What to write on an OG image: headlines that get clicks

You have picked a template, chosen the colors, the card is almost ready, and everything stalls on the empty “Headline” field. The cursor blinks and one thought keeps spinning: “what do I even write here?” The design takes five minutes, the text takes an evening. Yet the text is what decides whether your link gets opened or scrolled past.

The good news: a preview headline is a craft, not inspiration. It has a few short rules, and the iteration can be handed to AI. Below we cover why text matters more than the picture, which mistakes kill a preview most often, and how to get ready-made headline options right in the editor.

People scroll the feed on autopilot. Your link card flashes on screen for a second or a second and a half: not enough time to appreciate a gradient, but enough to read four to six words. That is why a beautiful background with a boring caption loses to a plain background with a catchy headline: the feed reads words, it does not study the styling.

Hence the split of roles: design makes sure the card is noticed, the headline makes sure it is clicked. If all your time goes into picking a font while the text is left “for later”, the effort is going to the wrong place.

• Too long. A 1200×630 card comfortably holds 4–8 words; a longer phrase either shrinks into a tiny line or gets cut off by the mobile preview.
• Corporate-speak. “We provide advertising setup services” is the language of a contract. Compare: “Is advertising eating your budget? Check these five settings”.
• “We” instead of benefit. “We released a report” is news about you; “What is happening to ad prices: the numbers” is a reason to open. Start with the reader.
• Spoiler or fluff. A headline that tells everything leaves no reason to click; one that promises nothing does not either. The balance: it is clear what the topic is, and it is intriguing what exactly is inside.

A working formula has three parts: specifics + benefit + a gap of curiosity. Specifics are a number, a deadline or a name (“5 tricks”, “by Friday”, “−40%”); benefit is what the reader will learn or save; the gap of curiosity is the hook that makes them want to open it.

Before and after:

• “Our new marketing guide is now available” → “5 marketing tricks agencies won’t tell you”
• “Pricing update” → “Our pricing changed: who gets a better deal”

Not every phrase fits the formula on the first try, and that is normal: a headline usually gets rewritten two or three times. This iteration is exactly what is worth handing to AI: it never gets tired and never takes edits personally.

An AI copywriter lives next to the headline field in the editor. Enter a topic, even half a phrase or just “launch of a nutrition course”, choose a tone and get three “headline + subheadline” pairs. One click puts the text on the card; all that is left is to pick a template and export the PNG. Free and without sign-up: five generations per hour, one hundred on Pro.

Tone is not decoration, it is the main lever. There are four:

• Upbeat: short, bright, with numbers
• Expert: restrained, to the point
• Friendly: warm, conversational
• Intrigue: curiosity without spoilers

Every option already fits the card limits: headline up to 80 characters, subheadline up to 160. It fits without manual trimming.

Tones get along with platforms differently. Telegram channels and feeds like X expect “Upbeat”: scrolling is fast and long phrasing flies past. LinkedIn values “Expert”: facts, no exclamation marks. “Friendly” works in newsletters and communities where the reader is one of your own. “Intrigue” is the format of story and roundup channels: “Why everyone suddenly…”, “What is wrong with…”.

If you are unsure, generate options in two tones on the same topic and compare: the difference is audible at once and the choice becomes obvious. For how Telegram reads the image and what size it should be, see the Telegram cover guide.

• 1. Keep it short: 4–8 words in the headline, details go in the subheadline.
• 2. Be specific: a number or a fact instead of “significant growth” and “a wide range”.
• 3. Lead with the reader’s benefit, not news about you.
• 4. Match the tone to the platform (see the list above).
• 5. Check the preview before publishing: send the link to yourself in a messenger and look at it through a follower’s eyes. If the preview ever “sticks” on an old version, we have an article on resetting the social network cache.

The fifth point saves the most nerves: a preview that satisfies you in a private chat will go to the channel looking the same.

In OG Studio you can build a 1200×630 og:image in 30 seconds: enter a topic, pick one of three AI headlines, place it on a ready template and export the PNG.