It only takes a second to write a headline for an ad, landing page, blog post, or any other piece of writing. It can even feel effortless if it just comes to you in a burst of inspiration. If you have five minutes, it’s possible to come up with a headline that makes a difference, since this is such a prominent part of your marketing. Some people only read the headline, so if your time to improve a piece of writing is limited, this is what to focus on.

Here are some prompts to get your creativity flowing:

1. If you had to sum up the piece of writing in one sentence, what would you say?

2. If you asked your customers what they wanted the most, what would they say?

3. What’s something unexpected customers will get when they convert or when they read your article or post?

4. Can you replace any words in the existing headline with more colorful or specific ones?

5. What is a question that your body copy answers?

6. Why should your reader drop what they’re doing and pay attention to the rest of the piece now?

7. What words would your customers use to search for what you wrote?

8. Can you add alliteration (Fancy Fluffy Feline) or rhyme (Stan is the Man that Can) to your headline?

9. Is there a controversy you can highlight?

10. Can you cut words to make your existing headline shorter?

Today’s Action Step: Take 10-30 minutes (especially 10-30 minutes when you’d otherwise be unproductive) and use it to brainstorm a new headline for a piece of writing in progress, or to test on an important page in the future.