Writing attention grabbing headlines time after time, is the ultimate dream of every direct marketer; enjoying huge returns on investment the ultimate goal. Your skill in headline writing will determine whether you make a lot of money or very little. Striving to write the best headlines possible must be your absolute goal, which will lead to untold success, both personal and professional.
Below are some ideas that will help you craft the perfect headline for every direct marketing situation.
The questions you must ask yourself are:
Headlines need to be exciting
The most important thing you must achieve in your headline copy - is give the prospect every possible reason to desire your product now, and not later. You could say things like - 'while stocks last' or 'offer ends today' etc., in your headline copy.
In order to make the product seem like it's got a ticking clock on it, find out what makes it special and fresh. If you bring up these points right away, your readers will be less inclined to put down your presentation for later.
Is the product or service valuable to them?
Assuming that you already know, hand on heart that your product or service is something the public wants, then expressing this in your headline copy should be a piece of cake.
But do check to make sure that you've described the product or service in such a way that it sounds so useful, and so interesting that the prospect will want to keep on reading to find out more about it.
Does this product stand out from the rest?
This is where your headline should outline the uniqueness of the product or service.
It's always important to discover as many unique selling points this product or service has, during research time (if it's not your product). Then if you've done a good job of explaining it's uniqueness in your headline, the reader will have no choice but to continue reading to find out more about it.
Is the headline specific and clear?
Being ambiguous is not an option.
It's vital to be clear, concise and specific throughout your copy but especially in your headline. This is where the prospect gets their first glance at what it is you're offering. So it's vital to tell her, very quickly what she should expect, should she decide to read through the letter.
The masters of headline copy are magazine writers. You only have to visit any newspaper stand or shop to see the row upon row of magazines and newspapers on offer.
As soon as you look at the few lines on the cover, you're curious about what's inside. This is because magazines speak directly to their readers, and they know their space limits. Their headlines have to be very good and very short, or no one will even glance inside.
When you next buy a magazine, ask yourself why did you pick that particular magazine instead of the other. Was it anything to do with the copy perhaps?
Is my headline doing it's job?
Simply use the above as a checklist. Headlines that meet those criteria will choose readers, repelling those who would never be interested to begin with.
It's interesting to note; prospects read headers five times as much as they read the whole copy, which means for every dollar the advertiser spends, 80 cents of his advertising dollar is spent on the header.
According to world famous copywriter David Ogilvy, the headline is the most important part of an advertisement.
So based on that logic and compelling evidence, it would stand to reason that you spend 80% of your time crafting that perfect header. It would be time well spent.
That's just how important the headline is.
Below are some ideas that will help you craft the perfect headline for every direct marketing situation.
The questions you must ask yourself are:
Headlines need to be exciting
The most important thing you must achieve in your headline copy - is give the prospect every possible reason to desire your product now, and not later. You could say things like - 'while stocks last' or 'offer ends today' etc., in your headline copy.
In order to make the product seem like it's got a ticking clock on it, find out what makes it special and fresh. If you bring up these points right away, your readers will be less inclined to put down your presentation for later.
Is the product or service valuable to them?
Assuming that you already know, hand on heart that your product or service is something the public wants, then expressing this in your headline copy should be a piece of cake.
But do check to make sure that you've described the product or service in such a way that it sounds so useful, and so interesting that the prospect will want to keep on reading to find out more about it.
Does this product stand out from the rest?
This is where your headline should outline the uniqueness of the product or service.
It's always important to discover as many unique selling points this product or service has, during research time (if it's not your product). Then if you've done a good job of explaining it's uniqueness in your headline, the reader will have no choice but to continue reading to find out more about it.
Is the headline specific and clear?
Being ambiguous is not an option.
It's vital to be clear, concise and specific throughout your copy but especially in your headline. This is where the prospect gets their first glance at what it is you're offering. So it's vital to tell her, very quickly what she should expect, should she decide to read through the letter.
The masters of headline copy are magazine writers. You only have to visit any newspaper stand or shop to see the row upon row of magazines and newspapers on offer.
As soon as you look at the few lines on the cover, you're curious about what's inside. This is because magazines speak directly to their readers, and they know their space limits. Their headlines have to be very good and very short, or no one will even glance inside.
When you next buy a magazine, ask yourself why did you pick that particular magazine instead of the other. Was it anything to do with the copy perhaps?
Is my headline doing it's job?
Simply use the above as a checklist. Headlines that meet those criteria will choose readers, repelling those who would never be interested to begin with.
It's interesting to note; prospects read headers five times as much as they read the whole copy, which means for every dollar the advertiser spends, 80 cents of his advertising dollar is spent on the header.
According to world famous copywriter David Ogilvy, the headline is the most important part of an advertisement.
So based on that logic and compelling evidence, it would stand to reason that you spend 80% of your time crafting that perfect header. It would be time well spent.
That's just how important the headline is.
About the Author:
About the Author: Ready for the babyboom crisis? Then get Celine Horan's FREE Impact Report NOW! Celine Horan is a niche marketing strategist, sales catalyst and industry expert who offers high level marketing advice coupled with ROI boosting, agency level copywriting services to the career development, recruitment, LCMS and e-learning industry.
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