Headlines attract attention. Headlines generate interest. The time spent writing headlines can pay you back many times over.
Do you have a product or service to sell? How do you attract new customers, clients, prospects, leads or patients?
Most likely you attract them through the written word in some sort of advertising, articles, or press release. In each case you need a headline.
In fact, every printed document you publish should have a headline on it. Yes, even including your business card, if you have one!
So, what should go in your headline? Below are seven headline ideas that have proved profitable in the past. Remember the goal of the headline is to stop your reader dead in their tracks and get them to read further in to your sales copy.
1). Answer the question, "What's In It For Me?" Offer the reader a big benefit or promise of they continue reading. Here are a few examples:
* The Secret of Making People Like You
* Who Else Wants A Screen Star Figure?
* You Can Laugh At Money Worries - If You Follow This Simple Plan
* How to Win Friends and Influence People
The promise can be either explicit or implied, but it must be clear to the reader.
2). Tightly target your headlines. Don't write your headline to everyone. A headline written to everyone in reality is written to no one. Grab the attention of a very specific target audience by mentioning them by name. Here are some examples of tightly targeted headlines.
* To People Who Want To Write - But Can't Get Started
* To Men Who Want TO Quit Work Someday
* For the Woman Who Is older Than She Looks
* CAR Owners ... Save ONE GALLON OF GAS In Every TEN
* GIRLS...Want Quick CURLS?
* Attention Small Business Owners: Why Doesn't Your Advertising Work? Finally, You Can Stop Wasting Good Money On Useless Advertising! FREE Report Reveals How To Get More Customers In A Month Than You Now Get All Year - Guaranteed! Call 1-877-232-9362, Toll-Free, 24 hr., For FREE Recorded Message Now!
3). Do you have something new and exciting to offer? Try writing headline like these:
* New Cake-Improver Gets Your Compliments Galore!
* Great New Discovery Kills Kitchen Odors Quick! - Makes Indoor Air "Country Fresh"
* Announcing... The New Edition Of The Encyclopedia That Makes It Fun To Learn Things
* Announcing The New FORD CARS For 2006
* Breakthrough Money-Making Secrets That Sex Sites Do Not Want You to Find Out About - Uncovered And Revealed Inside!
* Breakthrough Internet Marketing Group Uncovers The Secrets To Getting Rich On The Web Using Simple Math Strategies!
4) Got a quick and easy solution to a problem? People are always looking for faster and easier ways to do things, so let them know.
* Headline Creator Pro Software Generates 100 Winning Headlines Quickly With Push-Button Ease!
* PLAY GUITAR In 7 Days Or Money Back [Note: Quick and easy is implied]
* Hands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours - Or Your Money Back
* How I Improved My Memory In One Evening
* How A New Kind Of Clay Improved My Complexion In 30 Minutes
* Here's a Quick Way to Break Up a Cold.
* How To Take Out Stains... Just Follow These Easy Directions
* Here's What to Do to Get Rid of Pimples Fast
5) Ask a question, especially one that can't be answered by "yes" or "no." When a question can't be answered by "yes" or "no" the reader will generally continue reading to discover the answer. The human mind hates to be left wondering about the answer to a question. Pose a question and the human mind will work to find an answer.
* Can You Talk About BOOKS With The Rest Of Them?
* How Much Is "Working Tension" Costing Your Company?
* Do You Make These Mistakes In English?
* Five Familiar Skin Troubles - Which Do You Want To Overcome?
* Which Of These $2.50 to $5.00 Best Sellers Do You Want For Only $1.00 Each?
* Who Ever Heard Of A Woman Losing Weight - And Enjoying 3 Delicious Meals At The Same Time?
* Whose Fault When Children Disobey?
* Can You Pass This Money Test?
6) Write a hook into your headline to get your reader to continue reading.
* WARNING: Don't Pay For Another Ad Until You Read This Message!
* WARNING: Don't Join An Affiliate Program That Doesn't Meet The Following Criteria!
* Using A Lawyer May Be Dangerous To Your Wealth
* The Truth About Getting Rich
* The Most Expensive Mistake Of Your Life
* How The Next NINETY Days Can Change Your LIFE
7) Put a guarantee in your headline to increase trust.
* Guaranteed To Go Through Ice, Mud or Snow - Or We Pay The Tow!
* Hands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours - Or Your Money Back
* PLAY GUITAR In 7 Days Or Money Back
* Hot Fresh Pizza Delivered Right To Your Door In 30 Minutes or Less - Guaranteed!
Writing headlines doesn't have to be hard. It just takes a little time and practice, so sharpen your pencil and let's get to work.
Showing posts with label headline writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label headline writing. Show all posts
Friday, 27 January 2012
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Headline Writing - Write Headlines That Get Your Article Read - Part 2
In part 1 we covered the importance of writing a great headline to grab your readers attention & get them to read your article in full.
Now we take a look at other ways of developing your headline style.
You need to think about your audience. Who is it that you are writing for?
For gossip and entertainment?
For those looking for financial advice - facts and figures?
For someone looking for exercise or health information - reliable and assuring?
For those browsing for ideas and pastimes?
Who are they and what are they looking for? Answering these two questions will set you on the right route to plan and write an article that will capture their attention... and from this you can then style the headline.
For example say that you're writing an article aimed at someone who is searching for the right mortgage. That person will look for 'facts', 'figures', 'surveys' and even maybe a case study that they can identify with. The language will be business like & authoritative. Anyone reading would not expect lots of jokey thoughts and gossip in the article. On the other hand if you are writing your article aimed at someone searching for news on their favourite pop star, gossip, jokes and light frothy sentences will hit the mark.
You've got 5 seconds!
When writing your headlines remember that you only have about 5 seconds to grab your potential readers attention.
If they scan the list of headlines and yours doesn't 'pop out' you've lost them forever.
Here are a few more styles that can help you to write a great headline.
The 'Testimonial' Headline
"I used 'XY's' formula B ... now I earn $ssss and have financial freedom"
Testimonials are very powerful, when they sound believable. Use them to help you sell a new product or idea.
The 'News' Headline - Make an announcement
"It's here at last! The breakthrough in internet marketing has arrived"
A great way for announcing new products and services, making the reader feel that they're in at the beginning.
Also you may have noticed that I didn't say 'what' it was... so you add an element of curiosity in the headline too.
The 'Formula' headline - tell them 'how to'
"Follow these 3 simple steps to increase your writing speed"
How often are you looking for the solution to the problem? Well if the headline tells you that you can find the solution in just 3 simple steps... aren't you going to want to read 'what' those simple steps are?
Often these headline begin with words like "How to" ... "how to loose 5lb's in 1 week... with just 5 minutes a day". The secret is that the headline suggest that the solution will be revealed in the article.
The 'Question' Headline
"Do you hate the Gym? - How to have a gym workout without ever stepping inside one again"
The secret to this type of headline is to pose the question that you know most people will answer in a certain way... then you suggest that the answer will be given in the article. When writing this sort of headline... you need to be sure that the majority of your readers are going to agree with you ... or they may just say "No... I love the gym" and never read on.
The 'Order' Headline... Do it now!
"Act now and save £1000 on your insurance this year!"
Giving a command focuses attention on a desired action that you want the reader to take on reading the article.
What ever style of headline you choose... make sure that you 'Deliver'
What I mean is, if you suggest that you are going to tell them the solution to the problem, in the headline, you must give that solution in the article or at least tell them where the reader must go to find the solution.
Don't refer to something in your headline and then not mention it in the article. This leaves the reader confused and cross... they'll feel cheated and won't trust you or read your articles again!
Add Value to your headline
Turn an 'ok' headline like "How to write a good headline" into a great one "Get your articles read - Writing headlines that GRAB!"
Short and sweet.
7 words is a good guide. If you've got more to say then put it in a sub-headline.
Need some more ideas... here are some words and run-ins that'll help to attract readers attention:
Activate, Achieve, Affordable, Amaze, Amazing, Avoid,
Best, Breakthrough, Banish, Bounce back from ..., Beginners guide to..., (the) Best & Worst ways to ...., Budget,
Captivate, Create, Cash in on..., Complete guide to ..., ..... on the Cheap
Discover, Discovery, Deliver, ..... Dreams come true,
Eliminate, Essential, Energise, Essential elements, Exciting,
Formula, Fantastic,
Great, Gigantic, Guaranteed, Gain the..., Get the edge..., Good news when....,
How to ..., Hidden secret ..., Hot tips on...,
Incredible, Ingenious, Impossible (to miss),
Just out..., Judge for yourself...,
Kill, Killing,
Love, Loveliest, Looking for..., Longing for..., (the) Last word on...,
Master, Mastering, Must have, Must-know,
No more, New, Newest, Never .... again, No-fail guide to....,
Outrageous, Outrage, One time offer...,
Powerful, Profit from, Perfect (solution, birthday gift, holiday,etc)
Quick guide to, Questions & Answers to..., Questions that you must ask about....,
Results, Revealed, Revelation, (the) Real...., Read this before....,
Simple, Simplest, Secrets, Scientific, Shocking, Special report...., Strategies for..., Straight answers about..., (the) Solution to...,
Ten Quick Tips, Tips, Tricks, Time-tested, Tactics, Top, Techniques, Thrifty
Unbelievable, User-friendly ways to..., Unleash, Unlimited, Unique,
Value added, Valuable,
(7) Ways to..., What's HOT and What's NOT in..., When to ... and when not, (the) Worst thing you....,
You must try this...., You need to know how....,
I'm sure you'll begin to think of hundreds of variations and improvements.... start writing them down now... and when you see a good headline... adapt it for your use.
Enjoy your writing
Now we take a look at other ways of developing your headline style.
You need to think about your audience. Who is it that you are writing for?
For gossip and entertainment?
For those looking for financial advice - facts and figures?
For someone looking for exercise or health information - reliable and assuring?
For those browsing for ideas and pastimes?
Who are they and what are they looking for? Answering these two questions will set you on the right route to plan and write an article that will capture their attention... and from this you can then style the headline.
For example say that you're writing an article aimed at someone who is searching for the right mortgage. That person will look for 'facts', 'figures', 'surveys' and even maybe a case study that they can identify with. The language will be business like & authoritative. Anyone reading would not expect lots of jokey thoughts and gossip in the article. On the other hand if you are writing your article aimed at someone searching for news on their favourite pop star, gossip, jokes and light frothy sentences will hit the mark.
You've got 5 seconds!
When writing your headlines remember that you only have about 5 seconds to grab your potential readers attention.
If they scan the list of headlines and yours doesn't 'pop out' you've lost them forever.
Here are a few more styles that can help you to write a great headline.
The 'Testimonial' Headline
"I used 'XY's' formula B ... now I earn $ssss and have financial freedom"
Testimonials are very powerful, when they sound believable. Use them to help you sell a new product or idea.
The 'News' Headline - Make an announcement
"It's here at last! The breakthrough in internet marketing has arrived"
A great way for announcing new products and services, making the reader feel that they're in at the beginning.
Also you may have noticed that I didn't say 'what' it was... so you add an element of curiosity in the headline too.
The 'Formula' headline - tell them 'how to'
"Follow these 3 simple steps to increase your writing speed"
How often are you looking for the solution to the problem? Well if the headline tells you that you can find the solution in just 3 simple steps... aren't you going to want to read 'what' those simple steps are?
Often these headline begin with words like "How to" ... "how to loose 5lb's in 1 week... with just 5 minutes a day". The secret is that the headline suggest that the solution will be revealed in the article.
The 'Question' Headline
"Do you hate the Gym? - How to have a gym workout without ever stepping inside one again"
The secret to this type of headline is to pose the question that you know most people will answer in a certain way... then you suggest that the answer will be given in the article. When writing this sort of headline... you need to be sure that the majority of your readers are going to agree with you ... or they may just say "No... I love the gym" and never read on.
The 'Order' Headline... Do it now!
"Act now and save £1000 on your insurance this year!"
Giving a command focuses attention on a desired action that you want the reader to take on reading the article.
What ever style of headline you choose... make sure that you 'Deliver'
What I mean is, if you suggest that you are going to tell them the solution to the problem, in the headline, you must give that solution in the article or at least tell them where the reader must go to find the solution.
Don't refer to something in your headline and then not mention it in the article. This leaves the reader confused and cross... they'll feel cheated and won't trust you or read your articles again!
Add Value to your headline
Turn an 'ok' headline like "How to write a good headline" into a great one "Get your articles read - Writing headlines that GRAB!"
Short and sweet.
7 words is a good guide. If you've got more to say then put it in a sub-headline.
Need some more ideas... here are some words and run-ins that'll help to attract readers attention:
Activate, Achieve, Affordable, Amaze, Amazing, Avoid,
Best, Breakthrough, Banish, Bounce back from ..., Beginners guide to..., (the) Best & Worst ways to ...., Budget,
Captivate, Create, Cash in on..., Complete guide to ..., ..... on the Cheap
Discover, Discovery, Deliver, ..... Dreams come true,
Eliminate, Essential, Energise, Essential elements, Exciting,
Formula, Fantastic,
Great, Gigantic, Guaranteed, Gain the..., Get the edge..., Good news when....,
How to ..., Hidden secret ..., Hot tips on...,
Incredible, Ingenious, Impossible (to miss),
Just out..., Judge for yourself...,
Kill, Killing,
Love, Loveliest, Looking for..., Longing for..., (the) Last word on...,
Master, Mastering, Must have, Must-know,
No more, New, Newest, Never .... again, No-fail guide to....,
Outrageous, Outrage, One time offer...,
Powerful, Profit from, Perfect (solution, birthday gift, holiday,etc)
Quick guide to, Questions & Answers to..., Questions that you must ask about....,
Results, Revealed, Revelation, (the) Real...., Read this before....,
Simple, Simplest, Secrets, Scientific, Shocking, Special report...., Strategies for..., Straight answers about..., (the) Solution to...,
Ten Quick Tips, Tips, Tricks, Time-tested, Tactics, Top, Techniques, Thrifty
Unbelievable, User-friendly ways to..., Unleash, Unlimited, Unique,
Value added, Valuable,
(7) Ways to..., What's HOT and What's NOT in..., When to ... and when not, (the) Worst thing you....,
You must try this...., You need to know how....,
I'm sure you'll begin to think of hundreds of variations and improvements.... start writing them down now... and when you see a good headline... adapt it for your use.
Enjoy your writing
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