At any given point in time, there are a number of major ‘conversations’ going on inside the heads of your prospective customers. This is partly down to the increasing demands on our time and attention… What’s more, your target market will only be aware of a small portion of this inner talk.
So you can appreciate why trying to sell anything – online, via a classified ad, or a letter, wherever – can be nigh on impossible. Until you find a way to stop all that mind chatter. And it’s your opening, or headline, that gets you noticed.
As well as grabbing that all-important attention, a great headline will help pull your readers into the body copy, so compelling them to read the rest of your message.
Here are three top headline formulas that have, over the years, proven to be winners. Try one or all of them in your own advertising and marketing materials, and see your response rates change for the better.
1. The ‘how-to’ headline
Perhaps the most used (and abused) headline of them all. When done well, the ‘how-to’ headline has the ability to dramatically improve the response. I use this type of headline all the time. What you’re selling here is how to achieve a given result. Some examples of ‘how-to’ headlines include:
• “How To Have a Long and Healthy Life”
• “How a Computer Crash Can Be Good For Business”
• “How to Open Your Own Online Shop in Just 15 Minutes”
• “How to Lose the Bloat (Safely) in Just 10 Days”
2. The question headline
Another winning headline formula I use often is the question headline. This can be a very effective way of using headlines, as the question will (or should) appeal to your prospects’ emotions. It’s a good way of engaging your readers, too. When they read a headline written in the form of a question, they’ll usually answer the question in their mind. Examples include:
• “Are You Making These Five Marketing Mistakes?”
• “Want to Stop Spam Once and For All?”
• “Are You Sick and Tired of the Daily 9-5 Routine?”
• “Does Your Partner Do Any of These Embarrassing Things”
3. The testimonial headline
This is a very powerful headline technique IF you have specific and exceptional customer testimonials you can use. Examples include:
• “Everyone Keeps Commenting on How Well I Look – and I Feel Years Younger Already…”
• “My Website Traffic Increased by 315% In 31 Days…”
• “I Made £276 Yesterday Alone Using Your Marketing System! I Didn’t Think This Was Possible – Especially As I’m No Marketing Expert Myself.”
• ”Tom Jones’s Consulting Is Magic – My Sales Have Increased by 25% Over the Past Two Months!”
Tip: To appear credible, always include your clients’ full names and their websites or the cities they live in. Oh, and be sure to get permission first!
Your headlines literally have the power of making or breaking your marketing efforts. So, take your time and test the different formulas above to see which works best for you. By testing and refining, you should hopefully see your sales grow considerably.
(C) 2007 T Dooley, All Rights Reserved
Article first published in the August 2007 of CfS –– a free newsletter aimed at helping entrepreneurs, solo professionals and small businesses:
gain more customers
secure more sales
increase website hits
and generally be more successful in today’s fierce marketplace.
Want to use this article on your own blog, or website, message board or in an ezine? Not a problem! But please give credit where it’s due. You MUST include the following:
Tracey Dooley of MediaMinister (www.mediaminister.co.uk) is an experienced copywriter, editor and marketer. She has spent 14 years crafting compelling concepts and copy that successfully sell, inform, educate or entertain. =====>Get a FREE business-building audio CD by signing up for her freebie business-building tips, marketing and publicity pointers: www.mediaminister.co.uk.
***Would you like some help in developing or polishing your headlines? I would be glad to help or act as a facilitator for you and your team… Just let me know.
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