Question headlines

The formula

A headline that asks the shopper a question the app answers. It accounts for 1% of the headlines in our corpus.

Typical shape: "Where does your money go?", "Ready to learn a new language?".

When to use it

• The rarest formula in the corpus: a handful of uses across roughly 600 apps.
• A question earns its place when the reader’s honest answer is the pain point the app solves.
• Follow it immediately: the next panel (or the same panel’s UI) should visibly answer the question.

When not to use it

Default to a benefit statement. A question only earns the slot when the shopper’s honest answer is the pain the app solves, and the next slide (or the UI on this one) answers it. Skip empty CTAs like “Ready to get started?” and questions the screenshot cannot answer.

Good vs bad

These are editorial examples, not a score we store on the corpus. A good question names a real curiosity. A bad one is a yes/no that sells nothing.

• Good: “Where does your money go?” The honest answer is the pain the next slide solves.
• Good: “What is that bright dot in the sky?” The app is the answer.
• Bad: “Ready to get started?” A yes/no that could sit on any product page.

Question vs benefit statement

Same idea, two formulas. Use the question only when the shopper’s answer is the hook.

Adoption by category

1031 headlines from live top-chart screenshot sets.

Real examples by category

Other formulas

See all headline formulas, up to three per category.

• Benefit statement
• Imperative
• Feature name
• Stat claim
• Social proof