Headline Optimizer

What it does

Reads the post body and produces multiple headline variants across different angles (curiosity, benefit, number-led, direct), then ranks them by likely click-through based on established headline patterns rather than guessing. It never overwrites the existing title without the user picking a variant first.

Install

This skill isn't packaged in an installable registry. It's a plain SKILL.md file you can copy directly. Copy it from the SKILL.md tab and save it at the path for your assistant:

Use it in your AI assistant

Claude Code

.claude/skills/headline-optimizer/ (or ~/.claude/skills/headline-optimizer/ for all projects)

GitHub Copilot (VS Code)

.github/skills/headline-optimizer/

OpenAI Codex

.codex/skills/headline-optimizer/

Cursor

.cursor/skills/headline-optimizer/ (or ~/.cursor/skills/headline-optimizer/ globally)

Compatibility

Any WordPress site. No special plugin required; works with core post title field or an SEO plugin's title override if one is active.

The complete SKILL.md for this skill:

---
name: headline-optimizer
description: Use when a user wants headline variants, a title rewrite, or help deciding which title will get more clicks. Triggers on "give me some headline options", "rewrite this title", or "which title is stronger".
---

# Headline Optimizer

## When to use
A post is drafted or nearly final and the user wants the title tested against alternatives before publishing, rather than settling for the first version.

## Procedure
1. Read the post body to confirm what it actually delivers, a headline should not promise more than the content contains.
2. Generate 5 to 6 variants spanning different angles: a direct/benefit-led version, a curiosity-gap version, a number-led version, and a question version.
3. Rank the variants by likely click-through, explaining the reasoning for the top 2 in one sentence each (specificity, emotional pull, or clarity).
4. Flag any variant that risks becoming clickbait relative to the actual content, and exclude it from the ranked list rather than presenting it as a real option.
5. Wait for the user to pick or edit a variant before writing it to the post title field.

## Guardrails
- Never publish a headline change automatically; title changes affect existing links and SEO rankings, so a human picks the final version.
- Do not rank a variant highly if it overstates what the post delivers, exaggeration drives bounces and hurts trust more than a modest headline.