Hey, Mark Masters here.

Last month, a client sent me a landing page. Solid body copy. Good offer. Strong guarantee.

Converting at 2.1%.

I changed one thing. The headline.

New conversion rate: 4.7%.

Same page. Same traffic. Same offer. One headline swap added $34,000 to their monthly revenue.

Here's what most copywriters get backwards:

They spend 80% of their time on body copy. But 80% of readers never get past the headline.

You're polishing the furniture in a house nobody's entering.

The difference between amateurs and professionals isn't talent. It's systems. Amateurs write headlines. Professionals deploy headline laboratories that generate, test, and optimize on command.

Today I'm giving you mine.

The Five Headline Mechanisms

Every headline that's ever worked falls into one of five psychological categories. Not formats. Not templates. Mechanisms.

Understand these, and you'll never stare at a blank page again.

1. Curiosity Gap

Creates an incomplete pattern the brain must resolve. The mind hates open loops.

Example: "The Weird Reason Most Diets Fail After Day 11"

2. Specific Benefit

Concrete outcome with numbers, timeframes, or precise results. Specificity equals believability.

Example: "Add 2.3 Pounds of Muscle in 28 Days Without Changing Your Diet"

3. Contrarian Hook

Challenges an assumed belief. Pattern interrupt that stops the scroll.

Example: "Why Everything You Know About SEO Is Costing You Traffic"

4. Fear/Risk

Highlights the cost of inaction. Loss aversion outweighs desire for gain.

Example: "The $47,000 Mistake Hiding in Your Sales Page Right Now"

5. Identity Call

Speaks directly to who they are or who they want to become. Tribal recognition.

Example: "For Copywriters Who Refuse to Compete on Price"

Every winning headline activates one or more of these mechanisms. No exceptions.

The System: Project + Skill Setup

Here's how to build your Headline Laboratory in Claude.

Step 1: Create the Project

In Claude, create a new Project called "Headline Laboratory."

Step 2: Add Your Knowledge Files

You need three files, starting with: headline-formulas.md

Here’s what you put inside: 

# Headline Formulas by Mechanism

## Curiosity Gap
- The [Unexpected Adjective] Reason [Common Belief] Is Wrong
- What [Authority/Group] Won't Tell You About [Topic]
- The [Number] [Topic] Secrets Hidden in [Unexpected Place]
- Why [Positive Action] Might Be [Negative Outcome]

## Specific Benefit
- [Achieve Result] in [Timeframe] Without [Common Obstacle]
- How to [Desired Outcome] in [Number] [Time Period]
- The [Number]-Step System That [Specific Result]
- Get [Specific Benefit] by [Specific Date/Timeframe]

## Contrarian Hook
- Why [Common Advice] Is Destroying Your [Desired Outcome]
- Stop [Common Practice] (Do This Instead)
- The [Industry] Lie That's Costing You [Loss]
- [Common "Good" Thing] Is Killing Your [Results]

## Fear/Risk
- The $[Amount] Mistake Hiding in Your [Asset]
- [Number] Warning Signs Your [Thing] Is About to Fail
- Are You Making This [Costly Adjective] [Topic] Error?
- What Happens When [Bad Outcome] (And How to Prevent It)

## Identity Call
- For [Identity] Who [Distinguishing Behavior]
- The [Topic] Guide for [Specific Identity Type]
- Why [Identity Group] Are Switching to [Solution]
- [Identity]: Here's What [Other Group] Will Never Understand

The next file is winning-headlines.md.

Inside this one, you put: 

# Winning Headlines Archive

Add your tested winners here, organized by mechanism.

## Curiosity Gap Winners
- [Headline] — [Product/Client] — [Result if known]

## Specific Benefit Winners
- [Headline] — [Product/Client] — [Result if known]

## Contrarian Hook Winners
- [Headline] — [Product/Client] — [Result if known]

## Fear/Risk Winners
- [Headline] — [Product/Client] — [Result if known]

## Identity Call Winners
- [Headline] — [Product/Client] — [Result if known]

Update this file every time you get test results.

Update this file every time you get test results.

Finally: product-context.md

In this one, you put: 

# Current Product Context

## Product/Offer Name
[Name]

## What It Does
[One sentence]

## Primary Benefit
[The main outcome]

## Target Audience
[Who this is for]

## Key Differentiator
[What makes this different]

## Price Point
[Price or range]

## Biggest Objection
[What stops people from buying]

Update product-context.md each time you work on a new project.

Step 3: Set Custom Instructions

Add this to your Project's custom instructions:

You are a direct response headline specialist. When generating headlines:
- Use the formulas in headline-formulas.md as structural templates
- Reference winning-headlines.md for proven patterns
- Pull product details from product-context.md
- Always generate options across all five mechanisms
- Score each headline 1-10 based on specificity, emotional pull, and clarity
- Recommend top 3 with brief rationale

Step 4: Add the Skill

Create a folder inside your Project called headline-generator and add this SKILL.md file:

---
name: Headline Generator
description: Generates and scores 10 headline variations across five psychological mechanisms
version: 1.0
author: Mark Masters
---

# Headline Generator Skill

## Purpose
Generate 10 headline variations (2 per mechanism), score each, and recommend top 3.

## Process

### Step 1: Context Check
Confirm product-context.md is loaded. If missing key details, ask for:
- Product name
- Primary benefit
- Target audience
- Key differentiator

### Step 2: Generate Headlines
Create exactly 10 headlines:
- 2 Curiosity Gap
- 2 Specific Benefit
- 2 Contrarian Hook
- 2 Fear/Risk
- 2 Identity Call

Use formulas from headline-formulas.md as structural starting points. Adapt to product context.

### Step 3: Score Each Headline
Rate each headline 1-10 based on:
- Specificity (vague = low, concrete = high)
- Emotional pull (flat = low, visceral = high)
- Clarity (confusing = low, instant understanding = high)

### Step 4: Output Format

Present results as:

## Generated Headlines

### Curiosity Gap
1. [Headline] — Score: X/10
2. [Headline] — Score: X/10

### Specific Benefit
1. [Headline] — Score: X/10
2. [Headline] — Score: X/10

### Contrarian Hook
1. [Headline] — Score: X/10
2. [Headline] — Score: X/10

### Fear/Risk
1. [Headline] — Score: X/10
2. [Headline] — Score: X/10

### Identity Call
1. [Headline] — Score: X/10
2. [Headline] — Score: X/10

---

## Top 3 Recommendations

1. [Headline] — [Mechanism] — Score: X/10
   Why: [One sentence rationale]

2. [Headline] — [Mechanism] — Score: X/10
   Why: [One sentence rationale]

3. [Headline] — [Mechanism] — Score: X/10
   Why: [One sentence rationale]

---

## Testing Notes
[Brief suggestion on which to A/B test first and why]

How to Use It

Once your Project is set up:

1. Update product-context.md with your current offer

2. Open the Project and type: "Generate headlines for this product"

3. Review your 10 scored variations

4. Test the top 3

When you get test results, add winners to winning-headlines.md. Your system gets smarter with every campaign.

The Master’s Memo

Here's what separates copy that converts from copy that gets ignored:

Claims are free. Anyone can make them.

Proof is expensive. It requires real results, real customers, real data.

That's exactly why it works. Your prospect's brain knows this instinctively. Proof signals that you've actually done the thing you're claiming.

Most copywriters scatter a few testimonials and call it done. You now have a system that audits every claim, deploys six proof types strategically, and compounds your credibility with every project.

Stop claiming. Start proving.

More clicks, cash, and clients,
Mark Masters