Thrive Headline Optimizer

A click does not tell you if your headline kept its promise

You swap an article's title for a catchier one. If more people come in, it looks like you got it right. But an exaggerated promise can also attract readers who leave after the first lines, and a click counter cannot tell that case apart.

A headline should be judged by what people do after seeing it, and the click tells only part of that story. That is why it matters what counts as an engagement before you declare a winner.

Thrive Headline Optimizer tests variations of the headline on a post or page and records how each one performs. Besides the click, it counts scrolling through the content and time on the page. That data settles which headline stays, by hand or with automatic winner criteria. The plugin does not write for you: you type each variation yourself.

Three signals that count as engagement

A visit adds an engagement when it clicks the headline or reaches either of the two reading thresholds:

• Click-throughs: the person clicks your headline.
• Scrolling signal: the person scrolls down the page to a set depth. The default is 30%.
• Time on content: the person stays on the page for a set time. The default is 78 seconds.

You change those values with the Content Engagement Settings sliders in the dashboard settings. It is worth reviewing them with your own texts in mind: if you publish short articles, check that 78 seconds is reasonable for them; if you publish long guides, check that 30% of the page says something about how they are read.

An impression requires the headline to be seen

The test does not count page visits but impressions: one is recorded when the headline enters the visible part of the screen. A headline nobody gets to see adds nothing. So each variation is measured against people who actually had it in front of them.

Results show up in two places:

• Edit screen: the Engagement Rate percentage and a box with the test status and its basic data. This view requires the Classic Editor.
• Plugin dashboard: with View test, on an active experiment, you see impressions, engagements and Chance to Beat Original, the statistical probability that a variation is better than the original.

Launching the test from the dashboard or the post

The full route starts in Thrive Dashboard, under Thrive Headline Optimizer:

1. Click Create a new Headline Test.
2. Choose the post or page you want to test.
3. Add the headline variations.
4. Set the engagement options and the automatic winner criteria.
5. Click Start the test.

The quick route is in the editor. In the Thrive Headline Optimizer section you click Add new headline, type each headline, confirm with Enter and publish or update to start the test. In the posts list, an icon next to the title marks active tests.

Classic Editor and cache, the two points worth preparing

Creating tests from the post works best with the Classic Editor plugin, and the reports on the edit screen require it. If you work with the block editor, the plugin dashboard is the direct route for launching and reviewing your tests.

Cache is the other point. The plugin is optimized for WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, WP Rocket and WP Fastest Cache: with them, it tries to clear that page's cache when a test starts. If you use another cache plugin, clear it by hand after launching each new test.

When the test goes beyond the headline

This plugin compares headlines on posts and pages. If you want to compare whole landing pages, Thrive Optimize pits two variations of a landing page against each other and is made for Thrive Architect, the page builder from the same maker.

What a headline test allows

Can I test more than one variation?

Yes. Both in the dashboard and in the post you can add several headline variations.

Does it work on pages as well as posts?

Yes. When creating the test you choose the post or page you want to measure.

Can I change the 30% and 78 seconds?

Yes. They are defaults and you adjust them with the Content Engagement Settings sliders.

Do I need the Classic Editor?

It is recommended for creating tests from the post and needed to see reports on the edit screen. The dashboard offers the other route.