Ask Claude for “10 catchy headlines” and you get ten versions of the same idea, half with a colon in the middle. Writers on Reddit’s copywriting threads and on Substack keep making the same complaint: plain AI headlines come out generic.
A skill fixes the process, not the model. It gives Claude a fixed method every time: what angles to try, how many variants to write, how to score them, and which patterns to reject. This guide covers the headline skills worth installing in November 2026, free and paid, how to install each one, and a working skill file you can drop into ~/.claude/skills today.
Quick answer: The strongest free Claude Code skills for headlines are headline-formulas from guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills, headline-matrix from realkimbarrett/advertising-skills, and the copywriting skill in coreyhaines31/marketingskills. Paid packs (Inflectual at $167, SuperSkills at $50, the Contra SEO and AEO pack at $39) bundle headline work inside wider marketing libraries. Note that clawfu-skills is now archived, so treat it as a formula reference rather than a maintained tool. For most people, a free skill plus a custom scoring step does the job.
New to skills? Start with what Claude Code skills are and come back.
What is a Claude Code skill for headlines?
A headline skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that tells Claude how to write and judge headlines. Claude Code loads it when your request matches the skill’s description, such as “write headlines”, “subject lines” or “title tag”. It lives in ~/.claude/skills/ (all projects) or .claude/skills/ (one project), or arrives inside a plugin.
The difference from a saved prompt is that a skill fires on its own and can carry reference files: formula lists, a banned-words file, examples from your own best performers. Corey Haines’ copywriting skill, for example, tells Claude to break a page into units like headline, subhead and CTA, “draft two or three candidates, keep the best, fix its worst flaw, and lock it.” That is a process a one-off prompt rarely repeats the same way twice.
What a good headline skill should do
| Job | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Force volume | The first idea is rarely the best. A skill should demand 15 to 30 variants across distinct angles. |
| Force variety | ”Each must feel different” (from headline-matrix) stops ten rewrites of one sentence. |
| Score, then cut | A rubric turns taste into something you can repeat and argue about. |
| Split by channel | A title tag, an H1, an email subject line and an ad headline have different limits and jobs. |
| Block clickbait | The headline must be a promise the page keeps. |
| Ban AI tells | Colons in every line, “Unlock”, “The Ultimate Guide”, em dashes. |
Most free skills do the first two well. Few do the scoring and channel split, which is why the custom skill later in this guide adds them.
Takeaway: a headline skill is worth installing only if it changes the process (volume, variety, scoring), not just the wording.
The best Claude Code skills for headlines in 2026
Each repo was checked on 2026-11-01 through the GitHub API for star counts and the date of the last push, and read each README for the install command. Star counts are a popularity signal, not a quality score. Nothing below has been tested by this site for conversion results, so treat any performance claim in a skill’s own docs as unconfirmed.
1. headline-formulas (clawfu-skills) - free
- Source: github.com/guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills, path
skills/content/headline-formulas - Stats: 150 stars, last push 2026-10-01, MIT license. The repo is archived (read-only, checked via the GitHub API on 2 November 2026), so it will not get fixes. Install it as a copy you own, or fork it.
- What it does: a library of 25+ headline formulas drawn from Ogilvy, Caples, Halbert and Joanna Wiebe, with templates for landing pages, ads, articles, subject lines and social hooks. Its stated split: “Claude generates options. You choose winners.”
- Install:
npx skills add guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills -a claude-code(the command listed on its skills.sh and claudemarketplaces.com pages). The README also offers an MCP route withnpx @clawfu/mcp-skills. - Best for: writers who want a formula reference at hand, closest match to this exact use case.
2. headline-matrix (advertising-skills) - free
- Source: github.com/realkimbarrett/advertising-skills, path
skills/copy-chief/headline-matrix - Stats: 769 stars, last push 2026-03-26, MIT license
- What it does: writes 25 headlines grouped across seven angles: curiosity, specificity, proof, urgency, contrarian, mechanism and identity. Rules are short: each must feel different, specific beats vague, no repeated structures.
- Install: the README says to install into
.agents/skills/and gives no one-line command. For Claude Code, copy theheadline-matrixfolder into~/.claude/skills/. - Best for: ad and offer headlines where you want angle coverage fast. Note it has not been pushed since March.
3. copywriting (marketingskills) - free
- Source: github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills
- Stats: 57,803 stars, last push 2026-10-31
- What it does: full-page copy, but its trigger list includes “headline help”, “tagline” and “hero section copy”. It bans em dashes in headlines, subject lines and ads, and says claims must be supportable. Sister skills include
copy-editing,ad-creative(headlines and descriptions at scale),emailsandab-testing. - Install:
npx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill copywritingor as a plugin:/plugin marketplace add coreyhaines31/marketingskillsthen/plugin install marketing-skills. - Best for: page headlines that need to match the rest of the page. More on this pack in Claude Code skills for copywriters.
4. headline-generator (autopunk-media-skills) - free
- Source: github.com/ur-grue/autopunk-media-skills, listed on claudskills.com
- Stats: 41 stars, last push 2026-08-31, MIT license
- What it does: headline and subheadline options for articles and features across registers, lengths and publication styles. It sits in a magazine-journalism folder, so it suits editorial work more than ads.
- Install:
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/headline-generatorthencurl -L https://claudskills.com/skills/headline-generator/SKILL.md -o ~/.claude/skills/headline-generator/SKILL.md - Best for: bloggers and editors.
5. marketing-skills (alirezarezvani/claude-skills) - free
- Source: github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills
- Stats: 29,110 stars, last push 2026-10-31
- What it does: a 43-skill marketing plugin. Its copywriting skill keeps headline formulas in a separate
references/copy-frameworks.mdfile. - Install:
/plugin marketplace add alirezarezvani/claude-skillsthen/plugin install marketing-skills@claude-code-skills
6. Anthropic Marketing and Brand Voice plugins - free
- Source: github.com/anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
- Stats: 34,325 stars, last push 2026-11-01
- What it does: the
marketingplugin ships skills such asdraft-content,email-sequence,content-creationandbrand-review. The partner-builtbrand-voiceplugin (by TribeAI) builds voice guidelines and checks AI copy against them, useful as a final pass so headlines sound like you. - Install:
claude plugin marketplace add anthropics/knowledge-work-pluginsthenclaude plugin install marketing@knowledge-work-plugins(swap inbrand-voicefor the second plugin). See brand voice skills.
7. humanizer - free
- Source: github.com/blader/humanizer
- Stats: 63,282 stars, last push 2026-10-28
- What it does: strips AI writing tells (rule-of-three, em dash overuse, promotional words). Headlines are short, so one tell ruins them.
- Install:
/plugin marketplace add blader/humanizerthen/plugin install humanizer@humanizer(needs Claude Code 2.1.142+), ornpx skills add blader/humanizer --global --agent claude-code. Deeper coverage in humanizing skills.
8. ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills - free directory
- Source: github.com/ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills
- Stats: 78,504 stars, last push 2026-09-18
- What it is: a curated list, not a headline skill. Useful for finding newer options. Directories like claudemarketplaces.com, skills.sh and claudskills.com list the same headline skills with one-click install pages.
9. Paid packs
None of the paid packs below is a dedicated headline skill. They are wide libraries where headline or copy skills are a small part. Prices were confirmed on the live pages on 2026-11-01. None were purchased for this review, so contents are the vendor’s description.
| Pack | Price | Where | What the vendor says it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inflectual Master Marketing Skills Bundle | $167 one-time | Gumroad | 167 skills across marketing categories incl. email, SEO and paid ads |
| Ultimate Claude SEO & AEO Skills Pack (Samuel Uebersax) | $39 (shown against $79) | Contra | SEO and AEO content writer, AI search visibility checker; relevant for title tags |
| SuperSkills | $50 | superskills-one.vercel.app | A curated bundle of Claude Code skills across professional categories |
| ClaudSkills Pro | $9/mo, $79/yr or $149 one-time | claudskills.com | One-click install and quality scores; the skills themselves stay free to install by hand |
At least one pack was left out found in research because its sales page used “only 20 slots left” scarcity copy for a digital download. A file does not run out.
Takeaway: for headlines alone, the free skills cover the method. Pay for a bundle only if you need the rest of its library.
Free vs paid: which should you pick?
The short answer is free first. The headline method (angles, volume, scoring, channel rules) fits in one SKILL.md file, and three good free versions exist. Paid packs make sense when you want breadth across SEO, email and ads in one purchase and don’t want to assemble it from GitHub.
| Free skills (GitHub, directories) | Paid packs | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 | $39 to $167 one-time, or subscription |
| Headline-specific depth | High (headline-formulas, headline-matrix) | Low to medium, part of wider libraries |
| Can you read the code first? | Yes, every line | Usually only after purchase |
| Update signal | Public push dates and stars | Vendor claims |
| License | Often MIT | Varies; check before team use |
| Support | GitHub issues | Vendor-dependent |
| Best for | Writers who will tune one skill | Teams wanting a ready-made library |
One practical point: you can read a free SKILL.md before it ever runs. With a paid pack you are trusting a file you have not seen, and skills can include scripts. Read anything you install, paid or not. The install walkthrough is in how to install Claude Code skills.
Headline formulas that work in a skill
Formulas are scaffolding, not answers. They help a model spread across angles instead of circling one. Here are the families most headline skills share, with what each needs from you.
| Formula family | Template | Needs from you |
|---|---|---|
| How-to | How to [result] without [pain] | A real result and a real pain |
| Number list | [N] [things] for [audience] | A true count of items on the page |
| Specificity | [Exact outcome] in [timeframe] | A provable number (or skip it) |
| Question | Are you making [mistake]? | A mistake your reader recognises |
| Mechanism | The [named method] that [result] | A real method on the page |
| Contrarian | Why [common advice] is wrong for [audience] | An argument you can defend |
| Identity | For [specific person] who [situation] | A clear ICP |
| Proof | How [named customer] got [result] | A real, permitted case study |
The trouble with most formula lists is the specificity and proof rows. A model will happily write “Double Your Open Rates in 7 Days” with nothing behind it. Your skill needs a rule: any number in a headline must come from the source material, or the headline gets cut.
Rules worth putting in your skill
- No number, result or customer name that is not in the brief.
- No colon in more than one of every five variants (a common AI tell).
- No “Ultimate”, “Unlock”, “Secrets”, “You won’t believe”.
- No em dashes in short copy.
- Keep the primary keyword near the front for SEO titles only.
- Write for one reader, named in the brief.
Generate many, then score: the workflow
The best use of Claude for headlines is volume plus judgment. Ask for 20 to 30 variants across set angles, score each against a rubric, keep the top five, then sharpen those. Pick the winner yourself or test it.
Step by step
- Brief. Give the page’s real promise, the reader, the channel and any proof you actually have.
- Generate wide. 25 variants across at least six angles, no two with the same structure.
- Score. Each variant gets 1 to 5 on clarity, specificity, curiosity, truth (does the page deliver?) and channel fit.
- Cut. Drop anything with a truth score under 5. A headline that overpromises fails no matter how curious it is.
- Sharpen. Rewrite the top five once, fixing each one’s weakest score.
- Split by channel. Produce a title tag, an H1, a subject line and a social version from the winner.
- Test or ship. If you have the traffic, A/B test two finalists. If not, ship the top scorer.
A scoring rubric you can copy
| Criterion | 1 | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Clarity | Reader can’t tell what the page is | Topic and benefit clear in one read |
| Specificity | Vague (“better results”) | Concrete noun, number or outcome from the brief |
| Curiosity | Nothing to learn | An open question the page closes |
| Truth | Promise the page can’t keep | Page delivers fully |
| Channel fit | Wrong length or tone | Fits the slot (SERP, inbox, feed) |
Rubric scores are a sorting tool. They are not a prediction of click-through rate. Only a live test or real search data tells you that.
Working example: a headline skill you can install
Save this as ~/.claude/skills/headline-lab/SKILL.md. It combines volume, angles, scoring and channel splits, and blocks invented claims. Then ask Claude “write headlines for this post” with the draft open.
---
name: headline-lab
description: Generate, score and pick headlines, SEO title tags, H1s, email subject lines and social hooks. Use when the user asks for headlines, titles, title tags, subject lines, hooks or headline A/B test variants.
---
# Headline lab
## Inputs (ask if missing, max 3 questions)
- The page or email content, or a summary of its real promise
- The single target reader
- Channel(s): SEO title, H1, email subject, ad, social
- Any proof allowed in a headline (numbers, named results)
## Process
1. Write 25 variants across these angles: how-to, number, specificity,
question, mechanism, contrarian, identity. No two share a structure.
2. Score each 1-5 on clarity, specificity, curiosity, truth, channel fit.
Show a table sorted by total.
3. Remove any variant with truth below 5.
4. Rewrite the top 5 once, fixing each one's lowest score.
5. From the winner, output:
- SEO title tag: keyword near the front, concise, no keyword repetition
- H1: can be longer and warmer than the title tag
- Email subject line + preview text that adds new information
- One social hook
6. Name 2 finalists for an A/B test and the one variable they differ on.
## Hard rules
- Never invent numbers, results, customers or timeframes.
- No "ultimate", "unlock", "secrets", "you won't believe", em dashes.
- Colon in at most 1 of every 5 variants.
- Sentence case unless the user's style guide says otherwise.
- If a headline promises more than the content delivers, cut it.Want to extend it with reference files (your past winners, a brand word list)? See how to build a Claude Code skill.
SEO title tags vs on-page H1s
A title tag is what you suggest for the search result. An H1 is the headline people see on the page. They can differ, and often should. The title tag has to win a click in a list of ten; the H1 has to keep the reader who already clicked.
Google’s title link documentation is clear on the basics. Every page should have a <title> element. Google builds the title link itself from several sources, including the <title>, the main visual title, heading elements such as the H1, og:title, anchor text and WebSite structured data. Titles are “truncated in Google Search results as needed, typically to fit the device width.” It also warns against boilerplate titles and against repeating the same words, which “can make a site look spammy.”
| Title tag | H1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it shows | Search results, browser tab | Top of the page |
| Job | Win the click from a SERP | Confirm the reader is in the right place |
| Length | Short; Google truncates to device width | Can run longer |
| Keyword | Near the front | Natural, not forced |
| Brand | Often added with a delimiter | Usually not |
| Risk | Google may rewrite it if it doesn’t match the page | Mismatch with title feels like bait |
The practical rule for your skill: keep the title tag and H1 on the same promise. If they diverge too much, Google may pick a different title link, and readers feel the switch. The SEO side is covered further in Claude Code skills for SEO.
Email subject lines are a different job
A subject line competes with every other email in the inbox, from people the reader knows. That changes the rules. Curiosity works better here than in search, but sender trust matters more than any formula, and the preview text is a second headline you should never waste.
What to tell your skill about subject lines
- Write the subject line and preview text as a pair. The preview should add information, not repeat the subject.
- Put the key words early, because inbox apps cut subject lines at different widths depending on device and client.
- Avoid all caps, stacked punctuation and fake “RE:” or “FWD:” prefixes. They erode trust and can look like spam.
- Match the email. A subject line that promises a discount must open to a discount.
- Write for the list you have. A newsletter subject line can be playful; a transactional one should be plain.
The coreyhaines31 emails skill and Anthropic’s email-sequence skill both handle subject lines inside full email work. For a dedicated walkthrough, see Claude Code skills for email marketing.
A/B testing headlines with Claude Code
Claude can design a headline test, but it cannot run one or predict its winner. The test itself happens in your email platform, ad manager or testing tool. What a skill can do is make sure the two variants differ on one thing, so the result means something.
A simple test plan
- Pick one variable. Angle (curiosity vs specificity), length or the presence of a number. Not all three.
- Pick one metric. Open rate for subject lines, click-through for ads and SERPs, scroll or conversion for H1s.
- Set a sample size before you start. Small lists produce noise. Use your platform’s significance tool or a sample size calculator.
- Run until the plan says stop, not until one variant looks ahead.
- Log the result in a file your skill reads next time, such as
references/past-winners.md. This is where a skill beats a prompt: it learns from your own data.
Coreyhaines31’s ab-testing skill covers test design in more depth. For SEO titles, true A/B tests are hard on a single page; most teams change the title, then compare Search Console clicks and impressions over matching periods, which is a before-and-after comparison, not a controlled test.
Takeaway: use Claude to write clean test pairs and record results. Let your platform declare the winner.
How to avoid clickbait without writing boring headlines
Clickbait is a headline that promises more than the page delivers. The fix is not to remove curiosity. It is to make sure the curiosity gap is closed by the content, fast.
| Clickbait | Honest alternative |
|---|---|
| You won’t believe what this skill does | This skill writes 25 headlines and scores each one |
| The secret trick copywriters hide | The 7 angles headline-matrix uses (and how to add your own) |
| Triple your open rates overnight | Subject line and preview text pairs, written as one unit |
| The only headline guide you’ll ever need | 9 Claude Code skills for headlines, free and paid |
Three checks to bake into your skill
- Delivery check: can you point to the paragraph that pays off the headline?
- Number check: is every number in the headline in the source?
- Reader check: would the reader feel tricked if they saw the page first?
If any answer is no, the headline goes. This matters for trust, and Google’s guidance asks for titles that describe the page’s actual content. For more on editing copy that reads as machine-made, see Claude Code skills for editing.
Common mistakes with headline skills
- Installing five overlapping skills. Two skills with “headline” in their description compete for the same trigger. Keep one primary headline skill.
- No brief. A skill can’t add proof you didn’t give it. Thin input gives generic output.
- Trusting the score as a forecast. The rubric sorts; it doesn’t predict CTR.
- One headline for every channel. A title tag pasted into a subject line usually reads flat.
- Never feeding back results. If you don’t log winners, the skill never gets closer to your audience.
- Skipping the read-through. Read every SKILL.md you install, especially paid ones with scripts.
FAQ
What are Claude Code skills?
Folders containing a SKILL.md file with instructions (and optional scripts or reference files) that Claude Code loads when a task matches the skill’s description. They live in ~/.claude/skills/, .claude/skills/ or inside plugins.
What is the best Claude Code skill for headlines?
For headlines alone, headline-formulas (clawfu-skills) and headline-matrix (advertising-skills) are the most focused free options. The marketingskills copywriting skill is better when the headline sits on a full page.
Can Claude write good headlines?
It can write good options in volume. Writers often report that unguided output is generic, which is why a skill with angles, rules and a scoring step helps. You still choose.
How do I install a headline skill in Claude Code?
Use npx skills add owner/repo where the README supports it, use /plugin marketplace add and /plugin install for plugins, or copy the skill folder into ~/.claude/skills/.
Are paid Claude skill packs worth it for headlines?
Usually not for headlines alone. The paid packs listed here are broad libraries. Buy one if you want the wider library; the headline method itself is available free.
How many headline variations should I write?
Many copywriting guides suggest writing far more than you need and cutting. 20 to 30 across distinct angles gives a skill enough range to score. The right number is a judgment call, not a rule.
Should the title tag and H1 be the same?
They can be, but they don’t need to be. Keep them on the same promise. The title tag is tuned for the search result; the H1 for the reader on the page.
How long should an SEO title be?
Google truncates title links to fit the device width and recommends descriptive, concise titles. It does not publish a fixed character limit, so lead with the important words.
Does Google rewrite title tags?
Google generates title links from several sources, including the title element, H1 and anchor text, so it may show something other than your title tag, especially if the title is boilerplate or doesn’t match the page.
Can Claude Code A/B test headlines?
No. It can write test pairs, a test plan and log results. The test runs in your email, ads or testing platform.
What makes a good email subject line?
Clarity about what’s inside, a reason to open now, and preview text that adds to it. It must match the email.
How do I stop AI headlines sounding like AI?
Ban the usual tells in your skill (colons in every line, “unlock”, “ultimate”, em dashes), require specific nouns from the brief, and run a humanizer pass.
Is it clickbait if a headline creates curiosity?
Not if the page closes the gap quickly and fully. It becomes clickbait when the content doesn’t deliver what the headline promised.
Can one skill handle headlines for ads, emails and blogs?
Yes, if it asks for the channel and has rules per channel, like the headline-lab example above. Ad platforms have their own character limits, so check those in the platform. See Claude Code skills for ad copy.
Do headline skills work outside Claude Code?
Many do. The marketingskills README says it works with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf and any agent supporting the Agent Skills spec. headline-matrix lists similar compatibility.
Sources and method
All repo stats were pulled from the GitHub API on 2026-11-01. Install commands were checked against each repo’s README or the directory page that lists the skill. Prices were checked on live vendor pages on 2026-11-01, with Gumroad’s price confirmed through the page’s product:price:amount meta tag.
- coreyhaines31/marketingskills
- guia-matthieu/clawfu-skills
- realkimbarrett/advertising-skills
- ur-grue/autopunk-media-skills
- alirezarezvani/claude-skills
- anthropics/knowledge-work-plugins
- blader/humanizer
- ComposioHQ/awesome-claude-skills
- Google Search Central: title links
- Substack: The headline tool that writes better titles than I do (source for the “generic Claude headlines with colons” observation; anecdotal)
Your next step
Install one free headline skill, or copy the headline-lab file above, and run it on the next post you publish. Score the variants, ship the winner, and write the result into a past-winners.md file so the skill improves on your own data. For the wider toolkit, see Claude Code skills for marketers and Claude Code skills for content writers.
