Your Substack Deserves Headlines That Make People Stop and Read
The platform is exploding with content. Here's how to make yours impossible to ignore
50 authors are now millionaires through Substack subscriptions alone.
As of early 2025, Substack boasts over 35 million active subscriptions, including more than 5 million paid ones.
That’s millions of newsletters landing in inboxes every day. Millions of writers competing for the same precious resource: attention.
The reality is that most writers are drowning in this sea of content because they’re treating headlines like an afterthought. They write brilliant articles, then slap on generic titles that get lost in the scroll.
But here’s what I’ve learned after analyzing thousands of headlines across my own posts and studying what actually gets clicked: your headline isn’t just a title anymore. It’s your entire marketing strategy condensed into one line.
Before we jump in, let me share this awesome offer from my friend Landon Poburan 🤩
Stop guessing what headlines work. Or how to write notes that get engagement. After writing 1,000+ Notes and 100+ Articles, these are the exact headline, note, and article frameworks that helped me go viral and grow 8,954 subscribers. I put them all in a 17-page swipe file for you.
The Substack Scroll Problem
When I started on Substack, I made the same mistake most writers make. I focused entirely on the content and treated the headline as a necessary evil I’d figure out at the end.
My early posts are complete flops.
Take this disaster: “You Are Doing Fine.’” — 78 views. Total.
Compare that to: “93% of Writers Don’t Know How To Nail Their Titles” — 2,847 views and counting.
The difference: The second headline follows what I now call the Substack Success Formula: Audience + Curiosity + Specificity.
Why Traditional Headline Advice Fails on Substack
Most headline advice was written for different platforms. Blog posts. Magazines. Even Medium operates differently than Substack.
On Substack, you’re not just competing with other articles. You’re competing with:
Personal updates from friends
Breaking news notifications
Work emails
Social media updates
Netflix recommendations
Your headline has milliseconds to make someone think: “This is worth my time right now.”
That’s why vague headlines like “How I Improved My Writing Process” get buried while specific ones like “This Technique Transformed My Writing (Here’s How)” get opened.
The 3 Headlines That Changed Everything
Let me show you the exact headline transformations that took my Substack from invisible to unmissable:
Before: “My Writing Journey and What I Learned”
After: “How I Went from 0 to a Life I Love in 6 Months with Writing”
Result: 527 likes, 107 commentsBefore: “Tips for Growing Your Newsletter”
After: “5 Best Hidden Substack Tips You Should Not Miss”
Result: 114 likes, 43 commentsBefore: “Thoughts on Substack Features”
After: “Transform Your Substack Posts With Two Simple Fixes”
Result: 475 likes, 107 comments
Notice the pattern? Each winning headline includes:
Specific numbers (6 months, 5 tips, 2 fixes)
Clear audience targeting (writers, Substack users)
Immediate value promise (what they’ll get)
The Substack-Specific Headline Framework
After testing hundreds of headlines, I’ve identified the five types that consistently perform best on Substack:
1. The Transformation Promise
Format: “How I Went from [Starting Point] to [End Result] in [Timeframe]”
Example: “How I Went from 0 to a Life I Love in 6 Months with Writing”
2. The Hidden Knowledge
Format: “[Number] [Adjective] [Platform] [Content Type] You Should Not
Miss” Example: “5 Best Hidden Substack Tips You Should Not Miss”
3. The Mistake Revealer
Format: “[Percentage]% of [Audience] Don’t Know How to [Skill]”
Example: “93% of Writers Don’t Know How To Nail Their Titles”
4. The Simple Fix
Format: “Transform Your [Thing] With [Number] Simple [Solution]”
Example: “Transform Your Substack Posts With Two Simple Fixes”
5. The Insider System
Format: “[Number] [Adjective] Tips That Are Actually Working on [Platform]”
Example: “3 New, Actionable Tips That Are Actually Working on Substack”
The Tools That Actually Work
While creativity matters, data beats guesswork every time. Here are the two free tools I use to score every headline before publishing:
AMI Institute Headline Analyzer: Look for scores above 30. It focuses on clarity and engagement potential.
Monster Insights Headline Analyzer: Aim for scores above 70. It analyzes word balance, length, and emotional impact.
Pro tip: Use odd numbers in your headlines. “7 Tips for Better Writing” outperforms “10 Tips for Better Writing” because odd numbers feel more authentic and specific.
The Reality Check Every Writer Needs
You could write the most brilliant article in the world, but if your headline doesn’t stop the scroll, nobody will ever know how brilliant you are.
I’ve seen writers with incredible insights get 12 views because their headlines were forgettable. I’ve also seen average content get thousands of reads because the headline was irresistible.
The platform’s explosive growth means this reality is only getting harsher. Every day, more writers join Substack. Every day, the competition for attention gets fiercer.
Your Headlines Are Your Lifeline
The explosion of content on Substack means one thing: your headlines are no longer just titles. They’re your hook, your promise, your first impression, and often your only chance.
Every scroll is a choice. Every inbox is a battlefield. Every reader has infinite options.
The writers who understand this, who treat headlines as seriously as they treat their content, are the ones building audiences, earning subscribers, and making money.
The others are writing into the void, wondering why nobody reads their brilliant work.
Your next headline could be the difference between 50 views and 5,000. Between crickets and comments. Between invisibility and influence.
Make it count.
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1 more Substack-specific headline framework you should not let yourself miss? Perhaps?
That is, might the headline for the post "Your Substack Deserves Headlines That . . ." also somehow represent yet one more ideal Substack headline framework?
Or, alternatively, could it somehow be changed along the lines of one of the 5 headline frameworks that the Substack post itself shares with us all?
For example, perhaps this alternative version might also work very well for capturing readers' interest?: "Your Substack Deserves Headlines That--Nearly 100% Chance--Would Make More People Stop And Read."
Or, maybe this alternative might work well?: "Your Substack Deserves Headlines That--100%, Undoubtedly--Would Turn More Mere Scanners Into Readers."
Or, maybe, those two examples would be bad alternatives, though, simply even because they are too long?
(Note that I'm **not** trying to be clever with this comment, here. I am a writer, I am curious, and I find the issue of Substack headlines interesting.)
Maybe what we need isn’t another “rule,”
but a reminder.
That the best headlines don’t trick attention… they earn it.
They name something true.
They make the reader feel seen, not targeted.