The Cosmo Headline Technique for Blogging Inspiration

by Brian Clark

Beyonce Cosmopolitan Cover

Ever come up completely blank for a blog topic?

You’re itching to get a quality post out, something that attracts attention and enhances your blogging profile. But you just can’t seem to come up with anything compelling.

Here’s a technique that may work for you, and you’ll owe your success to that bastion of respectable women’s journalism, Cosmopolitan.

Back during the Magnetic Headlines series, I wrote an article entitled Why You Should Always Write Your Headline First. The idea is that your headline makes a promise that your sales copy or content must fulfill, so a smartly written article headline tells you exactly what the content must provide to the reader in order to keep the promise you made.

Writing your headline first might not work for everyone, but you can get ideas for articles and posts by looking at compelling headlines and adapting them to match your topic.

That’s where Cosmo comes in.

It doesn’t have to be Cosmo, of course. Stop by a news stand and check out the headlines on the cover of any consumer-oriented magazine. They’re all written by pros who make good money getting people to pick up periodicals and drop them in the grocery basket.

I like Cosmo because the subject matter is so lurid, it makes things fun. So let’s see what blog topics we can come up with from the December 2007 issue of Cosmopolitan, and hand them out to various bloggers to see if they can come up with the corresponding post.

Cosmo Headline - “The 22 Best Relationship Tips Ever”

Hey, Brian Gardner… can you write us this post?

My 22 Best Design Tips Ever

Feel free to change the number if you need to, but I’m betting you’ve got 22.

Cosmo Headline - “Guys Spill: White Lies They Tell Women All the Time”

Jim Cronin, dare to write this one?

Realtors Revealed: The Little White Lies We Tell Clients (And How to Stop)

Remember, I used to be a broker, so I’ll know if you’re holding back. :-)

Cosmo Headline - “Get Ahead Faster: 12 Brilliant (and Slightly Badass) Ways to Do It”

As I recall, Ryan Holiday is an avid runner. I run only if chased, but I’d still like to see this one:

Run Faster: 12 Effective (and Slightly Badass) Ways to Just Do It

Bonus points if one of the tips involves smoking while sprinting (you’ll understand that one when you visit Ryan’s blog).

Cosmo Headline – “Your Sexual Health: Crucial New Facts Your Gyno Forgot to Mention”

Hey Roberta Rosenberg, where ya been? How about this as a Copyblogger guest post?

Headline Help: Crucial Tips That Brian Clark Forgot to Mention

The things I won’t endure to motivate guest writers are getting fewer and farther between.

Cosmo Headline – “A Shocking Thing 68% of Chicks Do in Bed”

I got a bit stuck on this one, and had to actually read the article. It’s a sex survey of women that reveals all sorts of interesting information.

68% huh?

Sweet.

What About You?

Can you take one of these Cosmo headlines and apply it your blog topic? If so, write it up and drop your link in the comments here.

For more on headlines, check out the Magnetic Headlines series.

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