Copywriters - 5 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid in Your Headlines

When creating headlines for your ad copy, many home-brewed marketers make a few deadly mistakes that can make the difference between pulling customers like crazy and pushing them away.  Here are 5 mistakes to avoid when creating your headlines:

1.  The headline is simply stated as a fact, and does not create a call to action, or get the person interested in reading the copy (ex. "New and Improved Boat Wax Available starting Monday").  With people nowadays being exposed to over 8000 marketing messages per day, you have about 2 seconds to gain or lose their attention. The sole purpose of the headline is to get them interested in starting to read the copy.

2.  The headline is not tied into your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) in some way. The headline needs to have the USP integrated into it so that your entire marketing plan is built around a single theme for consistency.

3.  You are "we-we'ing" all over your headlines.  Your prospect wants to know what's in it for them. They do not care if you have been in business for 20 years or that you have the best quality in the industry, or that your recipe is top secret (ex. "We have been here since 1926"  "We want your business"  "We are the most respected doctors in the industry"). They want to know how you will solve their pain or give them pleasure. You need to focus your headlines on the prospect, use "you," not "we" when writing headlines.

4.  You have lied to them in the headline just to get attention. Do not use some outlandish headline such as "SEX!... now that I have your attention, buy my spark plugs."  The only thing you will accomplish is to get the person's valuable attention and then piss them off so they will never trust or do business with you.

5.  You are trying to be funny or cute with your headlines.  Again, people get bombarded with 8000 messages a day.  If are trying to make a joke or use words that are silly or cute in order to spark the prospects interest, the prospect will not take you seriously or trust your credibility in the rest of your copy.  Humor has a place, but not in your sales material.

How To Write A Headline That Converts More Visitors Into Customers

In just five minutes you are going to learn how to easily write headlines from scratch with the ease.

But first you need a little background.

You see, when people look at website conversion statistics they often look at a website's statistics from an analytical perspective.

In other words they look at facts, figures and equations instead of looking at increasing website conversions from a holistic standpoint.

Allow me to elaborate because knowing this will change your sales conversion results at breakneck speed.

One of the most overlooked elements in increasing website sales is "website copy."

In particular headlines, or rather writing effective headlines that capture the interest of your website visitor and compel them to stay at your website and learn more.

The reason why writing effective headlines is so critical to a website's success is simply a matter of 'TIME.'

You see people are busy. Busier than ever! So busy in fact that face to face sales is becoming increasingly unnecessary to close a deal.

Even multi-thousand dollar deals not to mention the countless number of transactions under a hundred dollars.

In the case of the internet, your website becomes your front-line sales person and it only gets one chance to make a first impression.

That one chance is about three seconds long.  But if you get them to stay, you can get them to buy.

So how do you make a lasting first impression for any product effortlessly and automatically?

Simple.

You can use my "A.C.E.S. method" for writing headlines that sell!

Here's the short and sweet explanation of A.C.E.S..

A compelling headline has these four elements in it almost ALL of the time.

A - Attention

C - Curiosity

E - Excitement

S - Specific

In other words a compelling headline...

1.  Grabs the attention of your visitor.

2.  Builds curiosity about your product or service.

3.  Builds excitement through the use of powerful 'news type' words.

4.  Is specific to your target market's needs and your product or service.

For example...

A long-time client of mine created a software that slows up video training material so that the user can learn specific moves or techniques faster.

Here's the headline we came up with in only five minutes and STILL it can be improved but the sales results have been amazing to say the least.

"Amazing Software That Manipulates Video So That Anyone Can Learn At Least 3 Times Faster Than Normal . . . Watching The Same Video . . .In A Completely Different Way!"

Do you see the A.C.E.S.?  Great!

But remember, this technique also works for cataloge styled websites that sell hundreds or thousands of products, yet it can still be used for other types of products that, DARE I say it...may not require a sales letter!

Notice I didn't say that it may not require sales copy just not a full fledged sales letter.

Writing effective sales copy or rather writing headlines will remain one of the most effective and probably STILL overlooked methods of converting more visitors to paying customers on the internet.

How to Write Persuasive Headlines That Will Make You More Money From Your Website

Realizing that writing headlines is one of the most important word-related elements of building a website (after getting great keywords, first) is one thing. But knowing HOW to find the words that make good headlines is quite another!

But like all good copywriting; what works, is based on human emotions. In this case it's the 'BENEFITS syndrome': 'what's in it for me'. Find a benefit that your web-surfers are looking for, convert it into words, and you'll make even more money from your website! For instance:


If you're selling Dog Training Video Courses, one of the main benefits dog owners would look for would be the ability to quickly train their dog to be obedient to commands - and therefore get more enjoyment from owning their dog -
headlines like: 'Dog Training: proven system takes just 2 weeks to train a dog to respond to your commands...' or 'Train your dog to "sit", "stay", "fetch" and "come" in just 10 days - with the 'DogTrain' success system' would be effective.
There are many different types of benefits that can work, including 'physical' benefits (as above) or 'psychological' benefits that rely on touching on general emotions, or posing - and solving - common dilemmas.


Finding benefit words is the key to successful headlines. But here's a quick guide to different types of headlines that can use those benefit words to maximum effect:

The 4 most attention-grabbing Headlines for today's market

1. The 'Question / Intrigue' Headline

This relates to the strong 'PSYCHOLOGICAL benefit, and can be powerful in getting into the 'mindset' of your potential customer, providing it relates to their situation. (Example - Software offer to small business owners): 'Are YOU ready for the biggest change in Employment Law since 2008?' This type of Headline not only poses a question which cannot definitely be answered - it also sets up an 'intrigue' as to what the change is, and if the company has already covered all the implications of the law change, or not. So it would be best to find out more...

2. The 'Scary' Headline

This takes the Psychological /Intrigue aspect even further, and can be incredibly effective, if used in the right way. (Example - Software company promoting new anti-virus programme): 'Here's how to disable the latest Computer Viruses - before they disable YOUR business...' This poses a 'threat' of the latest computer viruses, and the intrigue of finding out what they are. It also suggests a solution, in the 'How to' words..!

3. The 'Testimonial' Headline,

There is the 'true' Testimonial Headline - taken from some complimentary words a previous customer has said about your product or service (and agreed on being quoted!) like: 'A first-class xxxxx service... now I know exactly who to call when I next need (xxxxx)...' There's also the 'Press quotes' type of testimonial, quoting a good review of a product before its launch.

4. The 'Offer/Saving' Headline

If you've got a good offer with a great saving - both in MONEY and/or TIME - flaunt it! (Example): 'Here's how you can not only SAVE 25% on... we'll also save you TIME, with next-day delivery, too!' (OR) 'Save 25% on.... and get it delivered within 24 hours - guaranteed!' If it really is a good offer, compared to similar products, it's the first benefit that warrants going in the Headline...

Of course there are other types of Headlines, but these four are generally known as being the most effective in promoting products or services in today's climate, and in helping to make money online - using BENEFIT words in the best ways possible!

Copywriting - Why Many Headlines Do Not Bring in the Business

There is a lot of ballyhoo about the importance of headlines in copywriting.  If you are just getting started it is easy to take this stuff out of context.

The importance of the headline IS paramount in several different formats of copy - in situations where the headline MUST grab the readers attention an effective headline is the difference between success and failure for the ad.

One of my  pet peeves is super-long headlines that try to cram a detailed description of what the product is or does into the headline itself.  This is usually not a good thing, but of course in the hands of a skilled copywriter a long headline can work well indeed.

Most writers doing online marketing these days cranking-out verbose headlines are not particularly skilled however - their headlines are like the desperate guy trying to get a date from every girl who walks by; rattling off a meandering list of benefits hoping she'll hear one she likes and stop and talk to the guy.

Does that sound like a good way to get a date?

No.  It doesn't

It's fairly easy to find examples of this kind of headline writing in copy ebook authors and software designers have written for their own products.   Because these folks are often making products that fit a narrow niche, they feel they need to sell the product in the headline.

Part of the selling DOES happen in any headline.  How much of the selling depends on the state-of-awareness of the reader. 

Example: "Bananas! .59 lb."

Since we are completely aware of what bananas are the headline's objective  is to get our attention with a bargain price.  There is nothing to explain of the benefits of the product because it is already so thoroughly familiar to us. 

This is not, by the way, the sort of headline you, as a direct marketer, should want to find yourself in the position of writing - because it's tough to make money when you have to scream "LOW PRICE!" to get attention.

A much better situation is when your headline can announce some new benefit to your product - either because your product itself is new and innovative, or because you are very clever and have found a way to reframe your old product in a new way - which can result in a real advertising victory by reviving a dead product and re-introducing it with a marketing twist. 

In most cases when selling stuff online with salesletters we are dealing with the harsh realities of free-market commerce: that we have competition breathing down out necks - and their products are similar to ours and also they are willing to sell them cheaper - and maybe their stuff is even better in some ways.

Thus it is a good idea to try to find a way to select the battleground yourself - "positioning" your product in your headline in some way that makes it appear better in some way than other products in the niche.

For example: "Miracle Pill Melts Away Unwanted Pounds!"

This is not inventive these days because it's an old headline.   The idea contained here in the headline is that the pill magically just makes pounds disappear.  That's an exciting claim!  If you are the first and only merchant to claim your diet-pill does such a thing you can profit enormously with such a promise... effortless weight-loss is one of the top 3 best direct marketing claims you could possibly make to sell your product - though there is the additional problem now that many advertisers have made similar announcements and consumers are skeptical because of past disappointments.

Hope does spring eternal however; the basic human needs driving the desire to lose weight are so powerful many people will never give up buying and trying new ways to shed unwanted pounds.

You should try, when writing your headline, to make the broadest specific claim you can in the headline, or imply it there, so you capture interest from the most people.  Don't try to tell everything in your headline or even the top of the letter.  The sale happens at the bottom, in the order-form area - and only happens when you've guided your prospect through a series of agreements in the body-copy.

Agreements like:
"yes, I have that problem"
"yes, I have not found a solution yet"
"yes, this problem is causing me pain"
"yes, if I saw a real solution I would be very interested"

This seems very abstract here and maybe even corny.  

Try applying this to a software product that is supposed to bring traffic to your website:

Headline: Amazing Software Magnetizes Your Website

(This is a curiosity headline... because I make a claim that is mysterious and hopefully intriguing, but I don't try to explain how in the headline.  Many of the writers today would have a bloated headline which tries to explain everything in one mouthful.)

An less-effective headline that tells too much, and tries to sell would be something like:
"Who Else Wants This Automated Software Driving Frenzied Flood of Traffic To Their Website, Credit Cards In Hand and Desperate To Buy?"

(This is a silly headline, yet it's not too far-off the sort of thing I see a lot of writers putting out.  There are a number of reasons it's bad: it's hypey and  cliched in addition to being too verbose.   I see a lot of headlines like this one, and longer - if you read them aloud you'll instantly hear how off-target they are.)

After the headline we might ask a question or imply one like: "Don't you hate it when you put tons of work into making a website and you struggle to get the volume of traffic you need to make any real money?"

Then we go on and say: "Getting enough good traffic is  a common problem.  I had it myself when I was just starting out.  I tried a lot of so-called solutions for getting more traffic, but they didn't bring me the results I wanted.  Each method I tried either drained my bank account, was too much work for just a trickle of traffic, or just unreliable."

(By the way, I just used "the rule of 3" - because when stating problems it just seems more credible if you state them in groups of 3.   There is a rhythm and rhyme to it.)

I am not going to write the whole letter here, but do you see how I already get you agreeing, in your mind, that getting traffic cheaply enough, and without working too hard, can be a bit of a problem?  Most people who try internet marketing have these problems so it's a safe bet if you are selling a traffic-generating product these problems fit the bill. 

I started out writing about headlines - and I've digressed into body copy, because I want you to understand how the headline is an important PART of the selling process, but it is not where the process really gets going.  If you are trying to sell in your headline, you are probably struggling to write good copy.  You CAN state benefits in the headline, but when you try too hard to close the sale you'll just turn readers off.  Instead use the headline and the introductory copy to draw your reader in and guide him or her, through a series of "Yes" agreements to a point, at the end, where ordering your product seems like a sensible thing to do... and the main objections then will be not whether the argument is valid, but whether the reader believes you and whether your product's perceived value exceeds the price you ask for it.

Headlines Are Powerful Prospecting Tools

Many copywriters will attest to the fact that headlines make or break a sale. A subtle change in a headline can result to astronomical increase in sales. A good understanding of headlines is pivotal in a successful internet marketing campaign.

Headlines will fall into three main categories. There are webpage titles, which appear in Search Engine result pages. For example when you do a search in Yahoo, the resulting page has a list of links to relevant pages. These links are page titles that describe the content in the webpage. These are what the surfer will first read to determine how relevant that page would be to them. These kinds of headlines are input in the HTML code of the webpage within the "HEAD" tag. They are only visible to your browser and Search Engine crawlers.

The second kind of headlines is the PPC titles. These are the bold sentences within a Pay per Click (PPC) advert that appears at the top of the advert. These titles are probably the most challenging to create. Due to design issues and restriction of space where the adverts appear, PPC demand you design your title within a number of characters. In Google Adwords, for example, the title is restricted to 25 characters.

The third kind of headlines is the subject line of emails. In email marketing, the subject of the email acts as the headline. Once the surfer opens their mail box, it is the title that either attracts them to click open the mail, ignore it or even worse delete it.
 So what gives headlines such power?

Headlines are probably the most viewed elements on a webpage. Surfers use them to quickly determine a page's relevance. Different wordings communicate differently and as such different headlines communicate relevance differently. This explains why subtle changes have huge impacts. Consequently, headlines are very powerful prospecting tools. They assist in picking out your best fitting customer profile from the crowd.

The secret of harnessing the full power of headlines lies in creating headlines that resonate strongly with your perfect customer profile. Such headlines connect with prospects, draw their attention to click on them to find out more.

You create this resonance by providing the perception of value as being searched for by the surfer. Keep in mind that the surfer is searching for a solution, whether in form of product, service or information. When your headline promises to deliver they will stop to consider you.

Terrific Titles, Happenin' Headlines

You've probably heard the slogan, "You never get a second chance
to make a first impression." It may be a sales pitch, but in the
world of advertising and promotion, it's right on the nose.

Believe it or not, a bad title or headline will turn your
prospects away quicker than bad breath. When you're trying to
promote a business, product, or yourself, you need people to
stick around long enough to hear your sales pitch, right? Well,
a bad article title or sales letter headline will turn people off before they (or you) even realize what's happening.

When you're looking for interesting articles for yourself or your ezine, what's the first thing you read? When you receive a sales letter in the mail, what do look at first? When you stop to think about it, your title or headline is your very first
opportunity to make an impression on your prospects. If that
impression is a positive, creative, and exciting one, you're off
to a very good start. Similarly, if that first impression is
boring, worn-out, or confusing, your prospects probably won't
even bother reading beyond the first line.

Before you start writing, think about your audience. No matter
who they are, titles should flow from the lips easily, and give
readers some idea of what they'll learn by reading on. At the
same time, they should be short enough to be memorable.

Energizing a wimpy title can be as easy Kindergarten, if you'll
just think back that far. Remember when you learned about rhyme?
Well, rhyming is an essential tool for writing headlines and
titles. A rhyming title is catchy, and fun, almost compelling
your audience to keep reading.

Rhyme isn't the only useful titling tool. Alliteration is a great way to dress up a plain-jane title. Alliteration is the
repetition of a particular consonant sound at the beginning, end, or middle of two or more words (i.e. terrific titles). An alliterative title is easy to say, easy to remember, and just plain fun to read.

How to Write Titles and Headlines Like a Top Paid Professional Copywriter

Getting their message out to their audience is unquestionably the single biggest desire I hear voiced by my clients. Bigger even than making lots of money. (Although the money is nice, no doubt about it.)

Is that true for you too?

Well, if so, effective copywriting (articles, press releases, email, etc.) is one of the simplest ways to leverage your time and reach large numbers of people with your passionate message - so they can experience the transformation you offer.

And the top copywriters agree that the best way to improve your copy is paying close attention to headlines and titles. The job of any headline or title is to induce the reader to keep reading. If the headline doesn't grab'em, they'll never get to the message itself.

Fortunately, writing a snappy headline doesn't have to be a mystery. All you really need to know are 3 things.

1) Who your AUDIENCE is
2) The PROBLEM they're facing
3) What BENEFIT(s) they'll get from your product or service

Once you're clear about those things, you've got the ingredients you need to craft a client-capturing headline or title.

Here are 3 simple tips to make that easy for you to get started.

Tip #1: Talk benefits, not features

The mistake most people make is talking about the process rather than of the results the customer will get. Look at the title for this article. Instead of saying "The Art of Writing Headlines," the title I came up with promises the benefit of writing like a "top paid professional." Sounds enticing, doesn't it?

Tip #2: Create a mental picture for the reader

When you read the famous (and much copied) headline by John Caples: "They Laughed When I Sat Down at The Piano - but When I Started to Play. . .," you get a very clear picture in your mind, right? Kinda makes you want to be the person in that picture, amazing everyone with your new virtuoso skills.

Tip #3: Long and clear is better than short and clever

David Ogilvy's headline for Rolls Royce, "At 60 Miles An Hour, the Loudest Noise in the New Rolls Royce comes from the Electric Clock," leaves nothing to the reader's imagination (except putting themselves behind the wheel!).

Use these simple tips to power up your writing. It's going to have a big impact on your ability to get your message heard - so you can impact more lives. Isn't that really why you're in business?

How to Write Attention Grabbing Headlines

Headlines are your article titles.

When people searches for your article and sees it in the listing, the very first thing that they are going to see is the title of the article, or in other words: The Headline.

For this reason, your headlines are of the utmost importance. Essentially, they're going to 'make or break' your article as far as it getting views is concerned. It is more than just a description about the contents in your article; it is a promise you make to build a trusted relationship with your readers. Unfortunately, once you've submitted an article you don't get to edit or tweak the headline, so you have to get it as right as possible at the very first.

Since the whole purpose of the headline is to attract attention and giving your promise. Why not just put your foot into readers' shoe think of what has grabbed your attention in the past. Certain words may tend to perform better than others, but since you can't be sure without testing... it probably isn't the right place to experiment.

There are few key points you have to consider before you write your headlines:


Your article title should attract readers' attention. It should build interest
 or motivation.

 Make sure reader can get a clear picture about what you are going to write in your article body from reading your headline.
 Don't use very short headlines. The best headlines are the ones that describe your content best.
Here are some types of headlines, with examples:

Lists, such as, "Top 5 Ways to groom your dog."

Questions, such as, "Do You Want To Learn How To groom your dog?"

Commands, such as, "Start to Learn to groom, Now!"

Abstract, such as, "Coming Soon: Fluffed Tails and Trimmed Coats" (careful, it tough to pull these off)

Remember, all that you need to do is use your headline to attract reader's attention. It is up to the rest of your article to build interest, and make readers to click the backlink to visit your site. Make sure your content delivered what you promised in your headline.

Enjoy your article marketing!

Small Business Owners - 5 Critical Tips For Creating Headlines in Your Sales Copy

Your headline is the single most important piece of your sales copy.  It is amazing how much advertising out there does not even contain a headline.  Your customers are bombarded by over 5000 marketing messages per day.  If you cannot grab them by the throat and get their attention with your headline, they will not stop for a second to read the rest of your ad.  Your headline will make or break all of your marketing material.  Here are 5 tips that you can use to help with your headline creation:

1.  Do not try and win an award, be cute, or tell jokes in your headlines.  People don't want to be patronized by "cleaver copy."  The only thing they want to know is what the product or service will do for them.  Not everyone will find your jokes funny, and you may create a piece that is so cleaver, no one understands it.  Your headline needs to be written in very simple, straightforward language.  The one and only reason to have marketing material is increase the bottom line of the business.  You can be entertaining, but leave it out of your marketing material.

2.  The sole purpose of the headline is to get the prospect to start reading the rest of the copy.  You must capture their interest, but you do not have to sell the product in the headline.  You just want the person to keep reading the next lines below it.

3.  You must integrate your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) into your headline.  Sometimes, your USP alone makes an excellent headline.  Your USP is the foundation of your business and it's critical that it's integrated into all of your marketing materials.  Your headline must echo the message that you are trying to give in your USP.  This will tie your entire business image together in one package that a customer will always recognize no matter what kind of marketing material they are looking at.  As soon as they read a headline and recognize your Unique Selling Proposition, if they are interested in your product, they will recognize you.

4.  DO NOT USE ALL CAPS in your headlines.  It makes them much harder to read.  Use a combination of upper and lower case letters, just as you would to title an article or book.  An exception to this rule would be if you had a one word headline, such as "NEW!" but most of you won't need to go there.  Also, it's a good idea to put quotes around headlines.  People look at that as a universal sign that someone is talking to them, and it appears as if you are quoting someone.

5.  When writing headlines, every time you start a new project, you need to come with at least 100 headlines before you pick your final choice.  Writing 100 headlines gets you warmed up and lets you try different renditions of things before it goes into your marketing.  Save everything that you write.  You 2nd best headlines can be used as bullets and sub-heads in your ad copy later, so you don't have to re-write when you start getting to the body of the sales piece.

You're Throwing Money Away If Your Headlines Aren't SHOUTING!

In most articles, regardless of whether it's an online article, a web content or something that you see in the newspaper, the headline of the article or the prelude to a particular part of the content plays a pivotal role in drawing people in. I've been asked before, 'How do you write a headline that grabs at peoples' attention?' I don't have a magical wand to do that and the rules to how to write such a headline changes all the time, so, but there are some rules that I follow when writing headlines.

Including your keywords into your headline when writing

This is part of my rule....I don't know about others. The reason for this rule is because I want it to be a little bit more SEO-friendly and also kick-ass. For example, if the keyword you want is 'cheap business deal', I would probably go with something like CHEAP BUSINESS DEALS SHOCKS COMMUNITY. If it's a new handbag designed for teens and the keyword is handbag, I'd go with something like CHIC TEEN BAGS HITS THE STREETS. Well, you get what I mean, the basic concept is to keep the keywords in the headlines.

Shout, exaggerate and blow things out of proportion

Some people try not to do this and frankly speaking, I don't like stretching the truth too far either but this is how you've got to do it if you want to write a really good headline that grabs people's attention. Nobody would give your news or article a second thought if it was something boring or normal.

If you don't want to exaggerate too much, during the second-edit, go back and 'tone it down a little' without changing it too much; for instance, use a milder word that does not stretch reality too far. Example; change CRAZY to UNBELIEVABLE or GUARANTEE to PROMISE.

But keep it big. That's my advice. Then you'd get the attention you want.

Keep to the current and understand the readers
People who are on top of the news snap their heads around when they hear of the latest breaking news....that's how CNN's breaking news work, isn't it? Your readers are always current and up-to-date, therefore, you'll have to do that when you write your headline as well. Boring old news, nothing new, blah. But if you shout at them and say something like ECONOMY DOWNTURN DOES NOT AFFECT THE INTERNET MARKET INDUSTRY, they turn around and look....and then think, why the hell did it not affect the internet market?

When you write, you want to push all the right buttons

In whatever it is that you write, it pays to remember the hot buttons. In each and every one of us, there are hot buttons to push. Words that will just send them into a frenzy whereby the impulsiveness just raises its head in even the most sober folks. FREE is a button. NOW is a button. As for slimming products, PAIN-FREE is a button. When you write, include all these buttons into your writing. It takes some time for you to realize what these words are but every time you publish something, take a look at it and gauge their effectiveness and then slowly try to find words that you have placed inside of that article and things will come to you.

The rule of thumb is this....your readers don't buy the things that they need from the Internet (if you're an ecommerce business owner)! Remember...the get the things that they need from the supermarket, not the internet! When you write, remember to incorporate words that would make then WANT to buy that from you, incite their excitement and desire to have what you're selling.

And you can do all of this with a headline that SHOUTS at the top of its lungs!

How to Write Effective Headlines for Your Marketing Emails - Email Marketing Success

For an email marketing campaign to be successful it is absolutely critical for the people on your list to open then read your emails. One of the key elements in accomplishing this is to write effective headlines. Are you interested in how to write super effective headlines for your emails? If so this article will give you some ideas on how to get the job done easily.

The headlines or subject line for your emails are considered by most Internet marketers to be the most important part. Why? Because it is the headline or subject line that determines if an individual will open or read your email. It is very important to make you headlines attention grabbing not spammy sounding by using outrageous claims or promises and using trickery to try to get you user to open your e-mail. I am sure you know the type I am talking about, we have all gotten this kind of mail in our inboxes. This practice will only backfire on you while getting your emails deleted in no time flat.

That being the case how do you go about writing headlines that will keep your emails from getting axed before they are read.

Speak to Your Audience

To write good effective headlines for your emails you should first know about the audience of potential buyers who's attention it is that you are trying to grab. What are their likes, and dislikes? What problems are typical to them? What solutions or information are they looking for. Once you have discovered this information then you can begin to design you email headline around it. Describe in your headline what it is that your email contains that is of value to them or what problem It will address.

Use Psychological Trigger Words

When you are writing your headlines you will want to include words that encourage a positive response from the reader. These words are called psychological triggers. One of the most powerful of these kinds of word is the word "free" so if you have a genuine free product to give away be sure to use it in your headlines.

Other words that attract the interest of readers are revolutionary, guaranteed, jammed packed, explode, you, success, intense, key, review, cutting edge, honest truth, unrestricted, and exclusive. Use words of this type in your headlines whenever possible

Point Out an Advantage That Your Product or Service Delivers That Others Can't.

If you can show the main advantage of your product over the competition this will work to your advantage.

Instead of using your headline to ask a question use it to tell the reader to take a specific action. Example "Get Your Top Ranking In Google With This Cutting Edge System" headlines of this type subtlety push the reader to take action.

Create Headlines That Contain a Deadline

This is another way to capture the reader's attention. An example could be: "25% Price cut For the Next 36 Hours your product or service," or "Take action in the next 24 Hours to Secure your product or service." You should use caution when using this type of headline they stand out as advertisements. They can be used more effectivly once you have built a relationship with your readers and they know that you are a reputable and trustworthy.

Other Headline Methods

Some other ways to write your headline are to use question headline, news headline, command headline, and the reason why headline. Question headlines ask the reader an attention-grabbing question, such as "Are you up to your neck in bills?" News headlines state future offerings or solutions that may appeal to the reader. Command headlines push the reader take action and reason why headlines demonstrate why a reader will need to take action.

When writing your email headlines you should always keep in mind the purpose of the headline, that is to grab your readers interest. The only reason for your headline is to give the reader a reason to continue reading. It is not necessary to try to sell, convince or explain your product or service in your headline. You will have opportunity to do that later in your email.

Turn Crappy Headlines Into Internet Gold

If you're a small business owner and you want to improve the effectiveness of your advertising you will need to know how to identify headlines that drive your customers wild. I'll tell you a powerful tip in just a minute that will blow your competition out of the water.

First, let me tell you something that you probably didn't know. Most so-called advertising experts don't know how to write powerful headlines. They write cute, catchy and easily forgotten phrases that fall far short of the mark. I don't have enough space or time to tell why this is so. Just know, that, anyone who knows how to use a pencil and paper can write powerful, moneymaking headlines...if they understand this one basic rule.

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying writing powerful headlines is easy. What I am saying is; if you put in a little effort, (a few hours a week), it won't be long before you are writing headlines that cause your prospective customers to want to do business with you.

This tip is especially important if you are working with an advertising agency, or, a local freelance writer. In fact, once you get the hang of this one concept, they will be amazed at how "creative" you are when it comes to writing headlines that grab your customers attention and moves them to action.

One more thing: There is no such thing as a free lunch. Right? Right. Unless you are willing to put some time in and practice, practice, practice, it doesn't matter how many tips I give you. You won't get anywhere. You have to take action in order for your newfound talent to take root and grow.

A WORD ABOUT HEADLINES:

The headline in an ad is 50-75% of the ad's effectiveness. Headlines in advertising are there for one reason. To attract the attention of a certain group of people who want to hear more about what you have to offer. People don't read a newspaper from cover to cover. They scan the headlines and read only those articles where the headline attracted their attention or peaked their interest. Your advertising headlines are no different. So, with that said, here's the tip I referred to earlier:

The Four Qualities of a Good Headline:
1. Self-Interest

2. News

3. Curiosity

4. Quick, easy way

Now, before you say, "I can't do that," I'm going to tell you how to get some free help. And, before you ask, No, I do not have any side deals nor am I getting paid an affiliate commission or any other compensation for telling you this. I have no connection whatsoever with any of the sources I am going to tell you about.

Why am I telling you this powerful information without getting paid? Because I was where you are at one point in my career and if someone would have just helped me learn what I needed to know then, it wouldn't have taken 25 years of my life. However, just because I'm giving you this information for free doesn't mean it is of little value. It will be the most important information you will ever get.

RESOURCES:
I was wrong about one thing. It will cost you something to get this information. Sorry, but you will have to take some action. You will have to visit your local library or go on line and find these three resource books. Study them, practice with them. Live, eat, breath, them for a few weeks. You will be amazed on what you learn and what an immediate impact it will have on your business.

A. Tested Advertising Methods - Fourth Edition- by John Caples

B. My Life In Advertising & Scientific Advertising - by Claude Hopkins

C. The Robert Collier Letter Book - By Robert Collier

Ok. I have just saved you thousands of dollars in wasted advertising, not to mention the thousands of hours wasted on downloading empty promises, re-packaged advertising gimmicks, and incomplete "how to" reports.

Don't spend another cent on advertising until you've read these three books. And, no, I don't have copies of these books to sell you. There is no catch. You either take action now or you don't.

Writing Article Titles Made Simple And Easy

Writing article titles is an art and science in and of itself. The purpose of your title is to make people want to read more, so writing titles is something that you will want to focus on today if you want to have the most success with your article writing efforts. I would know, because I write articles everyday.

You can consider writing titles along to writing headlines. Headlines are the most important part of an article because it will tell the reader whether or not they should continue reading more. When writing titles, be sure to lead with your biggest benefit first. This is the benefit that will compel people to continue reading more.

If you're intending on writing an article for a newspaper, you may want to study a lot of the articles for the newspaper that you're writing for. This will give you a good indication on the style that their looking for. For example, in my local newspaper, a lot of the article titles aren't that long. The max number of words in an article title may be about 5 words, and that's it.

Can you see yourself writing a 5 word title? Many people can, and it is what it is. It all depends on what you're writing about and the relevance that it has to the news story. Writing titles doesn't have to be hard - you just need some background knowledge of what to write about and you will be good to go.

Hopefully you're able to use these tips when writing titles to produce something good.

Good luck with writing article titles.

How To Write Powerful Headlines

I want to tell you how I go about writing headlines. I like to keep swap files of headlines around for future use. And how I go about doing it goes something like this...

I'll find a headline I like, wherever it may be, and then I don't copy it word for word, instead I'll use a "fill in the blank" approach. That way I get a generic headline that I can apply to almost any business.

For example, I find a headline I like that goes something like this:

"Give Me 5 Minutes And I'll Show You How To Put An Extra $1000 Into Your Pocket!"

In my swap file I would write it down using a "fill in the blank" approach:

"Give Me _____ And I'll _____!"

I could now take this generic headline and apply it to almost any business...

Car insurance for example:

"Give Me 60 Seconds And I'll Show You How To Slash Your Car Insurance Cost In Half Every Single Month!"

Do you follow me...?

You don't want to steal any headline word for word. That would be a bad thing. But you can recycle headlines by using a "fill in the blank" approach, and then applying that to whatever business you may be are a part of.

I mean gee... why reinvent the wheel? There are a ton of great headlines out there already!

Here's another example:

"Great New Discovery Kills Kitchen Odors Quick... Makes Indoor Air Country Fresh!

In my swap file I would write it down using a fill in the blank approach:

"Great New _____ .... Makes _____!"

I could now take this generic headline and apply it to almost any business...

Weight loss for example:

"Great New Diet Pill Burns Unwanted Fat... Makes Dieting Easy!"

So the moral of the story is... The next time you come across a headline that grabs your attention, don't just stare at it! Write it down in your swap file using a fill in the blank approach.
And over time, the next thing you know, you'll have so many fill in the blank generic headlines to choose from in your swap file....

You'll never be stuck for a headline to write ever again!

24 Ways to Create Compelling Headlines For Your Sales Letters

The headline is the most important part of your sales letter because it must capture attention instantly and also fuel interest. Headlines should concisely communicate the essence of your message and wet visitors' reading appetite. Without a strong compelling reason to read on, the visitor will leave your web page.

There are so many ways to create attention-grabbing headlines. For example, you could:

1 - Start with a question
"Is Google AdSense Driving Potential Customers Away from Your Site?"
"Hate exercise? Me too."

2 - Address your target market
"Attention Small Business Owners!"
"If You Are A Webmaster And Looking For Free Tools..."

3 - State a fact
"Your Competitor Could Be Your Best Friend."
"Marriage is the Biggest Investment In Your Life."

4 - Use a quotation
"I Lost 20 Kilos In 60 Days."
"I Made $8,397 Last Month With My Affiliate Program!"

5 - Arouse curiosity
"Did You Know That..."
"What Your Boss Doesn't Want You to Know..."

6 - Connect emotionally
"Do You Feel Tired When You Wake Up in the Morning?"
"Are You Frustrated Because Visitors Leave Your Site Without Buying?"

7 - Present your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
"Get your University Degree In 12 Months Even If You Have Not Completed High School"
"Combine AdWords and ClickBank for Huge Online Profits and Make $1000 Per Month Without Having A Website Or A Product To Sell."

8 - Create dreams
"What Will You Do With That Extra $1,000 A Week?"
"If You Could Convert 80% Of Your Website Visitors To Customers, How Much Money Would You Be Making?"

9 - Provide newsworthy information
"New Study Founds That 8 Out of 10 Websites Could Be Damaging Business' Credibility."
"Drink Two Glasses Of Red Wine Every Day And You Will Live Longer, Reveals...(name of Study)"

10- Explain 'How To'
"How to Promote Your Ebook And Become a Celebrity."
"How to Choose Your Wedding Diamond Ring."

11- Give reasons
"12 Good Reasons For Drinking Red Wine."
"24 Reasons To Form Strategic Alliances."

12- Start by 'why'
"Why You Should Not Use 'Click Here.'"
"Why Potential Customers Are Abandoning Their Shopping Carts."

13- Guide Step-by-Step
"Five Easy Steps To Win Customers."
"Three Critical Steps To Gain Customer Loyalty"

14- Instil fear
"Did You Realise That You Could Be Sued If..."
"What Will You Do If Your Computer Crashes?"

15- Command
"Lose Weight While Sitting At Your Computer"
"Create Ads That Will Boost Your Sales."

16- Use Comparisons
"Organic Search Engine Marketing Versus Pay-Per-Click."
"Should You Give Away Or Sell Your Ebook?"

17- Add Secrecy
"Insiders' Secrets For Instant Online Profits"
"Psst! For Your Eyes Only...Expert (name of Expert) Shares How He Earns $25,000 Per Month With EBay."

18- Educate
"Learn To Promote Your Website On A Shoestring Budget."
"What's Blogging? Is It For You?"

19- Provoke
"Women Over 35 Are Better Lovers."
"Buying Shares Is A Waste Of Money."
Provocative and controversial statements can attract attention but they can also infuriated your readers. Use with caution.

20- Start with negatives
"Don't Make Your Sales Page Look Like An Advert."
"12 Reasons Not To Buy A Web Cam."

21- Offer expert advice
"All You Should Know About..."
"Doctor (name of Doctor) Recommends..."

22- Give a new perspective
"The Art (or Science) of Writing Headlines."
"The Language of Success."

23- Exaggerate (if you can justify it)
"The Revolutionary Formula Of..."
"The Best Recipe to Cure Hangovers."

24- Give away incentives
"Free pedometer."
"Win A Holiday In Paris."

Now that you know how to make headlines, let your own creativity take the lead.

How To Write Article Headlines That Get The Click

Writing totally original article headlines that get the click can be real tough sometimes. However, thankfully, there are some shortcuts that can help you write powerful headlines for your articles.

 The easiest way to start writing great article headlines is to copy the top pros in your niche and adapt their headline to your article. How do you do that? There are several sources of this kind of inspiration:

1. Go to Yahoo News or MSN News or Google News and do a search for the keyword you are targeting in your article. Take some of the headlines from their articles and put in the information for your topic and see how you feel about it. These three do extensive testing to see how much their headlines are being clicked. Their headline writers are real pros. Copy their headlines and substitute their subject with the subject matter of your specific article.

2. Go to YouTube and punch in your keyword. You will find some good ideas there. Look for the video with the most views. People don't click on videos unless the title attracts their attention. Since these are videos, not articles, you can conceivably use the popular video headline as your article headline and no one will mind.

3. You can also go to Amazon.com, indigo.com and other book selling sites. Look at the titles for the top selling books, ebooks, DVD's and CD's. Base your article around the top titles and make a headline out of the title if appropriate.

4. Magazines.com and other magazine sites can be a good source of article headlines that you can get from the covers they show for niche magazines.

5. Magazine directories for Yahoo, MSN, Google and others can be a great source of headline ideas.

6. Then there are specific magazines that are known for their great headline writers like The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, National Enquirer, World News, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and others. Look for the top magazines in your niche and adapt their stories and headlines for them to your article.

7. Be sure to look at niche specific magazines by typing in your niche + directory or niche + magazines into Google and look at the results.

8. Don't forget about the newsletters in your niche. Do a search for any of the above ideas and replace the word magazines with newsletters. There are many paid and free newsletters that have some really great headlines and article topics.

9. Next, you can look at the Google AdWords ads that you'll find on the right side of the page of any Google search. These are paid ads so you know people are putting their best into the headlines. Be careful with these ads though. Many people don't know what they are doing. Watch the top AdWords ads over a span of several days, if not several weeks. If you find an ad being repeated over time it's probably getting a lot of clicks.

10. Google AdWords ads are another source of some really good inspiration if you click on the ad and look at the headlines they are using in their sales letters, on the website, landing page, menu items, etc. AdWords ads are placed in order of popularity from top to bottom by Google so you know the top ads are the ones people are clicking on the most. Be careful here because it is possible to buy the top position by paying more. On the other hand, if an ad stays at the top for a long period of time, it must be working or they would get tired of paying the big bucks for something that doesn't sell.

11. The last but certainly not the least source of good ideas are the social networking sites. Look at sites like Digg.com, propeller and others to see what people are rating as the best. Look for which ones get the most views, the 'likes' and other ways of expressing popularity. You'll find some great ideas there!

 Hope that helps get your wheels turning and you find some great inspiration to write article headlines that get the click.

How to Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines that No Reader Can Resist!

One of the most important aspects of any article is the headline.  You could write the best article ever, and without a great headline many people will simply pass over it.  The headline, or title, is the part of the article that grabs a reader's interest and entices them to keep reading.  Here are some tips that can help you write amazing headlines for any article:

Headlines should be kept short and sweet.  Nothing turns a reader off more quickly than a headline that's too long.  Avoid rambling and condense what you want to say into one or two sentences. Don't worry about complete sentences when writing headlines.  Often the best headlines are fragments of sentences that would usually never be considered grammatically correct!

Don't be afraid of punctuation.  Dashes, commas, colons, exclamation points and question marks can be used when writing headlines.  However, there is no need to always use them, nor do you need to put a period at the end of a headline.  Punctuation in headlines is mostly used for emphasis.

Use words that pack a wallop.  Go for words and phrases that invoke emotion in the reader. Adjectives like amazing, great, fantastic, remarkable and the like can work well in a headline. Promise the reader something with your headline.  Entice their curiosity.  Let them know that you've got information that they need.

One way to do this is by asking a question in your headline and answering it with your article.  Let's take this article for example.  You could go for something like this:

Do You Want to Write Attention Getting Headlines?  Read on!

Or, you can be direct with your headline and tell the reader exactly what they'll be learning with your article.  Such as the title used for this article: How to Write Attention-Grabbing Headlines that No Reader Can Resist!  This is an example of a straightforward headline that's simple and to the point. 

Another strategy is promising the reader secret information.  For example, the title of this article could be Secrets to Writing Attention-Grabbing Headlines.  Let's review some attention-grabbing headlines for another article subject so you can get an idea of the different kinds of headlines you can try.  Let's say the subject is working from home:

-->  How to Find the Perfect Work at Home Job

-->  Want to Work at Home?  Here's How!

-->  Secrets to Finding the Ideal Work at Home Job

-->  Working from Home - How You Can Make the Dream a Reality

These are all effective headlines that are concise yet attention-getting.  Using these examples, you can come up with amazing headlines for any article topic.  Try to put yourself in the reader's shoes and create headlines that will capture the imagination and interest of your target audience. 

Even if you're not a professional writer, you can create a headline like one!  With the right combination of attention grabbing words and punctuation, you can craft amazing titles that draw readers in and keep them coming back to read more!

How To Write Headlines And Bullet Points For Your Sales Letters Without Thinking

I want you to get really good at writing sales letters and other webpages and I don't want you to get stuck. That's why I am going to share with you an easy way to come up with any headline and any bullet point without thinking by applying a very simple formula that you can use for any offer on any webpage, and have your site set up in a fraction of the time.

The first way I like to think about writing a headline or a bullet point is to think of three problems and three solutions. For example, if you were offering a time management course and the problem the people were having is that they were overwhelmed, they were tired and they were running out of time. Those are the three problems and three solutions could be to simplify their life to increase their energy and to work faster than they can get more out of the day.

And, we could incorporate that in the headline and it's almost now written itself. If you're overwhelmed, tired, and you're running out of time then you need this training to get more energy, work faster, and do something else that will help them out. Three problems and then three solutions to those problems writes the majority of your headline or your bullet points for you.

The next thing to keep in mind about headlines and bullet points is that we're focusing on the "wow" factor; on the big result, outcome, boost, or improvement. We're not going for what it actually is, we're going for what it does and that means that instead of talking about the really cool worksheets or step-by-step formulas that we're offering. Let's focus on what people get once they're done.

Maybe they will get 10 hours of work every day compressed into one hour. Maybe they will live long; maybe they'll be happier but those are the things to keep in mind when writing your headlines and your bullet points. It's fine to mention that the components of your course but your headlines and your bullet points will become a lot more exciting if you focus on what comes after they take your training.

And finally, if you're really stuck. My fill in the blank template for writing bullet points is why and then some kind of emotional reason and how, and then some kind of emotional outcome. And, that could be something as, "Why saying goodbye to email forever. Why saying goodbye to email forever will improve your life drastically and how you can take those steps in three days or less!"

We're saying why this thing is important and then how it does this but we're making sure to add emotional words such as say goodbye to or improve then we're not listing things out. We're actually making this fun and exciting and connecting with our readers. Write headlines and bullet points by thinking of three problems and three solutions by focusing on what results comes out of that training, and then use the why and how technique.

Advertisers - Learn How to Write Better Headlines

If you want people to buy your products you have to advertise. Unfortunately, there's no getting around that fact. Like it or not, advertising is a necessary evil.

The key to print advertising is the right people seeing your ad and responding. However, your ad has a far greater chance of succeeding if your headline is strong.

How important is a strong headline? If your headline is weak, no one will read your ad and it will fail. It's as simple as that.

"The Father of Advertising," legendary copywriter David Olgivy once said, "Five times as many people read your headlines as do your actual copy." Whether or not he's right about the actual percentage isn't important. What is important is that your headline is the first thing people see, so you'd better get it right.

So what exactly does getting it right mean? What makes a good headline?

Before you can write a good headline, you first have to understand what the job of a headline is. The number one job of a headline is to get the readers attention - period. Now there are a number of ways that you can do this. I personally like to direct my headlines toward a specific audience. I find that to be the most effective method.

However, for this method to work, you have to understand your target market. You have to know your audience. Now being the owner of a marketing blog, I know for a fact that advertisers are always interested in writing better headlines. How do I know this? Market research.

Always, Always, Always research your market! That can be your edge over your competition. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. My target audience for this article are advertisers interested in learning how to write better headlines. So in my headline I focused on my target audience, "advertisers" and what my audience wants, "to write better headlines." Hence the headline:

"Advertisers: Learn How To Write Better Headlines"

Now only testing will tell for sure. But my experience tells me that's a strong headline and would be successful.

Now I simplified the writing process here for the sake of brevity. But you'll more than likely have to write dozens of headlines for each of your ads before you come up with something you like - something that's going to be effective. It's all part of the process.

For me personally, my best headlines are usually the ones that sort of just pop into my head. But generally speaking, you're better off writing a bunch of headlines, until you end up with your strongest one.

So how will you determine which is your strongest headline? Show your headlines to your friends and family. Get their opinions. Also, if you're a member of a small business forum, show your headlines to forum members to get their feedback.

Ready to see me write another headline? Let's do it. Suppose I owned a pet grooming shop. Now since I already did my market research, I know that most pet owners like to pamper their pets. So I'm sure that I would get a pet owners attention with a headline like this:

"Pet Owners: We'll Pamper Your Pet Like It Belonged To Oprah!"

Now let's discuss the fundamentals for a second. My target audience for this ad are pet owners. So in my headline I targeted my audience by using the words, "pet owners" and I gave my audience what they want by using the word "pamper."

Let me explain what else I did. I used the name of a famous celebrity in my headline, which is always guaranteed to get attention. Remember what I said earlier. The number one job of a headline is to get the readers attention.

But I also did something else. I brought emotion into the mix. In my headline, I told readers that my pet grooming shop would "treat their pets like royalty!" And while I didn't use those exact words, the implication is there.

That headline has strong emotional appeal. After all, what loving pet owner doesn't want their pet treated special, right? By the way, emotional appeals are very powerful in headlines. So use them as often as possible.

So are you starting to understand this headline writing thing yet? Well, let's write one more to make sure.

Suppose I owned a pizza shop. Again, start with the fundamentals. My target for this ad is a general audience. After all, nearly everyone eats pizza. But despite that fact, I'm still going to target my audience by using the word, "pizza" in my headline

Now this one's a little trickier because pizza ads are a dime a dozen. So I need to do something to make my headline different - to stand out. I've decided to give my headline instant credibility by using a feature that is unique to my pizza shop. Here's the headline I came up with:

"Jackson's Pizza: Voted the City's Best Pizza For 10 Straight Years!"

Do you know what the reaction of most people reading that headline would be?

"Wow...voted the city's best pizza for 10 straight years! It must be good!"

This headline also has strong emotional appeal. Why? Because everyone likes to be associated with a winner. It's human nature.

Wrapping everything up, I'm going to summarize what it takes to write effective headlines into 5 simple steps:

1. You must know and understand your target audience. Research your market!

2. Target your headline to that audience.

3. Give your audience what they want.

4. Your headline must get the readers attention. Be creative.

5. Use emotional appeal whenever possible. Again, be creative.

One last thing. when writing headlines don't try to trick or mislead people. Get people's attention, yes. Be creative, yes. But above all be honest!

How to Create Winning Headlines

Let's talk about everything you need to know about writing headlines and sub-headlines that can entice people to keep reading your offer. When you follow these steps correctly this method of sales copywriting should ensure people to like everything you say. Clever marketing is great marketing!

1.Use the color red for your headline. The color red usually symbolizes an alert or something very important. Or, you can use black or text with yellow highlight in the background if red won't suit your sales copy's idea or layout. However, it is advisable to use red or off-red as the color of your headline, and this color can be used with almost any theme color with good results.

2.Your headline font must be much bigger than the usual font used for your sales letter. The idea is for your large red headline to grab your web site visitor's attention to read it and continue reading. So it is very important that your headline stands out from the rest of your sales copy. Usually, the headline size 2 to 3 times bigger than your standard font.

3.Describe a benefit or a summary of your great offer in the headline. and the benefit should speak to your prospect only, not to YOU or someone else. Make sure that it ultimately has to do with your prospect and how it could benefit him or her.

4.You could introduce a character in your headline. It will make your sales copy more interesting to read and in most cases, could relate to your prospects. For example: Discover How A 22 Year Old girl Is Making THREE Times More In Income Than both her parents On The Internet! This headline is best aimed at young people who want to know how to make money online. Or: How A 27 Year Old Unemployed man broke free from Bankruptcy And Became Financially FREE...How YOU Can Do It, Too!

This headline is best aimed at people who are unemployed or bankrupt and how they can improve their financial situation, regardless of how old they are or how old they think they are. This would depend on what type of product or service you have to offer, the more you can relate it to the majority of your web site visitors, the better chance you'll have to hook your readers to read your sales letter, and then hopefully go on to make a purchase from you.

5.Your sub headline serves as a little hook after your main headline to make your visitors continue reading. The sub headline usually explores another benefit for your reader to continue, which is not mentioned in the headline. The sub headline is smaller than the main headline in font size usually by 1, and could be a different color too like black. Using black for your sub headline works well with your red main headline .You want to make your visitors feel that they need to read every line of your sales letter. Make it as easy as possible to read it, which brings us on to...

6.Do not use excessive words in your headline. As a general rule, use from 15 to 25 words for your headline, and about 3 to 5 lines. Don't make your headline hard to read by using too many words, otherwise your reader would just get lazy immediately and leave your web site, without ever knowing how great your offer really was.

The headlines are the first few important steps you need for a great money making web site offer.

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important elements in copywriting.  As has been said countless times before, if you don't get your readers' attention with the headline, the chance of them reading your copy is virtually none.  But headlines (and sub-headlines) play a vital part in the copywriting process for other reasons, too.

Whether we, as copywriters, like it or not, the fact is most people will not read all the copy word for word.  Headlines can help fill in the blanks in several ways so "skimmers" still get the gist of the information included in the copy.

Headlines Outline the Benefits

Using headlines and sub-heads that state benefits about your product/service can be a powerful strategy.  Using wireless home networking for example, you might create headlines and sub-heads that read:


Work From Anywhere In Your Home

    No More Jumbled Cables Strung Everywhere

    Have Multiple Computers Online At The Same Time

    Make All The Computer Users In Your Home Happy



Even if the customer didn't read the copy included in between these heads and sub-heads, they would still be made aware of all the benefits of having a wireless home network.

Headlines Give An Overview

Depending on the type of copy you're writing, headlines can help to urge your customers to read further.  In fact, in long-form copy, headlines should create their own sub-set of copy.  If you read just the headlines, they should make sense all by themselves.  For example, copy about a new book on how to start your own business might use the following headlines.

   

New Book Takes You Step-by-Step Through Starting Your Own Business


An introduction would go here as well as copy designed to gain the attention of the reader.

Starting A Business Is Easier Than Ever

Continue with the copy here.

The Little Known Secrets In This Book Will Show You How

More copy here.

See?  As you read through the headlines and sub-headlines they make sense even without any copy.  This serves to give an overview of the information to those customers who may not read every word of the copy you've written.  If they read just the headlines and sub-heads, they'll still understand what you're offering.

Headlines Can Raise Curiosity

Make a statement that's so unusual it doesn't make sense.  Create "cliff-hangers" with your headlines and only give so much information before stopping.  When you use these and other interest builders, you can encourage customers to read further into your copy just to satisfy their curiosity.  Using natural gardening products as our example, the headlines and sub-heads often look like this:


My Roses Are Bursting With Blossoms Since I Stopped Watering Them

    My Prize-Winning Tulips Would Wither Up and Die If It Weren't for...

    Which Annual Blooms Twice As Big When You Give It A Beer/Shampoo Cocktail?



These statements make you think.  They start the reader wondering so that he/she continues to read on to get the rest of the story.

When creating headlines in your copy, think about how they all work together.  Instead of just plopping bolded words in between paragraphs, create a plan revolving around progressive headlines that can lead your readers to buy.

Day 4 - How to Write Killer Headlines - The Basics

A headline can make or break a sales letter, website page, newsletter, email, email newsletter, blog post or twitter post. In fact, everything you write should have a killer headline.

Headlines are the gatekeeper of an article or ad. If it's good, people will read on. If it isn't, then your email or sales letter hits the recycling bin or gets the delete button treatment.

Just as the purpose of every sale is to get a second sale, the purpose of every sentence is to get your reader to read the second sentence.

The first sentence doesn't start in the body of the text. It starts with the headline.

Still need convincing?

If you're still not sure about the importance of headlines, check out these snippets from the experts:

According to David Ogilvy, founder of the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency and author of Confessions of an Advertising Man:

"On the average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money."

Google: "Recent research suggests that users decide to stay or leave your site in 8 seconds or less -- in that short amount of time, headlines are the one piece of copy that users will actually read."

There are a number of basics that you need to get right when writing headlines.

1. Identify who Your Audience Is

Your headline should change depending on whether or not your audience is freezing, cold or warm. By this I mean, will your audience be reading your article/letter/ad/ for the first time? Will they know who you are, will they know your product name?

You can tailor headlines to suit your audience's knowledge of you and your product. This will lead to more people reading your articles. Decide whether you are writing to sell or writing to engage.

2. Write for People First

You will read many articles extolling the virtues of headlines and keywords for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). SEO helps raise your profile on the search engines. (We'll talk about this in a later article). Some exponents argue that writing for SEO is different than writing for reading's sake. My experience has shown that writing for people first will help with both SEO and click-through.

If you write as if you're talking to the person, chances are you're going to write a killer heading..and copy.

3. Ask yourself 'What's in it for me?'

If you want to lure people into your copy, then you need to ask yourself the question through the reader's eyes - "what's in it for me?". If you can't answer this, then you need to start again. No matter what way you structure your headline, it has to answer that important question.

4. Keep it Short

The average or ideal length for a headline is five words. Shorter headlines give a better punch or a better sizzle to your message. If you are battling with more words, then simply make a sub-heading out of them or make use of punctuation.

5. Make it Real

Under no circumstance should you write the best headline ever, but not have the copy to back it up. Or worse still, the product or service doesn't match up with the headline's benefits. Your headline has to support the copy just as the copy supports the headline.

The best headline in the world won't stop a bad story from ruining your reputation.

6. Keep it Simple

I've seen numerous witty and clever headlines. Some work, a lot don't. My advice is to keep it simple. Don't be clever for clever's sake.

7. Start Over

Once you've written your headline, ask yourself if you're happy with it. If you are, start over again. If you're not, start over again. You should spend as much time on your headline as you do on your copy. Do not stop until you are proud of your headline.

Day 4 - Homework

Today, I'm relying on 6 questions that Clayton Makepeace, one of the world's acclaimed copy-writers said in teleconference on 20th December 2006.

Take a recent headline and ask yourself:

1. Does your headline touch a nerve?

2. Does it make a unique claim or statement?

3. Does it provoke curiosity?

4. Is it credible?

5. It is specific?

6. Does it have a news element?

7. Does it offer a compelling benefit for reading?

Not-So-Secret Tips to Copywriting Great Headlines and Subject Lines

There's an 80/20 rule for everything, including copywriting headlines. Read anything about copywriting and you'll discover that the headline, or subject line, of your email, article, brochure or letter is where you need to spend 80% of your writing time. That's right: only 20% left to copywrite your article or brochure.

It does depend on what you're writing, of course. When you're writing tenders and proposals there's rarely time to spare for a catchy headline, whereas writing headlines or subject lines for your letters, articles, emails and brochures gives you time to play.

Like most things in life, there are a few good tricks to help you write a great headline or subject line.

The most easily accessible ones are:

"How to..." suggests we'll learn something useful without much effort.
"The Secrets of..", or "Revealed..." which hint at something a little mysterious that we really need to know.
"Discover the..." means we'll find something useful.

5, 7 or 10: we're all used to Top 10s. Five and 7 are great too and more credible than even numbers outside of 10. But when you're writing about large numbers, it's more persuasive to use the precise figure than a rounded figure.

Don't forget, you can combine these to copywrite more attention-grabbing headlines and subject lines. For example:


Discover how to...
 How my aunt saved $46,729 on her tax bill
 7 deadly copywriting sins...how to avoid...
 Copywriting secrets revealed
 Discover the 7 secrets of copywriting
 Revealed: the 7 secrets of copywriting
 How apostrophes can get you arrested
 Top 10 tender mistakes


Why are these so useful? Because they work. They're simple, straight to the point, attract attention and make your reader curious about what's coming next. In my article Is This the World's Most Attractive Headline?, I've written about other attention-grabbing words for headlines. Put them together and you get:


Discover 7 easy ways to write for a living
 Revealed: 5 simple tricks for younger looking skin
 How to get the haircut of your dreams - for free!
 Faster, better copywriting in 5 easy steps
 Save $2,397 a year with this foolproof money-saving tool


Another useful headline trick is to ask a dramatic question. My free guide, Do You Make These Mistakes in English, is very popular because people wonder what mistakes they might be making.

Article Writing - Get Inspiration For Topics By Reading Magazine Headlines

If you're writing articles to submit to article directories, or to add content to your home page or blog, you're probably in constant search for new ideas to write about.

One that works great is by checking the headlines on articles in your niche. Go to your nearest shopping center, and take a look at the magazines there. Or you can find them online, perhaps. See, what they are talking about, and get inspiration for articles, you can write yourself.

If you're in the weight loss business, you can probably find a large number of articles talking about how to lose weight. You should have enough knowledge about your niche to write your own article, solely inspired by the headline.

Also, a great way to find inspiration for your article titles are the headlines, the magazines use. You should know that these are designed to be eye-catching and selling. So if you can twist them around to suit your own use, you'll have a great headline for your article.

This doesn't necessarily have to be headlines from within your niche. You can substitute a word or two, and make it your own, in a totally different niche.

That way: "How To Lose Weight In Eight Simple Steps" could end up being "How To Get Your Ex Back In Eight Simple Steps", or whatever you're writing about.

When you're writing your article, you should obviously not copy the headline word by word. You should only use it for inspiration. If the magazine headline is "How To Lose Weight With Yoga", you could write an article titled "Weight Loss - Is Yoga Your Solution?" Just use the main idea as inspiration.

When you have the main idea, and if you don't know exactly what to write, you can do a search online. Find three sources, and skim through the articles. Search for the main points in these three sources, and write them down in your own words.

Now you should have enough to write a full article. Just start with an introduction to the subject, and write what you're about to write about. Tell the reader that they'll learn more about these three main points.

Then write a paragraph for each of the three main points. If you need a conclusion, you can do a resume, and tell the reader what you just told him.

There you go - you have your article written and done.

How to Craft Effective Headlines Easily

Headlines largely contribute to the success of an article. It is an attractive headline that arrests the attention of the readers. A headline that is confusing or dull will definitely not call for maximum page views. Thus, you are doomed, if you overlook the importance of headlines and think of making your article effective in some other way.

Writing a headline is all about creativity. You really have to think of something out of ordinary that will compel the readers to read your article. Below, I have listed some basic points that every writer should bear in mind, in order to create the ideal title for the article.

While writing the title of the article, keep the target readers in mind.

Browse through the other articles on similar topics and evaluate the kind of titles that attracts your attention the most.

The headline should have the power to garner the reader's trust and faith.

Also, make sure that the title is not too complicated. It has to be precise and to the point.

Some all time favorite headline templates are given below:

How To Lose Weight in 14 Days?
5 Hot Tips To Lose Weight Fast
The Secrets to Quick Weight
Do You Want Some Sizzling Tips To Shed Off Those Extra Pounds?
Are Those Extra Pounds Bothering You?
Discover How You Too Can have The Most Desirable Figure

These are just some of the many popular headlines templates. Keep in mind, people mostly search for information online to find solutions to their problems. Therefore, a plain and blatant title will never have a good enough impact on the reader's mind.

 If you are too confused about giving your article a suitable headline, then don't brood over it much. Start writing the article and after you finish it, then write the title of the article. This process works well for many as it becomes easier to create the headline after understanding the kind of direction the final article has taken.

Last but not least, make the starting letters of all the words in your headline capital and also make the entire headline bold to make sure that it gets proper attention.

7 Ways To Write Attention Grabbing Headlines

Reach out and grab your readers with attractive, click persuasive and winning headlines.  Watch as your promotional ROI (return on investment) increases fast! Follow the steps below and turn those browsers into buyers by sucking them into your advertisement or sales page with irresistible Headlines.

Below are 7 ways that you can attract readers and more importantly buyers of your product or service.  If you use one or all of them it doesn’t matter, just use these techniques I have outlined for you.

How To… - This is one of the top performing headlines. People want to learn steps, how to do something. For example, “7 Ways to Write Attention Grabbing Headlines” or “How to Spot a Fake Louie Vuitton”.  So tell them!

News Headline – Get to the point right off the bat. “Service Company Teams up To Fill in Gaps with Children’s Fundraiser.” Then write that inverted pyramid style with the most detailed information (who, what, when, where, why, how) on top.

Featured Benefit Headline – Disclose your biggest benefit right at the top. Draw attention by opening in grand style, “Marketers Get Over 50% of Their Emails Opened with New Auto responder Technology.”  Do you see who was benefited in the preceding headline?  It’s as plain as the nose on your face right?  That’s how you want it to be.  Do not make people guess or this will lead to confusion.

Solve A Problem – Pick a popular problem being discussed in your niche or industry and then use it to your advantage. For example, “Turn Your Private Label Products into Profits in 5 Minutes with This New Audio Mastery Series.”  How about, “Double Your List Size in 7 Days With This Viral Software.”  See how I got your attention with a headline proposing a solution to a problem?

Share Personal Discovery – Create interesting story angles out of your own would-be bloopers like, “Everyone Told Me I’d Never Be Able to Quit My Day Job, But I Did It in One Month and with only a $10 Investment!”   Try this one, “Wrong Email to Wrong List Leads to Unexpected Profits!”  Do not be afraid to admit mistakes.  We are all human and letting your prospective customers and list members know this will improve your re pore with them.

Case Study or Testimonial Headline – Place the focus on those interesting story angles of others; for example, “Jack Stuffed My Mailer in the Trash, Then Dug It Out, Listened to the Audio Files, and Earned $12,457 in Just 30- Days!”

Guarantee Headliners – Add your bottom line up top, “Earn Your Money Back in 30 Days or Less or I’ll Double Your Money Back!”  Also, “Double Your Money Back if You Don’t Double Your Money!”

Put any of these top formulas to work on your websites, articles and press releases. I can assure you that you will receive a better response to your ads than previous attempts.  The ways to format your headlines above are tried and tested, don’t try and change the wheel on this one.  Make it easy on yourself and just follow what has been proven to work.

Today it is harder than ever to get people to read what you want them to.  Heck, it’s hard enough to get them to stop for a second to do so.  Everyone is so busy these days and in a give it to me now society you have to give it to them now.  Writing headlines that get straight to the point is what will cause people to stop and take notice.  Make sure you put a lot of thought into your headlines and watch your ROI skyrocket!

Article Writing Tips - Find Out the Reason Why Many Writers Have Weak Headlines

Why is it so many article writers out there suffer from weak headlines? There are actually a few main reasons this problem exists. These include:

·         They don't realize the importance of headlines


·         Don't know how to work their keywords into an attention-grabbing headline


·         Focus so hard on the article, they skip the headline


·         Not a lot of experience writing headlines


·         Afraid catchy headlines will be "too much" or "over the top"


The thing about article headlines is that a little bit of sensationalism is sometimes needed to get the attention of the reader. Because there is so much content on the Internet, you need to stand out some way. Bland, boring article headlines will get overlooked for something catchier even if the article itself is not as good.

Now that you know the reasons why so many writers have weak headlines, it's time to learn how to improve it yourself. It's easy to improve your headlines when you identify why you have the problem. Consider the reasons above and which ones apply to you.

Now what can you do about it? You now know that headlines are as important as your article content itself. So now you just need to learn how to write great ones. Article headline templates can be one way to start doing this until you learn to do it well on your own.

You can use these templates and then just fill in the blanks for your subject and keywords. This will then make the article headline apply to your specific article. After time of doing this regularly, you will start tweaking these templates to your own attention-grabbing headlines.

Do Your Headlines Come With a Snooze Button?

You will see e-book authors make ludicrous claims that the average North American reads at a sixth grade level. One author even claimed that Americans now read at a third grade level. This was no doubt to take away from the glaring spelling and grammatical mistakes he made throughout his book. It was as though this disclaimer excused his laziness in creating a low quality product.

The problem is not that we are becoming a nation of illiterates. The problem is that we are becoming a nation with an attention span of a two year old child. If what we see doesn't hold our attention we are merely one click away from the finding something that does. Experts say you now have three seconds to grab someone's attention. Your headline sells the article.

We all judge books by their covers and now we judge articles by their headlines. There is nothing wrong with doing this and in fact it is really nothing new. Newspapers have sensationalized headlines for decades in order to get people to read the story. The evening news took this concept even further with their commercial teasers. These advertisements would appear in the middle of a program and dropped little bombs so people would watch the news that evening. "Tonight, drinking a certain brand of milk can cause blindness. Tune in at seven to find out what you need to know to keep your sight."

Writing a good headline is considered to be a talent. Writing a good title is also an important talent. Which essay would your rather read, The Poems of Robert Frost or Frosty The Poem Man? While it is important for your article to have a catchy title, it is equally important that the headline accurately reflects the article. Some people have begun writing headlines with well paying keywords while the articles are about something else entirely. This will result in angry readers and may result in a punitive response from Google as well.

Look on your title as a call to action. Ask yourself what the main point of your article really is. Write down this point and begin to play around with it. What will happen if people will follow the advice in the article? What will happen if people do not follow the advice in the article? Now focus either on the benefits or the risks and try to narrow it down to a single phrase. Now look for some action words to punch up this phrase and you should have yourself a winning headline.

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important elements in copywriting.  As has been said countless times before, if you don't get your readers' attention with the headline, the chance of them reading your copy is virtually none.  But headlines (and sub-headlines) play a vital part in the copywriting process for other reasons, too.

Whether we, as copywriters, like it or not, the fact is most people will not read all the copy word for word.  Headlines can help fill in the blanks in several ways so "skimmers" still get the gist of the information included in the copy.

Headlines Outline the Benefits

Using headlines and sub-heads that state benefits about your product/service can be a powerful strategy.  Using wireless home networking for example, you might create headlines and sub-heads that read:


Work From Anywhere In Your Home

    No More Jumbled Cables Strung Everywhere

    Have Multiple Computers Online At The Same Time

    Make All The Computer Users In Your Home Happy



Even if the customer didn't read the copy included in between these heads and sub-heads, they would still be made aware of all the benefits of having a wireless home network.

Headlines Give An Overview

Depending on the type of copy you're writing, headlines can help to urge your customers to read further.  In fact, in long-form copy, headlines should create their own sub-set of copy.  If you read just the headlines, they should make sense all by themselves.  For example, copy about a new book on how to start your own business might use the following headlines.

   

New Book Takes You Step-by-Step Through Starting Your Own Business


An introduction would go here as well as copy designed to gain the attention of the reader.

Starting A Business Is Easier Than Ever

Continue with the copy here.

The Little Known Secrets In This Book Will Show You How

More copy here.

See?  As you read through the headlines and sub-headlines they make sense even without any copy.  This serves to give an overview of the information to those customers who may not read every word of the copy you've written.  If they read just the headlines and sub-heads, they'll still understand what you're offering.

Headlines Can Raise Curiosity

Make a statement that's so unusual it doesn't make sense.  Create "cliff-hangers" with your headlines and only give so much information before stopping.  When you use these and other interest builders, you can encourage customers to read further into your copy just to satisfy their curiosity.  Using natural gardening products as our example, the headlines and sub-heads often look like this:


My Roses Are Bursting With Blossoms Since I Stopped Watering Them

    My Prize-Winning Tulips Would Wither Up and Die If It Weren't for...

    Which Annual Blooms Twice As Big When You Give It A Beer/Shampoo Cocktail?



These statements make you think.  They start the reader wondering so that he/she continues to read on to get the rest of the story.

When creating headlines in your copy, think about how they all work together.  Instead of just plopping bolded words in between paragraphs, create a plan revolving around progressive headlines that can lead your readers to buy.

Make Or Break it With Headlines

Anyone who has experienced trying to read the front page of a daily paper that measures 13 by 22 inches knows how headlines literally wrestle for a reader's attention. Although, of course, the page layout, including size and placement, has a lot to do with what piece is read first, the way a headline is worded can also make or break a story. Let's put it this way: a so-so story with an extremely catchy and curious headline might prove to be disappointing, but it will still be read. The same story with a humdrum headline will not be read at all.

While writing headlines for journalistic articles and for web copies are different in terms of their target audience, the principle under which they work are basically the same: to capture the essence of a piece and, hopefully, catch attention.

The need for good headlines

In a nutshell, a headline can determine whether a user will click through to a copy or not. This is what's in the mind of most who write copy for an online audience. The possible downside of this thinking is sacrificing accuracy. Some opt to misguide intentionally just to get hits. Remember that clicks alone will not translate to business automatically. Hence, it's really not worth trying to misguide prospective customers through deceptive headlines.

A headline, in journalism parlance, is the gist of the gist of a story. When writing copy for the web, this can be overly simplistic. There are more things to consider than just condensing a piece into several words. While doing that, for instance, remember to be creative and inspired in thinking of your headlines. The World Wide Web is astronomically bigger than any single newspaper. And even with the help of a search engine to narrow down results, the webpages (and headlines) competing for a user's attention is unimaginably voluminous. This is where a good headline edges out a mediocre one.

The writing itself

When writing headlines, it is best to strike a balance between accuracy and creativity. The first part, simply put, means saying what you want to say, no complication, no catch. Trying to impress via headlines is not only needless and arrogant, it can also backfire in the long run. Thinking about it, writing for the sake of trying to impress often works to one's disadvantage.

After figuring out what you really need to say (in other words, what your piece says), figure out the most effective, creative, catchy, clever way of saying it. While you tirelessly try to excite and reel people in through your headlines, remember that headlines are the bait, and your copy is the fishing rod that reels people in.

As with writing for journalistic purposes, headlines of web copies differ on what purpose they will serve. The tone of your headline usually sets the mood for the rest of the article. Reserve funny headlines for funny pieces, satirical ones for parodies, academic ones for research papers, you get the picture.

The Content Annex can craft strong copies and relevant articles for your website. We also write press releases, sales copies, blogs, SEO articles, e-books, newsletters, autoresponder emails, and content for other marketing materials.