No matter how much people might claim otherwise, we like to be told what to do. More accurately, how to do something. Particularly if it’s something we want or something we may want. That’s why headlines that contain “How to” seem to work better.
For example, what reads better to you:
How to improve your golf game
or
Improve your golf game
Both advertise the exact same thing. Yet “how to” implies somebody’s going to show you or teach you, while “improve” comes across like a command. It’s a subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless. And if you’re stuck for a headline, “How to [fill in the benefit offered]” works every time.
