Scroll-Stopping Headlines: 5 Patterns That Actually Work

Before someone reads your content, they need a reason to stop scrolling.
That reason? Your headline.

I ran a simple experiment: scrolled LinkedIn for 10 minutes and saved every post that caught my attention. What stood out wasn’t the style—it was the structure. The headline earned the click by doing one of five specific jobs.

If you’re writing for solopreneurs, technical founders, or SME leaders, these five headline types will help you get noticed.

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1. Educate: Break a Knowledge Gap

Make the reader feel smarter just by reading the headline.

Examples:

• “Agentic AI vs AI Agents: What’s the Difference?”
• “Do You Really Need a High-End GPU to Run LLMs Locally?”

Use this when:

• You’re challenging assumptions
• You’re clarifying a confusing or misused term
• You’re sharing insights others might overlook

Formula:
[Common belief]? Not quite. Here’s why.
[Technical term]: What It Really Means—and Why It Matters

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2. Distill: Save People Time

Summarize complexity. Package insights. Be the filter.

Examples:

• “I Summarized This Week in AI Agents So You Don’t Have To”
• “4 Years of Indie Hacking, 1 Lesson That Changed Everything”

Use this when:

• You’re aggregating news or resources
• You’re sharing personal learnings from experience
• You’re simplifying research or experimentation

Formula:
[Time period] in [X field]—Summarized in One Post
I Tested 5 [Tools/Frameworks]. Here’s What Actually Worked.

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3. Reveal: Share a Hook From Experience

Show what you built or learned, with immediate relevance.

Examples:

• “I Built a Personalized Podcast That Starts My Day Right”
• “Which AI Agent Framework Do I Use? Here’s My Answer”

Use this when:

• You’re demonstrating something others could replicate
• You’re sharing a behind-the-scenes or “how I use this” story

Formula:
How I [Solved a Pain Point] Using [Tool/Approach]
[Common question]? This Is What I Actually Use.

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4. Spark Emotion: Create Contrast or Surprise

Use curiosity, contradiction, or shock to create a pattern break.

Examples:

• “$2B. $32B Valuation. No Product.”
• “AI in Product Management: Thrilling… and Terrifying”

Use this when:

• You want to provoke thought or disbelief
• You’re sharing surprising data or an extreme case

Formula:
[Stat]. [Result]. [Missing Piece].
[Familiar Topic]: Why It’s Not What You Think

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5. Solve: Lead With the Outcome

Speak directly to a pain point—and hint at a solution.

Examples:

• “Want to Become an AI-First Company? Start Here.”
• “This AI System Does a Week’s Work in 10 Minutes”

Use this when:

• You’re announcing a tool, service, or automation
• You’re highlighting a tangible benefit

Formula:
[Desire/Goal]? Here's How to Start.
[Frustration]? This Is the Fix.

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Final Word

Good headlines don’t try to sound smart.
They do one job clearly—teach, distill, reveal, spark, or solve.

If your headline doesn’t do one of those things, rewrite it.