the uniqueness, or a combination of these factors? Furthermore, I use tools to analyze the search engine performance of these headlines, giving me insight into their SEO strategies. All this learning is then integrated into my own headline creation process.

There's a local aspect to this too. Conducting search engine queries for "[keyword you're targeting] [your location]" can pinpoint which businesses in your area are reaching your local target audience too. You should add these businesses to your list alongside the nationally prominent names that standard searches will reveal.

Keep in mind that these tools are just that — tools. That means they exist for people to use and aren't themselves entities with brains or humanity. Take their recommendations with a grain of salt — they can hint at what makes for a great headline, but if certain scores, evaluations, and trends feel off to you, go with your gut.

I have been experimenting with ChatGPT4. I'm inputting ALL my competitors' blog titles into a prompt and asking the AI to identify the themes and content buckets. Very insightful and powerful when combined with SEO research.

One thing I've found helpful is to compare the intended audience with what their actual audience is. If the pieces are doing "well" but aren't reaching the right people, it is not as successful as a piece that might be doing "ok" but is talking directly to the market.

Your headlines (and content will fare better) if they follow certain patterns prevalent in your competitors' content, but they need to do more. What's missing from these headlines that you've had in mind for yours? What aren't your competitors doing that you've found compelling in headlines you've seen elsewhere? A balance of following trends and going your own way is key to standing out in the vast sea of web content.

Consider whether your headline adequately previews what the reader will encounter and learn about in your content. Also, ask yourself: Does this headline align with what my ideal reader wants out of the content? Does it align with the earliest sections in my copy? The most successful headlines often do both.

It can be tempting to measure your performance shortly after you publish your content or optimize your existing content's headlines, but give it time! It might take days, weeks, or months for you to see results come in. If you're not seeing upward trends over time, it might be time for a change.

If you're busy enough that adding more work-related learning, reading, classes, or the like to your schedule would be stressful, that's okay. Just by continuing to write headlines for your copy and working with other people, you'll learn what works well and what doesn't. Whether through editors' feedback or your own strong emotions around a title, you'll get a sense of what's best.

Consider the idea of "clickbait" vs. "clickworthy." A clickbait title is sensational and often misleading, and junk content might lie behind it. A clickworthy title instantly tells the reader why the article is worth their time and what they'll learn from it. The reader will click on your content and come out on the other side having learned something new and important. That's the start of a great relationship between the reader and your brand.