9 Proven Headline Formulas
That Sell Like Crazy
by Dean Rieck
You can write a headline in an infinite number of ways. However, certain types of headlines have proven themselves repeatedly for many years. By following the “formula” of these headlines, you can give yourself an edge when you are serious about persuading someone to read and respond to your copy.
The following 9 headline formulas are some of the easiest to write and the most powerful. When it comes time to write a headline, try one of these first. At the very least, this can give you a creative jumping off point to write a headline that works.
1. Say it simply and directly.
The direct headline should be used far more often than it is. No cleverness. No jokes. No wordplay. The direct headline gets right to the point. It works particularly well with strong offers, recognized brand names, and product or service types with which the reader is familiar.
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2. State the big benefit.
One of the first techniques you should always explore is transforming your major benefit into a headline. After all, your number one selling point should be up front. It stands the best chance of selecting the right audience and preparing them to respond. Plus, if they read nothing else, they have at least seen the best selling point you have to offer. If you have trouble writing this kind of headline, it’s a sure sign you need to think a bit more about your product or service.
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3. Announce exciting news.
People read newspapers and magazines because they love news. It’s just basic human nature. We’re curious. We not only want to know, we need to know. Casting your headline in a way that suggests news, rather than advertising, can have the same powerful appeal of a feature story in the morning paper. An important note: the product or service doesn’t necessarily have to be newly created to qualify as news. It merely has to be news to your reader.
At Last, American Scientists Have Created the Perfect Alternative to a Mined Diamond!
Introducing the newest idea in cross-training. From NordicTrack.
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4. Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.
The how-to headline appeals to the need most of us have to improve ourselves or our lives in some way. The secret here is to focus on a need or want and promise to fulfill that need or want. Be careful, though. The how-to must highlight the benefit or final result, not the process itself. Look at this example:
How to make money working from home with your PC.
Suppose instead it read, “How to start a full-time computer business in your home.” This misses the point, doesn’t it? It sounds like a lot of work. It says nothing about the real motivator, which is using a computer you already own to make money easily. To write a how-to headline, begin with the words “How to” or “How” then immediately fill in the benefit.
How to stop smoking in 30 days … or your money back.
How You Can Profit From the 3 Greatest Service Businesses of the Decade!
How to do Central America on $17 a day.
5. Pose a provocative question.
Asking a question directly involves your reader. However, your question cannot be random or clever. It must relate directly and clearly to the major benefit of the product. It must also prod the reader to answer “yes” or at least “I’m not sure, but I want to know more.”
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6. Bark a command.
Sales copy often falls flat because it fails to tell the reader what to do. This headline type allows you to be direct, provide a benefit, and take a commanding posture simultaneously. It’s not conversational, it’s dictatorial — but in an acceptable way that readers have come to expect in clear writing.
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7. Offer useful information.
Let me clue you in on a little secret. Most people don’t want information. I know you’ve always been taught otherwise, but it’s true. People are drowning in facts. What people really want is a sense of order and predictability in their lives. We want to feel a sense of power over our world. Therefore, we seek out the secrets, tips, hints, laws, rules, and systems that promise to help us gain control and make sense of things. Notice how these headlines promise information that does just this.
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8. Relay an honest, enthusiastic testimonial.
A testimonial headline can do two things for you. First, it presents your reader with a third party endorsement of your product or service. Second, it capitalizes on the fact that people like to know what other people say.
“Quite simply, the finest design software ever released.”
“This diet program worked for me. It can work for you, too!”
“It’s the first book on personal finance that really made sense to me.”
A variation of this strategy is to write a headline in the first person and put quotation marks around it. This “virtual testimonial” gives you a more interesting headline and improves readership.
9. Authenticate your proposition with a little something extra.
People distrust sales copy. And for good reason. A lot of it proves inaccurate or downright dishonest. To cut through this distrust, you can add a little something extra to your headline that seems out of place, yet rings true. Look at the following headlines and notice how the words “Ohio man,” “Obsolete,” and “Frustrated bartender” stand out. Their specificity or quirkiness adds a truthful aura that traditional copy could never achieve.
Ohio man has 21-year tested formula to create multimillion dollar business from scratch, without bank loans, venture capitalists or selling stock.
Small Company’s New Golf Ball Flies Too Far; Could Obsolete Many Golf Courses.
Frustrated bartender develops incredible device to clean and disinfect your entire home…
There are many, many other ways to write a headline. Whatever strategy you choose, don’t make a decision too quickly. Take time to brainstorm. Write dozens or even hundreds of headlines. You never know exactly what you want to say before you say it, so giving yourself plenty of choices is the surest way to arrive at the best, most powerful headline.
About the Author: Dean Rieck is a leading direct marketing copywriter. For more copywriting and selling tips, sign up for Dean’s free direct response newsletter http://www.directcreative.com/newsletter.html or visit the Direct Creative Blog http://www.directcreative.com/blog/
Friday, September 25, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Establishing Trust – How to Build Relationships and Make Them Work for you
“You don’t have to like your banker, you just have to trust him”. I read this quote of Honore Balzac in an article on the web and thought it would be perfect to start an article on trust. Trust is the key to building relationships even today. Balzac, a French writer, was born in 1799. Some things don’t change!
Watching Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG, Citibank and Bank of America, it is hard to trust banks and the financial industry as a whole today. And that feeling of distrust pervades the business environment today and affects the relationships you are trying to build when you network.
The dictionary defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something”. In his book, "Endless Referrals", Bob Berg says that people do business with people they “know, like and trust.”
So if the people you network with are not sure about trusting you, what can you do to earn their trust?
Establishing trust is at the heart of relationship building and that is what networking is all about. Here are three important steps to help you build trusting relationships.
The first step in building the relationship is to listen to the other person.. It is imperative that you clearly understanding his/her needs. As simple as this sounds, it is often difficult for people to be quiet long enough for the other person to say what he/she has to say.
The second step in building a positive relationship with someone is to adjust your communication style to that person’s style. People tend to trust people who are more like themselves so it is important to adapt your style to theirs.
If you are speaking with someone who is very goal oriented and competitive the person won’t waste time with small talk. He/she will want to get straight to business. People with this style are in a hurry and won’t like it if you slow them down. Networking with them will be very different than networking with someone who is a people person and loves to talk.
Finally it is most important that you deliver on your promises. Once you are clear on the person’s needs and make a promise to deliver something, be sure to fulfill that commitment on time every time. Follow the lead of Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks who says in his book "Pour Your Heart Into It": “Every step of the way, I made a point to under promise and over deliver. In the long run, that’s the only way to ensure security in any job.”
In the current environment gaining the trust of people can be more difficult. In spite of the current cynicism you can still build your network through steady consistent networking and adhering to these three steps: listen carefully, notice and adjust to the other person’s communication style and deliver on your promises.
Author's Bio
Alvah Parker is a Practice Advisor (The Attorneys’ Coach) and a Career Changers’ Coach as well as publisher of Parker’s Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Subscribe now to these free monthly publications at her website asparker.com/samples.html and receive a values assessment as a gift. This assessment will identify your top 4 values. Working from your values makes the work more meaningful and fulfilling.
Watching Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG, Citibank and Bank of America, it is hard to trust banks and the financial industry as a whole today. And that feeling of distrust pervades the business environment today and affects the relationships you are trying to build when you network.
The dictionary defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something”. In his book, "Endless Referrals", Bob Berg says that people do business with people they “know, like and trust.”
So if the people you network with are not sure about trusting you, what can you do to earn their trust?
Establishing trust is at the heart of relationship building and that is what networking is all about. Here are three important steps to help you build trusting relationships.
The first step in building the relationship is to listen to the other person.. It is imperative that you clearly understanding his/her needs. As simple as this sounds, it is often difficult for people to be quiet long enough for the other person to say what he/she has to say.
The second step in building a positive relationship with someone is to adjust your communication style to that person’s style. People tend to trust people who are more like themselves so it is important to adapt your style to theirs.
If you are speaking with someone who is very goal oriented and competitive the person won’t waste time with small talk. He/she will want to get straight to business. People with this style are in a hurry and won’t like it if you slow them down. Networking with them will be very different than networking with someone who is a people person and loves to talk.
Finally it is most important that you deliver on your promises. Once you are clear on the person’s needs and make a promise to deliver something, be sure to fulfill that commitment on time every time. Follow the lead of Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks who says in his book "Pour Your Heart Into It": “Every step of the way, I made a point to under promise and over deliver. In the long run, that’s the only way to ensure security in any job.”
In the current environment gaining the trust of people can be more difficult. In spite of the current cynicism you can still build your network through steady consistent networking and adhering to these three steps: listen carefully, notice and adjust to the other person’s communication style and deliver on your promises.
Author's Bio
Alvah Parker is a Practice Advisor (The Attorneys’ Coach) and a Career Changers’ Coach as well as publisher of Parker’s Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Subscribe now to these free monthly publications at her website asparker.com/samples.html and receive a values assessment as a gift. This assessment will identify your top 4 values. Working from your values makes the work more meaningful and fulfilling.
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