Total Followers 132,503
Bob Stone, one of the best known copywriters once said, “Your first 15 words count more than the 15,000 words that follow!”
A great headline is similar to the trailer before the movie. It whets the appetite and gives the reader a taste of what is to come. The purpose of a headline is to compel the reader to continue on to the next step (read your copy).
Ever glance over at the magazines strategically placed in front of you while you are waiting to check out at the supermarket? The first thing you will notice is the headline. Cosmopolitan, Star and many other worldwide magazines use headlines on their covers to lure consumers to buy their issues.
As internet marketers, your blog post and article headlines can either bore, turn away or compel your readers to read more. A great headline can draw more attention to your business and cause more people to share your content as well.
Beware:
Avoid following a headline with poor copy that does not substantiate your claim. If you promise to share the benefits of weight loss with the readers as stated in your headline, you must list your amazing weight loss benefits in the copy. A great headline is nothing without stellar content to follow.
Also, if you do not understand why a certain headline works, you may be at risk of writing a poor headline. Marketers use formulas and headline templates to craft their headlines and they can be useful, but only if they are written effectively. If you understand why headlines work, you will become better at writing them.
Let’s take a look at six examples of effective headlines and why they capture your attention. Though some of them are dated, they will still give you an idea of the power that can accompany a great headline.
The headline below was written by Maxwell Sackheim over 80 years ago, yet it is still being touted as one of the best headline examples to this day:
Why is this headline so effective?
Here are some other thought-provoking question headlines:
Everyone wants to improve their lives in some way which is why this type of headline works so well:
The “How to” statement should be written based on the needs or wants of your audience. Additionally, it must also focus on the fulfillment of that need. The book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” was and is still incredibly successful. The book title lures people in because it solves a basic need for many.
When crafting a “how to” headline, be careful not to list the task or process…make sure the benefit is highlighted.
For example, take a look at these 2 headlines:
Both headlines are basically referring to some type of supersonic cleaning method that will get the job done in less than 30 minutes. However the first example focuses on the cleaning ,which is the task. Headlines should not remind readers of the things they hate, but outline the benefits of purchasing the product. The second headline puts the reader in a happy state and speaks more to how they can improve their lives and make their lives easier.
Think about motivation when writing your “how to” headlines.
Some other great how to headlines?
Take a look at this headline:
This headline is an example of a direct statement. It isn’t clever or humorous. It gets straight to the point without hesitation. This headline works well for companies that are interested in stating a strong benefit or showcasing a discount.
The direct statement headline is powerful because it compels the writer to refrain from injecting any wordplay that could make the headline go south. It is clear and concise and there isn’t room for conjecture.
Here are some more direct statement headline examples:
This headline emphasizes a BIG benefit and eases fears with the money back guarantee:
Ed Sale scored big with this headline. It accompanied his advertisement for his 66 page secret guitar playing system. His headline showcased his top-selling point and the copy followed suit.
Stating benefits in headlines is not a new concept; however, how you do it will determine its effectiveness. For these headlines, take your top benefit, the one that will get people to notice. Discover your main selling point and use that as a headline.
Examples:
The command headline is a more aggressive type of statement. Take a look at this headline:
This headline is a command that gives the reader exact instructions. It is direct and dictates a specific action without any fluff or lingo. It tells your customers what to do and encourages an action by offering a benefit.
You can also start a command headline with a verb like in these examples:
The main point of the command headline is that people need to be told what to do. This is why you add “call to action” buttons and statements on your websites and sales letters. Make sure your headline fits the environment so it can be as effective as possible.
Here are some other command headline examples:
This headline could be categorized as a thought-provoking question as well, but because it is used so prevalently, it deserves its own category.
This “who else” headline is often overused in the internet marketing arena, but it can still be effective for many other businesses. By stating “Who else”, the headline implies that others are already desirous of the result which begs the reader to want to know more.
The psychology of human nature looks to others to direct our actions and to give us motivation. If we believe others desire something, we will feel safer to open our minds to it. “If he did it, then I can do it too!”
Examples of “who else” headlines:
When writing headlines, try some of these examples and see how they land. They can give you some ideas and help you while you are learning the art of great headline writing.
Note: Not all headlines work for every type of copy. Some of these headlines may be too “spammy” for an email message yet they may work well for a sales letter. It’s important to match your headline not only to your audience but also to the medium in which you are writing.
Get The Only Freelancer crash course you will ever need to read!
Jenna Scaglione is a writer, internet marketer, and a lover of family, friends and life. Jenna enjoys learning, growing and discovering the newest and latest trends on the internet. Known as "Lady Content", she lives in sunny Socal where she helps her clients around the world increase brand awareness on the internet through content writing and social media.
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 19:25
I like to read this great article
Friday, September 30th, 2011 09:28
really inspired idea for an article. I was looking for such a subject because I want to create a headline (header message for my website). I hope to put in practice these ideas and create an appealing headline for my visitors :)
thanks for sharing!
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 07:12
The strings of words from old magazine ads are like the incantations of wizards. You know these headlines and phrases were tested call-to-action spells because advertisers paid over and over again to have them put into print. Copywriting is a kind of magic that casts a spell on the human psyche, no matter how many years may pass.
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 12:23
Great article. Headline writing is a bit of an art form. I wouldn’t say I was the greatest at it, but aim to get better. I think including benefits in the headline is more important nowadays due to the sheer amount of content out there, people want to know what they will get out of the post before wasting their time reading it if they think it’s not going to benefit them.
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 00:19
GREAT list of tips Jenna!
I try and write all my posts this way. I’ll sit and write tentative post titles following the examples above. Once I have my list of post titles, I work on drafting outlines for my posts and then full on write them out. When I get stuck over what to write about next, referencing that list always helps.
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 15:06
Great post! I’ve never seen anyone address this topic before but it’s so important, now if you can just convince the clients to use them! So few ever want to deviate from “normal”.
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 17:50
Keeping headlines concise and to the point is important. Also, avoid using “number lists” as almost all blogs are infamous for nowadays, including this post. A number adds no value to the page content whatsoever. Consider a better headline for this article: Secret Techniques for Writing Great Headlines. It is much more concise, has the same SEO value and doesn’t limit itself by say there are only 6 techniques. There could be 50 techniques in the article. That provides some mystery and will inspire more people to click on the read more link to read the entire article.
Get The Only Freelancer crash course you will ever need!
If not, then it's time to learn how to:
You can trust 1stWebDesigner to help you become a better web designer!
- Jacob Cass | Just Creative
Just enter your name and email below and click Get Updates!
Tim
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 17:50
Keeping headlines concise and to the point is important. Also, avoid using “number lists” as almost all blogs are infamous for nowadays, including this post. A number adds no value to the page content whatsoever. Consider a better headline for this article: Secret Techniques for Writing Great Headlines. It is much more concise, has the same SEO value and doesn’t limit itself by say there are only 6 techniques. There could be 50 techniques in the article. That provides some mystery and will inspire more people to click on the read more link to read the entire article.
Ricardo Bueno
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 00:19
GREAT list of tips Jenna!
I try and write all my posts this way. I’ll sit and write tentative post titles following the examples above. Once I have my list of post titles, I work on drafting outlines for my posts and then full on write them out. When I get stuck over what to write about next, referencing that list always helps.
Kersitn
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 15:06
Great post! I’ve never seen anyone address this topic before but it’s so important, now if you can just convince the clients to use them! So few ever want to deviate from “normal”.
Tom
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 12:23
Great article. Headline writing is a bit of an art form. I wouldn’t say I was the greatest at it, but aim to get better. I think including benefits in the headline is more important nowadays due to the sheer amount of content out there, people want to know what they will get out of the post before wasting their time reading it if they think it’s not going to benefit them.
Arnold
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 07:12
The strings of words from old magazine ads are like the incantations of wizards. You know these headlines and phrases were tested call-to-action spells because advertisers paid over and over again to have them put into print. Copywriting is a kind of magic that casts a spell on the human psyche, no matter how many years may pass.
Jon
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 19:29
Really helpful! Thanks
Tosu
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 19:25
I like to read this great article
Pat
Friday, September 30th, 2011 09:28
really inspired idea for an article. I was looking for such a subject because I want to create a headline (header message for my website). I hope to put in practice these ideas and create an appealing headline for my visitors :)
thanks for sharing!