Headline optimization template for hero copy
Rewrite the hero headline and subhead — the buyer, the outcome, the mechanism — so the hero earns the scroll instead of bouncing the buyer off the page.
- Vercel
- Mixpanel
- Optimizely
- Notion
- Google Docs
Rewrite our homepage hero to name the buyer and the outcome.
- Named the buyerGTM teams running multi-channel campaigns
- Drafted the heroHeadline, subhead, CTA — buyer, outcome, mechanism, action
- Shipped the A/B testOld hero vs new hero
- Measured and shippedScroll rate up 24%, click rate up 31%
The hero shipped with a headline that named the buyer and the outcome, a subhead that named the mechanism, and a CTA that named the action. Scroll rate up 24% and click rate up 31%, because the buyer saw themselves and the path instead of the product. The headline carried the lift, which is why we tested it first.
A headline optimization template is the rewrite that turns a hero into a scroll. It fixes the shape — the buyer, the outcome, the mechanism — so the hero earns the scroll instead of bouncing the buyer. A hero that describes the product loses the buyer who is deciding; a hero that names the buyer and the outcome wins them.
What is a headline optimization template?
A reusable rewrite shape for a hero — the headline, the subhead, the CTA — that earns the scroll. The template fixes the shape so the hero earns the scroll instead of bouncing the buyer off the page.
Rewrite the hero
- Headline that names the buyer and the outcome
- Subhead that names the mechanism
- CTA that names the action the click starts
Test the hero
- A/B test the headline first — it carries the most lift
- Test the subhead second
- Test the CTA third
How to optimize a hero headline for the buyer?
Name the buyer in the headline — "for GTM teams", "for solo founders" — not the product. The buyer is the part that earns the scroll, because the buyer who sees themselves is the buyer who scrolls. A headline that names the product is a headline that the buyer bounces off.
What outcome does a hero copy template need?
The outcome the buyer wants — "ship campaigns in an hour", "baseline ai visibility" — not the outcome the product delivers. The outcome is the part that earns the scroll, because the buyer who sees the outcome sees the reason to scroll. A headline without the outcome is a headline that asks the buyer to guess.
What mechanism does hero headline copy need?
The mechanism in the subhead — how the product delivers the outcome. The mechanism is the part that earns the click, because the buyer who sees the mechanism sees the path. A hero with a headline and no subhead is a hero that earns the scroll but not the click.
How the headline optimization template fits your stack
The agent reads your positioning and the buyer, drafts the headline, subhead, and CTA, and ships the rewrite with an A/B test. It pairs with the homepage rewrite and the cta optimization templates.
- Vercel
- Mixpanel
- Optimizely
- Notion
- Google Docs
Who uses this headline optimization template
- CRO teams
- Turn heros into scrolls with the buyer, the outcome, the mechanism.
- Brand marketers
- Hold the message across the rewrite.
- Founders
- Make the hero name the buyer, not the product.
How to run this headline optimization template in Metaflow
Name the buyer
The buyer and the outcome they want.
Draft the hero
Agent fills the headline, subhead, CTA.
Ship the A/B test
Test the headline first.
Measure and ship
Scroll rate and click rate tell you which hero won.
What you provide
- Positioning
- The buyer
- The outcome
- The mechanism
What you get back
- Hero rewrite
- Headline
- Subhead
- A/B test
Why use this headline optimization template?
Headline names the buyer and the outcome, not the product
Subhead names the mechanism, not the feature
CTA names the action, not the click
Pairs with the homepage rewrite and CTA templates
Headline optimization template FAQs
How do you optimize a hero headline?
Name the buyer and the outcome in the headline, name the mechanism in the subhead, and name the action in the CTA. The hero earns the scroll because the buyer sees themselves and the outcome — a headline that names the product bounces them.
What makes a good hero headline?
A headline that names the buyer and the outcome — "for GTM teams who ship campaigns in an hour" — not the product. The buyer is the part that earns the scroll, because the buyer who sees themselves is the buyer who scrolls.
What does a hero subhead do?
Names the mechanism — how the product delivers the outcome. The mechanism is the part that earns the click, because the buyer who sees the mechanism sees the path. A hero with a headline and no subhead earns the scroll but not the click.
How do you A/B test a hero?
Test the headline first — it carries the most lift. Test the subhead second, the CTA third. Testing all three at once confounds the result; testing in order tells you which lever moved the scroll and the click.
Similar landing page copy and CRO templates
Key takeaways
- Headline names the buyer and the outcome, not the product
- Subhead names the mechanism, not the feature
- CTA names the action, not the click