How To Write Clear Headlines Like Hormozi

Avoid the clever trap

Be CLEAR, not clever.

This isn’t just a rule for writing headlines—it’s a rule for all your writing.

So, before we start generating crystal clear headlines “Hormozi style,” let’s tackle why being clear beats being clever every single time—whether it’s a headline, email, a sales page, or a LinkedIn post.

The Clever Trap

It’s practically an epidemic how many writers, communicators, so-called messaging experts, and industry leaders opt for clever instead of clear.

And here’s why:

• They think their “pun” is what will attract the reader’s attention.

• They believe the reader will stop dead in their tracks, hypnotized by their “mysterious headline.”

• They make the assumption that what the reader wants is to be entertained (more than they want to be educated, informed, or given clear instructions).

And all of these are wrong.

For example: imagine you are driving in a foreign country. You’ve just left the airport, and now you are trying to make your way to your hotel. Except the moment you exit the airport and pull onto the highway, all the signs say things like, “Sunshine you can taste” and “The best there is, and the best there ever will be.” At first, you’re mildly entertained. And then after a mile or so, you start to shiver with anxiety. WHY WON’T THE SIGNS JUST TELL YOU WHERE YOU’RE GOING?! You start to get frustrated. You slam your hands on the steering wheel...

• “Unleash your creativity...” What?

• “Real-time changes, real-time trust...” STOP IT!

• “Data and analytics so good, you can taste them...” JUST TELL ME WHERE I’M GOING!!!

Here’s how the story ends:

Eventually, you get so frustrated you turn right around, return the car at the airport, and hop back on a flight back to wherever it is you’re from. Because at least there, you know what people are saying. There, the world is CLEAR—not “clever.”

If the reader starts reading and realizes you are trying to be “clever” for clever’s sake, they’re not going to stick around.

Because they don’t understand what you’re trying to say.

They are that foreigner driving down the highway just trying to get to their hotel, and no matter how far they drive (or how much attention they give you), they can’t seem to get a straight answer.

So, they turn around and leave.

Nothing kills more websites and landing pages, or costs a business more money, than the diseased desire to be “clever” instead of clear.

Remember that.

How To Be Clear, Not Clever

So, now that you understand the urgency of the problem, let’s talk about how to solve it.

#1: Be Clear About The Category

The very first thing you need to make crystal clear to readers/customers is “what it is.”

• Is this a gasoline-powered car or an electric car?

• Is this a manual vacuum cleaner or a robot vacuum cleaner?

• Is this regular bottled water or carbonated bottled water?

• Is this a home air mattress or a camping air mattress?

• Is this a collectable watch or a smartwatch?

Notice how changing the modifier word in front of “the thing” drastically changes your perception of it.

• Is this a book on money?

• Or a book on investing money?

• Or a book on investing money for teenagers?

Specificity is what tells people WHAT they’re looking at.

#2: Be Clear About The Problem

The second thing you need to be clear about is the problem.

• What’s the problem?

• Why is it a problem?

• Have others tried to solve the problem (and failed)?

• Why is solving this problem so urgent & important?

Readers don’t care about ideas on their own. They only care once they sufficiently understand the context within which the product, service, or idea sits.

So, tell the reader exactly why they should care.

#3: Be Clear About The Solution

Keep it simple.

Explain what you do in 5 words or less.

• Bad: “We deliver asynchronous reporting data and analytics to integrate your business into the creator economy’s growing community.”

• Good: "Sales Analytics For Creators"

If you can't say it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

#4: Be Clear About The Transformation

And finally, you need to be clear about the transformation.

Give the reader a full story arc to hold onto.

• [Beginning] Where are they starting?

• [Conflict] What’s the problem—and why does it matter?

• [Solution] How do they solve this problem?

• [Transformation] And how is their life different as a result?

Customers buy your product or service because of who and what they believe they will BE “on the other side.”

So, don’t make them guess.

The “How To YAA Without Boo Even If Obstacle” Headline

Now that we've drilled down on why clear beats clever every time, let's apply it to writing headlines.

Alex Hormozi’s “How To YAA Without Boo Even If Obstacle” framework will help you write a crystal clear headline that’ll snag eyeballs like a Kardashian selfie. Because your reader will know exactly what they get when they click.

Let's break it down.