LeadMagnetGeniusFor headlines online, shorter is often better, especially since on search engines or social shares, very long titles get cut off. Aim for around 6-12 words as a rule of thumb for clarity. That said, some super long headlines do work when shared in full context. But generally, try to be punchy.
Also, if you’re writing for SEO (search engines), include the keyword/topic in the headline, preferably towards the beginning. For example, if you want to rank for “email marketing tips,” a headline like “Email Marketing Tips: How to Write Subject Lines That Convert” is clear and likely to catch both human eyes and Google’s algorithm. If you buried the topic at the very end of a cute headline, Google might not give it as much weight, and humans scanning might not catch that it’s about what they searched.
Concise doesn’t mean boring. It means efficient. “Win at LinkedIn: 5 Profile Tweaks for More Job Offers” – that’s fairly short but packs in a lot (topic LinkedIn, benefit more job offers, and implies 5 tips).
One reason to be concise: mobile screens. Many people will see your headline on a small screen or in an email subject line preview. If the juicy part of your headline is truncated, you might lose them. So put the most compelling words up front. For instance, instead of “How to Do X, Y, and Z for Maximum Effect,” maybe “X, Y, and Z: How to Maximize Your Results”. Leading with the keywords X, Y, Z could hook those scanning quickly.