A lot of people overlook the importance of their headline for their sales letter as well as for their other writings. Keep in mind that more people will read your headline as will read your content which ought to tell you just how important your headline is. If you don't have a good headline, those readers are gone.
Think about what you do when you read a magazine or browse on line. What catches your eye? What makes you go from the headline to the first paragraph? What makes you click on to the next message, the next page because you're not interested in this one?
A great headline is one that attracts your attention. It needs to be pointed to your target market so that it's appropriate for you, your service or your product. You almost pre-qualify somebody that way by saying if you're not in my target market, click on to the next.
A great headline shows benefits. It almost summarizes what you're going to read so people don't waste their time if they're not interested. It also is the most visually prominent piece of your sales letter copy or for that matter any copy.
There are many different types of questions. Some ask questions, some give testimonials, some have huge shock value to get your attention. Here's a sample of a headline that asks a question: Do you make these 10 top mistakes in your blog?
I like headlines that start with "how to" do something. You see a bunch of them that read like this: How to make millions of dollars…..
Headlines should also be written in the present tense. I think you have a better chance connecting with the reader when you write in the present tense rather than the future or the past tense.
A good place to check out great headlines is the magazines on the rack at the grocery store check out lines or at your local bookstore. Look for the verbs that are used. You can leave out the subject matter in the middle and apply those headlines to your topics.
When you find a great headline, use it. If you're willing to share that headline, let us know about it too. Scroll down to Comments and type that headline in the blank window.
More on copywriting from my posts this week. I'm on a roll!
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