Headline generator: options for the heading at the top of your article.

Type the topic of a post and get a set of headline options. Use them to find the angle, then rewrite the one you keep so it promises exactly what the article delivers.

By · Updated September 25, 2026

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Headline generator

Runs on our server. Your text is sent to Anthropic's Claude to write the result. We count runs and never save what you enter; an identical request may be answered from memory for up to five minutes.

What you can do with it

  • Find an angle for a post that is drafted but has a working title
  • See the same topic from several angles before you pick one
  • Replace a clever headline that hides what the article is about
  • Give a writer a few directions before they start a draft

How it works, step by step

  1. 1

    Write down what the article actually delivers

    Before any headline, finish this sentence: after reading, the reader can... If you cannot finish it, the headline is not the problem yet. The answer to that sentence is the raw material for every good headline.

  2. 2

    Pick the pattern that fits the content

    A step-by-step process wants a how-to. A set of separate options or tips wants a list. A single decision wants a question or a comparison. Choose the pattern from the shape of the article, not from what sounds catchy.

  3. 3

    Make it specific

    Add the detail only your article has: the audience, the number, the constraint, the result. 'How to price a design retainer' is fine. 'How to price a design retainer when clients want unlimited revisions' tells the right reader this is for them.

  4. 4

    Cut every word that promises more than the piece

    Words like ultimate, complete and everything set an expectation the article has to meet. If it does not, the reader leaves and remembers. Say what is there and nothing more.

  5. 5

    Read it next to the first paragraph

    The opening lines should pay off the headline straight away. If the headline asks a question, answer it early. If it promises a number, the list should start soon after.

Headline and title tag are different jobs

The headline is the H1 a reader sees at the top of the page. The title tag is the line in search results and the browser tab. They often match, and they should never contradict each other, but they are written for different moments. The title tag works in a list of competing results, under a width limit, and needs the search term near the start. The headline works on a page the reader has already chosen, so it can be longer, more conversational and more specific.

If you are writing for search, draft the headline first, because it describes the article, then compress it into a title tag with the SEO title generator.

Specific beats clever

A clever headline asks the reader to do work before they know whether the article is worth it. A specific headline does that work for them. Compare “The Hidden Cost Nobody Talks About” with “Why Card Fees Hit Small Cafés Hardest, and How to Cut Them”. The second one is longer, but a café owner knows in a second that it is for them.

Specificity also filters. A headline that names its audience loses readers it was never going to help, and that is the point.

The common patterns and when each fits

  • How-to. For a process the reader will follow in order. “How to set up email forwarding on a custom domain.”
  • List. For separate items the reader can scan and pick from. Use the real count, and only if the items are genuinely parallel.
  • Question. For a single question the article answers directly, ideally near the top. Do not use it when the honest answer is “it depends” and the article never commits.
  • Comparison. For a choice between named options. “Invoices vs receipts: which one your client needs.” The article has to reach a conclusion, or at least say who should pick which.

Promise only what the article delivers

The headline is a contract. A reader who clicks “the complete guide” and finds four paragraphs does not come back. Neither does a reader promised a number that the article never explains. Write the headline last, or rewrite it once the draft is done, so it describes what is there.

What the generator can help with

The generator sends your topic to Claude Haiku, a fast Anthropic model, and returns a set of headline options. It is good for seeing the same topic from several angles. It has not read your article, so it cannot know what you can promise. Pick an angle, then rewrite it with your specifics.

AltoRank plans and drafts SEO content for a site every week, headlines included, and a person approves each piece before it publishes.

Frequently asked questions

Is a headline the same as a title tag?

Not necessarily. The headline is the visible H1 at the top of the article, written for someone who already clicked. The title tag sits in the page's head and becomes the clickable line in search results, so it has to fit a width limit and front-load the search term. The two should describe the same thing. The headline can be longer and more conversational; the title tag is usually tighter. Use the SEO title generator for the second.

Which headline pattern works best?

The one that matches the article. A how-to headline on a list of loosely related tips, or a list headline on a single argument, sets the wrong expectation. Pick the pattern from the structure of what you wrote.

Should a headline be clever or clear?

Clear first. A clever headline can work on a page people already trust, where readers click because of who wrote it. For a reader arriving from search or a feed, the headline has to say what the piece is about, because they have no other reason to click.

Does the generator read my article?

No. It works from the topic you type, so it does not know what your article covers, what data it has or what it leaves out. That is why each option needs checking against the piece: a headline can easily promise something the article does not contain.

Can I use the headlines as they are?

Use them as a starting point. They are drafts from a fast model that has only your topic to go on. Keep the angle you like and rewrite it with the specifics of your article.

What happens to the topic I enter?

It goes to our server and to Anthropic's Claude, a fast model, which writes the options. We count how many times the tool runs each day and never save what you enter; an identical request may be answered from memory for up to five minutes. There is a daily usage limit so the tool can stay free without a signup.

More free tools

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