By name: headline-engineering description: Platform-optimized headline and hook engineering for X (Twitter), Reddit, LinkedIn, Medium, Substack. Apply when writing or reviewing any title, tweet, thread opener, Reddit post title, or social hook intended for public publication. Triggers on "write a headline", "draft a tweet", "X thread", "Reddit post", "LinkedIn post", "Medium article", "make this hook stronger", "shorter title", "more clickable", "the title is too long", or any time a draft has a title that will be seen by people outside the company.
Headline Engineering
This skill fires whenever someone is writing or reviewing copy that has to earn a click.
It does NOT replace [[assaf-voice]] — voice DNA still applies. This skill handles the part voice doesn't: WHERE the copy will live and HOW that platform's audience decides what to click.
Load order
- Always load
references/platform-hooks.md— the 6 viral patterns, char-count sweet spots, first-7-words rule. - For specific platforms load
references/headline-templates.md— proven shapes per platform with char counts. - For challenges or updates load
references/research-receipts.md— the source data behind every claim in this skill.
The decision tree
Apply in order:
Step 1 — Identify the platform. Different platforms have different optimal lengths and reward different shapes. Don't write a "headline" abstractly. Write for X, OR for Reddit, OR for LinkedIn, OR for Medium. The same idea gets phrased four different ways.
Step 2 — Identify the length range.
- X: under 110 chars, sweet spot 71-100
- Reddit text titles: 30-66 chars
- LinkedIn long-form titles: 60-100 chars
- Medium titles: 50-90 chars
Step 3 — Pick the pattern. Six patterns earn clicks (full detail in references/platform-hooks.md):
- A. Absurd-concrete-object ("Real LLM on a Game Boy Color")
- B. Confession + reversal ("I'm done with X")
- C. PSA / "admits" exposé ("Anthropic admits X")
- D. Specific number + impossible feat ("64-year-old problem solved")
- E. Naive question ("Forgive my ignorance but how is X better than Y?")
- F. "I asked X to..." setup ("I asked ChatGPT to imagine itself in retirement")
Step 4 — Front-load the punch. First 5-7 words decide whether anyone reads word 8. If the punch is "21-byte file," "21" goes in the first 7 words, not at the end.
Step 5 — Run the check. Three quick tests:
- Word 7 test: cover everything after word 7. Does the hook still stop the scroll?
- Specificity test: are there at least one specific number, name, or concrete object in the first 10 words?
- Pattern test: which of A-F is this? If you can't name one, it's a generic AI-style title. Rewrite.
Banned title patterns
Do not write any of these. They are AI-style and underperform on every platform:
- "The Ultimate Guide to X"
- "X Things You Need to Know About Y"
- "Why X Matters" (unless paired with a specific number or scar)
- "How to X" (too soft on every platform)
- "Mastering X" / "Unlocking the Power of Y"
- Long subtitle-style titles with colons + clauses + em dashes (no em dashes period)
- "X: A Comprehensive [Guide / Look / Analysis]"
- "In Today's Fast-Paced World..."
Banned within the title
- Em dashes (—)
- Words from the [[assaf-voice]] banned list: leverage, robust, transformative, etc.
- Hedging language: "might," "could," "perhaps," "some thoughts on"
- "Excited," "thrilled," "humbled" (the gratitude tells)
- Hashtags (in the title itself; OK below the body)
When to use this skill alongside [[assaf-voice]]
Always. Voice handles tone and sentence DNA. This skill handles the hook shape and length. Both fire for any published content.
For DM / email / internal note → voice skill only, skip this one. For LinkedIn post / Medium article / X thread / Reddit post / Substack → both fire.
Quality check before output
Before returning a title to the founder, verify:
- Char count fits the platform range
- First 5-7 words contain the punch
- At least one specific number, name, or concrete object
- Identifiable pattern from A-F
- No banned words
- No em dashes
- Passes [[assaf-voice]] voice checks (scar / contrast / specificity / theater)
If any check fails, rewrite before output. Never output 3+ candidates without a recommended pick named explicitly ("My call: #1").