Headline & Subject Line Tester

A headline gets a second, maybe two, before someone scrolls past. This tester gives you a fast, honest second opinion on titles for articles, email subject lines, ad headlines and social posts. Type one and it scores it out of 100 as you type, then explains the score: whether the length suits where it will appear, whether it mixes everyday words with vivid ones, whether it has any emotional pull or a clear promise, and whether anything makes it look like spam.

Choose what you are writing and the targets change. A blog title wants roughly 40 to 60 characters so Google shows all of it; a subject line has to land in the first 30 or 40 characters a phone shows; a Google Ads headline is capped at 30. The mock Gmail inbox, laptop view and search result show where your words are cut, measured in pixels rather than guessed from a character count.

Writing several options is the habit of good headline writers, so you can enter up to five versions and see them ranked side by side. The scores come from open rules, not a crystal ball. Use them to catch weak spots, then trust your readers: test the top two for real if you can.

1. Pick what you are writing: Blog (for articles), Email (subject lines), Ad or Social.
2. Type your headline in the first box. The score appears inside the box and the breakdown updates as you type.
3. Press “Add variation” to write up to five versions. Tap any box, or a row in “Variations side by side”, to see its breakdown.
4. Work through “What works and what to fix”, and check “Where it gets cut off” to see the key words survive.
5. Press “Copy report” to paste every version, its score and the fixes into a document or a message to your team.

• Four kinds of headline, each with its own ideal length in characters and words.
• A score out of 100 split into five parts: length, word balance, clarity, structure and how easy it is to read.
• Word lists written for this tool: everyday linking words, emotional words, power words, feeling words and over 50 spam-filter phrases.
• Warnings for ALL CAPS, doubled punctuation, clickbait teasers, vague words and too many emoji.
• Spots headlines that start with a number, ask a question, promise a how-to or speak to “you”.
• Pixel-measured previews of the Gmail phone app, Gmail on a laptop and a Google search result.
• Up to five variations compared in one table, with the top score marked.
• A copyable plain-text report with every score and suggestion.

• Put the words that matter first. In inboxes and on phones the end of a line is the part most often cut, so lead with the benefit, not “Newsletter #42:”.
• Specific beats clever. “Cut your energy bill by £200” is clearer than “Power to the people”, and clearer headlines score better here and usually with readers too.
• A low score is not a ban. A plain subject such as “Your March invoice is ready” is exactly right for a receipt, even though it lacks emotional words.
• For email, the preview text after the subject matters nearly as much. Use it to finish the thought rather than repeat it.
• Don’t chase 100. Once a headline is clear, the right length and free of spam signals, testing on real readers tells you more than another point of score.