Here is my “homework”. It has been an eye-opening exercise, thank you.
Headline (1): 5 Steal-Worthy Strategies From A Brand I Couldn’t Resist
(from Maria Forleo)
I like the flirtatious, seductive undertone; and the specific benefit: “5 strategies, worth stealing”
The power words are:
a) “steal-worthy” (ooh, it must be very high quality. Steal-worthy is more seductive than the bland words excellent, good or superb);
b) “resist” – if Maria Forleo can’t resist the temptation, who can?
Headline (2): 9 Irresistible Incentives That’ll Grow Your Email List Like Crazy
(from Stef Gonzaga)
I like the very clear and enticing benefit (an email list growing like crazy – who wouldn’t want that?)
Power words: irresistible and grow like crazy. “Grow” on its own would not work that well, the power comes from grow like crazy. Crazy is a great word in this context, it sounds so much stronger than the commonly used expression in business circles: “grow exponentially”.
Headline (3): How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb Bloggers
(from Jon Morrow)
I am ambivalent about this headline: it’s partly cheeky, partly rude, depending on which camp you count yourself in. Dumb is not a word I would use easily.
Benefit: beat the competition, avoid the mistakes others make. The benefit is quite unspecific, but enough of a threat you can avoid if you read the blog post.
Power word – smart (especially effective as it is directly contrasted with its opposite: dumb)
Headline (4): 3 Ways To Say No To People Who Want To Pick Your Brain
(from Maria Forleo)
I like the headline because it promises a solution to a common dilemma we can all relate to: how to avoid people taking advantage of your time and expertise, without being rude to them. The number 3 shows there are different options, so that’s intriguing too. The real benefit is not spelled out, but implied, and it still works. I guess it still works without giving a clear benefit because so many people can relate to the problem and recognise what the benefit is?
Power words: Say No; Pick Your Brain
Headline (5): How to Develop Killer Content
(from Maria Forleo)
In contrast, this headline sounds lame. It is too broad and unspecific, gives no real benefit, and the power word “killer content” is overused and almost a cliché.