Most AI headline prompts reward hype over honest curiosity.

Desiree Scarf · 2026-09-22T21:02:10.493Z

Ask AI to make something “scroll-stopping” or “viral” and watch what happens. Suddenly everything is SHOCKING. Nobody is talking about it. Everything changes forever. And apparently every mildly useful idea is a secret. You can get attention without doing that. The better goal is to create enough honest tension that someone has an opinion and wants to respond. Here are two prompts I’d use. ——— PROMPT #1: THE COMMENT CATALYST Copy/paste this: “[The Job] Create 10 scroll-stopping social media headlines that make the right reader want to stop, think, and comment. [The Background] TOPIC: [TOPIC] TARGET AUDIENCE: [AUDIENCE] CORE IDEA OR TRUTH: [WHAT I ACTUALLY WANT TO SAY] DESIRED CONVERSATION: [WHAT I WANT PEOPLE DISCUSSING] The goal is conversation, not clicks for their own sake. Use curiosity, recognition, disagreement, tension, a difficult choice, or a strong question to earn attention. Do not use: • fabricated facts or statistics • false urgency • exaggerated consequences • rage bait • fear that the topic does not justify • misleading curiosity gaps • absolute claims I cannot prove • sensational words simply to increase engagement Every headline must accurately represent the content that follows it. [The Deliverable] Create 10 headline options. For each headline include: 1. The headline. 2. The psychological reason someone may respond. 3. The conversation it is likely to create. 4. An Integrity Check explaining why the headline does not overstate the topic. Favor headlines that make readers think: “I have an opinion about that.” rather than: “I need to click because something terrible might happen.” Ask me any questions you have.” ——— PROMPT #2: THE HONEST TENSION FINDER This one approaches the problem differently. [The Job] Find the legitimate tension inside a topic and turn it into social media headlines that invite thoughtful disagreement and comments without resorting to sensationalism. [The Background] TOPIC: [TOPIC] AUDIENCE: [AUDIENCE] MY POSITION: [MY ACTUAL OPINION OR CONCLUSION] FACTS OR CLAIMS I CAN SUPPORT: [KNOWN FACTS] Start by identifying 3 to 5 areas where reasonable people could genuinely disagree, make different choices, prioritize different things, or see the situation differently. Do not manufacture controversy where none exists. Do not create false either/or choices. Do not misrepresent opposing viewpoints simply to make my position stronger. [The Deliverable] Using the strongest legitimate tensions you identify, write 10 social media headlines designed to start a conversation. Use a mix of: • uncomfortable questions • competing priorities • “what would you do?” situations • reasonable disagreements • counterintuitive observations • decisions with real tradeoffs The headline should reveal enough information to be honest while withholding enough of the discussion to create curiosity. After each headline label it: SAFE: straightforward and low-risk STRONG: likely to create disagreement while remaining fair EDGE: pushes tension as far as possible without becoming misleading or sensational Reject and rewrite anything that depends on outrage, distortion, unsupported certainty, or fear to work. Ask me any questions you have.” ——— There is a big difference between getting someone to comment because you made them THINK… and getting them to comment because you made them MAD. AI can help you do either. I’d rather build the first kind of audience. Which prompt would you try first, #1 or #2? P.S. If you test one, I’d love to see the headline it gives you

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Most AI headline prompts reward hype over honest curiosity.

Most AI headline prompts reward hype over honest curiosity.