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.

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.

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 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.

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!

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.

Head Banger's Ball - The Key To Writing Perfect Headlines

Remember the movie "Field Of Dreams"? A voice from beyond whispers, "if you build it, they will come". Kevin Costner, questioning his sanity, searches for the truth and finally with the help of James Earl Jones, reaches a cosmic conclusion. A ball field is built in the middle of nowhere and the ghosts of yesteryear gather to play a final game set somewhere in "The Twilight Zone".

Great entertainment, but the statement "if you build it, they will come" while holding truth for Kevin Costner, would be very bad advice for someone desiring success on the net. Simply stated, if you build it, hardly anyone will come unless they know it is there in the first place, and then only if you offer them something of value.

With literally millions of choices, many of them excellent, your site or offer has to stand up shout "LOOK AT ME" and then you better deliver on your promises, or you will literally be left stranded in a "virtual desert" with no oasis in sight.

The idea of writing the perfect headline, is of course only one ingredient in your "internet success cookbook" but it's an important one. When a potential customer is scanning classified ads, or looking at a list of sites on the popular search engines, you have only scant seconds to grab their attention. If you don't, you won't. Why? They will have already clicked on another link and your opportunity to gain their attention will be gone.

I don't mean to paint a picture of gloom, just reality, advertising is both an art and a science. It can be learned and MUST be practiced. So, that said, let's take a look at some of the ingredients that make up a good headline.

Keywords and keyphrases and crucial to you search engine placement and your headline.

FREE

DISCOVER

POWERFUL

EASY


GUARANTEED
YOU'LL LOVE THIS

MONEY

HOTTEST

NEW

IMPROVED

PROVEN

RESULTS

REVOLUTIONARY

STATE-OF-THE-ART

FANTASTIC

SAVE

BEST

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY

SECRETS

THE BEST KEPT SECRET

UNBELIEVABLE

MUST SEE TO BELIEVE



The secret though, is using one or more of the above words or phrases in a new and innovative way. Whatever you're selling or offering, first and foremost, believe in it. If you do, you'll be communicating sincere thoughts and not hype. Sincerity can and does come through in your ad copy, in fact it must. All this takes is practice and experimentation.

STEP ONE. Practice. Write your ad copy using one or more of the above words or phrases, but don't do it once, do it multiple times. Ask friends and associates which one sounds the best and which communicates your idea in a way that would make them want to know more. Use the best of these suggestions, then write your amended copy.

STEP TWO. Testing. There is no better formula for success than testing. You could spend thousands of dollars on the wrong ad and generate next to nothing or significantly less money on the RIGHT ad and net a fortune.

PROPER INGREDIENTS...

Write for immediate action. Use words that will call the reader to action.

Strive for creativity. You should paint or convey a particular frame of mind or emotion.

Don't try to be cute or clever, communicate your ideas clearly.

Use strong verbs where you can.

Make every word count.

Try to identify with the reader, put yourself in their shoes and imagine yourself reading that particular headline.

Sell the sizzle but not the sausage. Meaning, draw the reader in but don't give away the whole offer up front.

You don't buy coal you buy heat;

You don't buy circus tickets, you buy thrills;

You don't buy a paper, you buy news;

You don't buy spectacles, you buy vision.

ANON

Promise a benefit and provoke curiosity.

You must give the impression that you will solve their problem
Sell one idea at a time. Hook them first, then you can expand your ideas in the body of your offer or web site.

DON'T WRITE YOUR HEADLINE IN ALL CAPS. No only is that considered shouting in the internet world, it's ALSO VERY DIFFICULT TO READ.

Don't make the reader think, make him/her take action.

Make it believable.


Make it interesting and compelling.


Fulfill a dream.


Offer value.


Arouse curiosity with sub-headings.


Use abstract numbers when possible. An ever popular topic is losing weight and making money, two (or I should say 2) tasks that effect nearly everyone.

Lose 20 pounds in two weeks.


IS NOT as powerful as


Lose 19 ½ pounds in 14 days.


Take away all risk.

Article Writing - Headlines, Your Point of Contact

Where to find that silver bullet that does the job in your article writing, every time? Hunting is an art that includes finding the hang out of your prey, identifying your target, using the right weapon, stalking, taking aim at the heart /mind and firing with a powerful bullet that is sure to hit. Which gives you a clean kill there and then. You only have one shot at it and if you miss you'll have an empty bag. What am I talking about? ...Headlines, your point of contact!

For any writer to be successful they need to perfect the skill in finding that silver bullet that will do the job as a headline. In order to find the right ammunition, you first need to identify your target and see where your prey congregates. This will give you an idea on how to go about sourcing the correct components to suit the circumstance and environment that you are hunting in. This means identifying your topic, category and key words and phrases that best suits your targeted reader. We will presume that articles will be your choice of weapon and your headline is the silver bullet of the perfect caliber.

If you have sourced these first components correctly, then this makes putting these powerful words together far easier. A hunter tries to get into the heart and mind of his prey, learns their habits, preferences, place of feeding and watering. Understands the habitat and finds the best stalking methods to suit the environment. The bullet you chose is important, you don't want to wound your prey and let it get away, nor do you want an over kill.

Article writings most important component is taking careful aim at the heart and mind, by using a headline with powerful words to suit your target.

How To Write A Catchy Headline

Knowing how to write a catchy headline is an essential skill of a copywriter. You are competing for the attention of your market and you must stand out, hopefully this article will enable you to do so.

The content of your headline depends on several factors which are:

Audience
Do you have a rapport with the audience? If so, it may be advantageous to personalise the email.
   
Product / Service you are promoting
A professional product should be represented professionally. If your product is inexpensive, be sure to    play on that within your headline
   
Writing format
The length of your headline will be a function of your format. Formats included are blog posts, articles, sales pages, reports, emails etc.

I'm of the opinion that the headline should reflect the content, however that is because this is what works within my market. If you browse over your spam emails you notice that a lot of them try to personalise to headline by incorporating your name in it. This is obviously something that works for that market. A professional product or service should be represented by an honest headline. You will lose and upset many people if your headline is misleading or irrelevant to the content. I've made a quick list of what I consider to be good and bad headline themes with respect to a professional product or service.

GOOD
Benefit headlines (eg Amazing new course shows you how to skyrocket your loan pipeline by 300% in 30 days! ).
Summary headlines (eg Scientists grow human ear on back of a mouse )
Question headlines (eg Is the Zune any better than the iPod?' )
Mention Keywords (eg Al Jazeera International chooses Apple Technology )

BAD
False promises
Irrelevant headline

OTHER
Shocking headlines (These can be good and bad. Use them wisely.)

Words that are used commonly in good headlines


Instant
Free
Guarantee
Easy
Superlatives (i.e. 'Easiest way' instead of 'a way')


You should test your headlines and find out what works best within your market. If you stumble upon a great headline, write it down and figure out why it was so good and incorporate that into your next headline.

Article Writing Secret: Hyped-Up Headlines Help Boost Your Article Marketing Success

My clients often want to know how to make their articles stand out from the thousands that already exist in their marketplace. I encourage them to consider using alliteration in their headlines. What's alliteration you say? It's when you use words that all have the same sound. Check out the headline for this story as an example.

Here are a few tips I created to make headline writing a bit easier for you:

Don't force it.
Hey, if it's not there, it's not there. Look for a way to use words that begin with the same sound for a few minutes. If it doesn't come, then go with the old standby, "How to" or "3 Ways to" and move on.

Accompany the headline with an equally clever article.
You finally have a great alliterative headline, now what? You'd better have a funny, amusing or interesting article to back it up. The reader's curiosity is piqued, give him the information you promised in that great headline of yours.

Have a look at other alliterative headlines for inspiration.
Let's face it, these kinds of headlines can be a challenge. To make it easier, consider reading the work of others. Keep your eyes open because these headlines are used everywhere, magazines, newspapers, brochures - keep a file of these gems. It's worth it.

Here are a few from the undisputed kings (and queens) of clever headlines - The New York Post - for more inspiration:

PAYBACK'S A PITCH

MANIC MOB TRACKS THE TIGER [TIGER WOODS]

GANGLAND GALA AT GOTTI GRAVE

SALE SURVIVORS


Alliterate every word? Not so.
Not every word in your headline has to begin with the same sound. Conjunctions and prepositions such as: of, and, or, from get a pass. (Note: There are exceptions to this rule. Sometimes the first few or last few words in a headline have alliteration and all others don't.)

NICOTINE NAZIS ARE ASH-KING FOR IT THIS TIME!

BUGGED BRASS ORDERS JACKO COPS TO HUSH

TIGER BAGS HIS BABE


Don't forget your subheds.
It can be a risky move to use alliteration in your main headline. If it's too much for you, save your creativity for your subheds. This will move your readers through your copy swiftly and effortlessly - with a little flair.

Secondary headlines help, too.
Keep in mind these headlines don't offer a bevy of information. To connect the reader to the article, build a bridge with a secondary headline that clearly spells out what you're going to say. And it's a good idea not to use alliteration in the secondary headline either. Just tell it like it is.

There you have alliteration basics. Spice up your headlines with this bit of writing and watch response rates soar.

3 Tips to Writing Amazing Ad Headlines That Get You Sales Like Crazy

How do you know what's interesting to your ideal prospect? Read on to learn 3 tips to writing amazing ad headlines that get you sales like crazy.

Before you can serve your ideal prospects, first you must know what is important to them. Then, intentionally do things to get their attention so they see you as a provider of the perfect solution for him or her. Here are 3 tips to writing great headlines in your marketing copy to get sales like crazy:

1.    The secret to grabbing your ideal prospect's attention is first knowing the desperate needs and wants that are missing from your prospect's life. The "missing item" haunts your prospect like an old familiar melody that incessantly plays on in his or her head. So how do you learn what they want or need? You ask them! Listen closely, then personally relate to their description about their need or want. Start with their most intense desire. What is it? Whatever feeling the client is feeling, it aches to be satisfied or relieved. So, as a marketer, become the prospect's personal shopper.

2.    In your marketing copy, point the way for your ideal prospect to get satisfaction through the benefits of your product or service. As you describe how your prospect can feel satisfied using your solution, you are building a relationship with your prospect.

3.    Once you build a trusting relationship with your prospects, they are more likely to rely on your honesty and your advice. This trust will help them to select your product to satisfy their needs.

Finally, after you know what your prospects really want, give it to them in the way they want it. Good news! They are already looking for you and your products. Show them how to find you now! When you speak their language, and give them what they crave, they really appreciate you. Provide the solution for their most frustrating challenge. Do that repeatedly with all your clients and become friends with your customers who buy from you fast!

Imagine getting more customers by connecting with them. You can learn how to make a meaningful difference with your market by discovering how to connect with them.

Writing Article Headlines

3 Steps To Writing Article Headlines That Will Generate Traffic

The article headline is the most important part of the article writing process, or any other online marketing venture that you are involved in. If you choose a phrase for your article title or headline that is not searched for, it is likely your article will not get much traffic. Follow these 3 easy steps to writing a catchy headline and you will be on your way to generating more traffic to your website.

GETTING IDEAS
Consider the main idea of your article and make a short list of keywords that relate to what you are writing about. Using the free keyword tools available on the internet, type in your keywords, then create a second list of the keyword phrases that are generating traffic. Before moving on, you should have at least 10-20 keyword phrases that we will use for our research. You can add, remove, or change words from your keyword phrases to create another idea for your headline.

RESEARCHING
Now that we have several keyword phrases, we need to find the one that is popular, but not already plastered all over the web. Start at the top of your keyword list, and begin searching Google for the phrase using quotations ("keyword phrase"). Take note of the optimized results. This is the number at the top right of the search results. Now count the number of ads listed on the right side of the page. Move on to they next keyword phrase, and continue this process until you have done a search for all of your phrases.

CHOOSE YOUR ARTICLE HEADLINE
For article marketing, we need to take into consideration that different article directories have different requirements. A good rule of thumb is any keyword phrase with 1,000-5,000 optimized results (we should have this written down next to our keywords) and at least a few paid ads will be a good title for our article. If you find more than one with optimized results in our range, I would recommend using the one with the most paid ads. Don't get excited if you find one with 10 or 20 optimized results unless there are paid ads; chances are it is not a highly searched phrase. For large article directories such as EzineArticles, you can probably use a keyword phrase with up to 10,000 optimized results. I would not recommend going any higher than that, as you will most likely not get lucky enough to end up on the first page of Google, and in turn, not get much traffic.

There is really not a lot of work that goes into choosing a headline for your article. Just follow these 3 steps for every article that your write, search Google within 24 hours for your article headline, and look for your listing on the first page.