Some People Write Headlines. Others Write GREAT Headlines. Which one are you?
Some People Write Headlines. Others Write GREAT Headlines. Which one are you?
The Difference Between Good and Great Headlines.
On the average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money.
~ David Ogilvy, World famous advertising executive and best-selling author.
Imagine staring at your conversion rates and seeing a 100% boost after hanging only 2 lines of copy.
Is this possible? You bet!
Read this post and you’ll be a lot closer to making this dream a reality.
Writing a great headline is absolutely critical to attracting customers to your product, regardless of whether the headline is on a blog post, landing page, or sales letter.
Here are some tried and true secrets to make sure your headlines achieve greater results.
Study Your Customers
First, study your customers. Ask yourself 3 questions:
1. What do they care about?
2. What is the biggest problem they face
3. How can you help them solve it
You should invest considerable time thinking about who exactly you are trying to reach. Trying to reach everyone is futile.. and the quickest route to bland copy. Use these three questions as a guide to narrow down and create a profile of your target audience. Be specific as possible. This will guide you in crafting a headline (and the following body copy) that best resonates with their world-view. From this point forward, always refer back to this profile and ask if you are designing or writing with this person in mind.
Learn From Other People
Unless you are a seasoned veteran, NEVER try to be a maverick and come up with headlines all on your own. Study your competitors and consult the winning formulas. This is what all great headline writers do. You should too.
You aren’t the only one trying to optimize your headlines, so be conscious of what others are doing. Check what the newspapers and magazines are using as you walk through the train station. Awesome headlines are literally all around you. And remember, these headline formulas are repeated over and over because THEY WORK. Don’t feel bad about using something that get results.
Use this headline list to get you started: http://www.abraham.com/articles/100_Greatest_Headlines_Ever_Written.html
Write for People, not Search Engines
Remember, while search engine optimization is important, it is ultimately PEOPLE who will read your post, buy your product, or sign-up for your offer. Thus, don’t focus all your efforts on writing your headline just for a search engine (especially if it is for a landing page or advertisement) – write it for PEOPLE. You have only a few seconds before they’ll be tempted to hit the “back” button, so make sure your headline sucks them in!
Use this list to help you write your headlines for people:
1. Show that you will benefit the reader in some way.
If your headline doesn’t convey a benefit to the reader, they will see no point in continuing. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written amazing copy. If you don’t show them how your offer is useful, they’ll never get to that copy you spent hours writing.
2. Compel them to act NOW.
Many people will often set offers aside, to be considered later. You know what? “Later” never comes. If you don’t instill urgency NOW, kiss the lead good bye.
3. Show how you are different from everyone else.
Consumers are looking for unique offers. If you aren’t differentiated in some way, it is likely someone else has a similar offer at a better price. If price is your unique offer, state that.
4. Be direct and specific.
Generic headlines will kill you. Use specific information to get straight to the point and attract their attention.
“Based on hundreds of tests conducted, a good headline can be as much as 17 times more effective than a so-so headline. And this is with exactly the same body copy!”
~ Ted Nicholas (Master direct marketer)
Now you have several secrets to writing great headlines. It is the single most important piece of your copy, so dedicate appropriate resources to it! Of any single element, veteran copy writers always dedicate their greatest effort to the headline and first few sentences or sub headings because they know how much impact it has. Remember, this is the difference between average results and million-dollar results.
For additional resources, check out AdWords System Exposed v9 for creating killer headlines for AdWords (and dominating AdWords in general) or our Chain Reaction Marketing book for building a complete, wildly successful internet marketing campaign.
Some People Write Headlines Others Write GREAT Headlines Which one are you - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Reining's Website.
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Master the Secrets to Achieving Headline Greatness.
The Difference Between Good and Great Headlines.
On the average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90% of your money.
~ David Ogilvy, World famous advertising executive and best-selling author.
Imagine staring at your conversion rates and seeing a 100% boost after hanging only 2 lines of copy.
Is this possible? You bet!
Read this post and you’ll be a lot closer to making this dream a reality.
Writing a great headline is absolutely critical to attracting customers to your product, regardless of whether the headline is on a blog post, landing page, or sales letter.
Here are some tried and true secrets to make sure your headlines achieve greater results.
Study Your Customers
First, study your customers. Ask yourself 3 questions:
1. What do they care about?
2. What is the biggest problem they face
3. How can you help them solve it
You should invest considerable time thinking about who exactly you are trying to reach. Trying to reach everyone is futile.. and the quickest route to bland copy. Use these three questions as a guide to narrow down and create a profile of your target audience. Be specific as possible. This will guide you in crafting a headline (and the following body copy) that best resonates with their world-view. From this point forward, always refer back to this profile and ask if you are designing or writing with this person in mind.
Learn From Other People
Unless you are a seasoned veteran, NEVER try to be a maverick and come up with headlines all on your own. Study your competitors and consult the winning formulas. This is what all great headline writers do. You should too.
You aren’t the only one trying to optimize your headlines, so be conscious of what others are doing. Check what the newspapers and magazines are using as you walk through the train station. Awesome headlines are literally all around you. And remember, these headline formulas are repeated over and over because THEY WORK. Don’t feel bad about using something that get results.
Use this headline list to get you started: http://www.abraham.com/articles/100_Greatest_Headlines_Ever_Written.html
Write for People, not Search Engines
Remember, while search engine optimization is important, it is ultimately PEOPLE who will read your post, buy your product, or sign-up for your offer. Thus, don’t focus all your efforts on writing your headline just for a search engine (especially if it is for a landing page or advertisement) – write it for PEOPLE. You have only a few seconds before they’ll be tempted to hit the “back” button, so make sure your headline sucks them in!
Use this list to help you write your headlines for people:
1. Show that you will benefit the reader in some way.
If your headline doesn’t convey a benefit to the reader, they will see no point in continuing. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written amazing copy. If you don’t show them how your offer is useful, they’ll never get to that copy you spent hours writing.
2. Compel them to act NOW.
Many people will often set offers aside, to be considered later. You know what? “Later” never comes. If you don’t instill urgency NOW, kiss the lead good bye.
3. Show how you are different from everyone else.
Consumers are looking for unique offers. If you aren’t differentiated in some way, it is likely someone else has a similar offer at a better price. If price is your unique offer, state that.
4. Be direct and specific.
Generic headlines will kill you. Use specific information to get straight to the point and attract their attention.
“Based on hundreds of tests conducted, a good headline can be as much as 17 times more effective than a so-so headline. And this is with exactly the same body copy!”
~ Ted Nicholas (Master direct marketer)
Now you have several secrets to writing great headlines. It is the single most important piece of your copy, so dedicate appropriate resources to it! Of any single element, veteran copy writers always dedicate their greatest effort to the headline and first few sentences or sub headings because they know how much impact it has. Remember, this is the difference between average results and million-dollar results.
For additional resources, check out AdWords System Exposed v9 for creating killer headlines for AdWords (and dominating AdWords in general) or our Chain Reaction Marketing book for building a complete, wildly successful internet marketing campaign.
Some People Write Headlines Others Write GREAT Headlines Which one are you - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Reining's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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