How to Write Advertising Headlines
The main purpose of a headline
is very simple. You want to grab the attention of your ideal
prospect so they ll read the next sentence in your advertising copy.
Easy to do. Right?
Well... not so fast.
It s possible. That s
the good news. But you have to do your homework first. There are books
written on how to write a great headline. If I said you'll find everything
you need to know in this article my nose would grow like Pinocchio s.
But I can help you get started in the right direction.
A headline should have the
full attention of your prospect in 5 seconds or less. If it doesn't
the rest of your copy probably won t get read.
Many copywriters think the
headline is the MOST important part of the copy because it s read 5-8 times
more than your body copy (on average). In short, your headline must
get the job done. This is where the homework comes in.
I m assuming you ve already
done the homework for your product or service. You know it inside
and out. You ve listed all its many benefits in exhaustive detail.
Great!
Now you focus on researching
your customer. Advertising legend Denny Hatch says it best,
To write a great ad you have to get inside your customer s head.
You have to become familiar
with your customer s interests, desires, and problems. You have to
know your customer's mindset. How do you do this? Research
tactics might include any or all of the following...
1) Talk to people in your target
audience.
Talk to any friends who are
similar to your ideal prospect.
Call potential prospects on
the phone. Simply tell them you re doing market research and ask for their
input and advice about your product.
Make notes - - especially when
you hear the same things mentioned over and over again by prospects.
2) Read what they read.
Newspapers and magazines.
Trade journals for the industry
(etc).
3) Read other advertising literature
directed at your prospect. Read any controls you can get your hands
on for related product(s).
This includes collecting competitors'
marketing promotions, direct mail or other advertising. Study them.
Pay careful attention to promotions that are mailed over and over again.
Those are sure winners. They'll give you insight into the emotional
appeals and messages that are currently working.
4) Read what your prospect
has written or spoken.
Read testimonials sent in by
your prospects. (Maybe your sales letter headline could be geared
towards the thing customers liked the best?)
5) Read any of your prospect
s complaint letters. What bugged them about the product? What
didn t they like about the company? Did they suggest how to make
things better?
6) Research your prospect on
the web.
Take notes. Write it
all down.
Okay, now the fun part.
Write down who your ideal prospect
actually is in 2-4 sentences. Be concise. Be specific.
You'll be merging your product with this person.
Picture them in your mind.
Their sex. Their age. Their job. Their work environment.
Their home life. The age of their children (if any). Your sales
letter headline is going to be written to this one person.
Let s say you re a software
developer who has put together a complete home-business package that makes
it easy to write medical reports for doctors. Since doctors frequently
outsource this work it makes a great small business opportunity.
You think your research has uncovered the ideal prospect. Now you
write down exactly who this person is...
My prospect is a busy
stay-at-home mom taking care of small children. She s left her full-time
job to take care of her family while the children are small. She has lots
of business and computer skills gained from her previous work experience.
Next...
Write down in 2-4 sentences
what your prospect really WANTS.
She wants to make a steady
$200-$300 a week to increase the family s income. She wants to work from
home, but only 10-20 hours a week. She doesn t want her children s needs
to suffer while she works at home.
Now, put this information to
work for you.
Use your headline to speak
to the most important burning desire within your prospect as it relates
to your product or service. Try to match what she most desires with
what you have to offer her. There are different tactics for achieving
this (we ll look at a few in a moment). But, as a general practice,
your headline should convey your strongest benefit.
Now, what's the best way to
do this? Copywriters have strong opinions over the best way to achieve
this. But there does seem to be a little consensus on certain things
about headlines.
A headline might do any
of the following:
a) Convey the most important
benefit to your ideal prospect. Use clear, simple, and direct language.
Don t be cute. Be specific. Avoid generalities.
Don't say, "This marketing
system will help you increase your profits..." Instead say, "This Marketing
System is Guaranteed to Increase your Profits by at least 43% over the
next 6 months..."
Here s an example of a sales
letter headline targeting the stay-at-home mom...
Here's a Quick Way for a Stay-At-Home
Mother to Earn $312 Dollars a Week Part-Time at Home Without Sacrificing
Family-Time
Here s another benefit-oriented
headline...
Eliminate Pain after
Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical
Researchers
Select your target customer
by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...
A Proven Way for Miami
Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month
b) Use the headline to arouse
curiosity.
The One Type of Stock
You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months
c) Deliver a promise in your
headline.
Lose 12 pounds Over the
next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food
d) State the prospect s problem
in direct language and suggest you ve got the solution.
Warning: Cancer Patients
Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist
Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life
e) Start Your ad by telling
an out-of-the-ordinary story. Learn How this Golfer with Constant
Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New
Type of Club.
f) If your product and its
average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline
might be a simple and direct offer.
All Movado Watches 66%
off Now until this coming Saturday
The most important thing to
remember about creating your headline is to start with your prospective
customer.
What is it she or he really
wants?
The following are some common
(and effective) types of headlines used in copywriting:
How to ...
How To (Accomplishment) In
(Time Frame)
How To Turn (Problem) Into
(Benefit)
How To Get (Goal) From (Something
Common)
How To Improve Your...
How To Start...
How To Have...
How To Make (Someone) Do (Something
Great)
How To Get Free (Product/Program)
How You Can (Action) In The
Next (Time Frame)
How (Unexpected (Event) Changed
My (Situation)
How I (Accomplishment) In (Time
Frame)
How I (Accomplishment) By (The
Unexpected)
How I Improved My (Problem)
An Easy Way to
A Proven Way to ...
Introducing ...
A Quick and Easy way to ...
Why you should ...
Announcing ...
If ... Then ...
(Problem) -- How To Fix It
A testimonial can sometimes
make a great sales letter headline. Especially if it conveys your
product's biggest benefit. When used in this way it can be powerful...
"We use the 305 Dawson Water
Pump every day for plant operations and it always works without a hitch."
A few last thoughts ...
Never use a sales letter
headline to trick your prospect. It should ALWAYS be related
to your product or service in a way that meaningfully ties in with your
copy. If you use tricks to get attention your prospect may start
reading your copy, but as soon as they discover they've been tricked the
sale is dead.
Your sales letter headline
doesn t have to be cute, hype-y or outrageous to get attention. After
outlining all your product s benefits find the one your prospect wants
the most and you ll be on your way.
Author-Bio: Joe Farinaccio
helps businesses and entrepreneurs make money using direct response advertising.
Discover how to effectively sell products or service using direct marketing
by visiting his website ... http://www.sales-letters-and-marketing.com
Advertising How-To Resources:
|
