The truth is, they're not going to
see your ad unless you can immediately reach out and grab their attention;
entice them to read all of what you have to say.
Your headline has to make it more
difficult for your prospect to ignore or pass over, than to stop and read your
ad. If you don't capture the attention of your reader with your headline,
anything beyond is useless effort and wasted money.
Successful advertising headlines-
are written as promises, either implied or direct.
The former promises to show you how
to save money, make money, or attain a desired goal. The latter is a warning
against something undesirable.
Example of a Promise: Are You Ready
To Become A Millionaire -In Just 18 Months?
Example of a Warning: Do You Make
These Mistakes In English?
In both of these examples, I've
posed a question as the headline. Headlines that ask a question seem to attract
the reader's attention almost as surely as a moth is drawn to a flame.
Once she's seen the question, she
just can't seem to keep himself from reading into the rest of the ad to find
out the answer.
Remember, however, that your first
250 words are going to make or break whether they read on- and usually a lot
less than that!
The best headline questions are
those that challenge the reader; that involve her self esteem, and do not allow
her to dismiss your question with a simple yes or no.
You'll be the envy of your friends
is another kind of "reader appeal" to incorporate into your headline
whenever appropriate.
The appeal has to do with basic
psychology: everyone wants to be well thought of, and consequently, will read
into the body of your ad to find out how she can gain the respect and accolades
of her friends.
Wherever and whenever possible, use colloquialisms
or words that are not usually found in advertisements. The idea is to shock or
shake the reader out of his reverie and cause him to take notice of your ad.
Most of the headlines you see day in
and day out, have certain sameness with just the words rearranged.
The reader may see these headlines
with his eyes, but his brain fails to focus on any of them because there's
nothing different or out of the ordinary to arrest his attention.
Example of Colloquialism: Do You
Experience Severe Brain Farts?
Another attention-grabber kind of
headline is the comparative priced magazine headline: Three For Only $3,
Regularly $3 Each!
Still another of the tried and
proven kind of headlines is the specific question: Do You Suffer From These
Symptoms??? And of course, if you offer a strong guarantee, you should
say so in your headline: Your Money Refunded, If You Don't Make $100,00 Your
First Year.
How To headlines have a very strong basic appeal, but in some
instances, they're better used as book titles than advertising
headlines.
Who Else Wants In On The Finer
Things -which your product or service presumably offers- is another approach
with a very strong reader appeal. The psychology here is the need of everyone
to belong to a group (read herd mentality)- complete with status and
prestige motivations.
Whenever, and as often as you can
naturally work it in, you should use the word "you" (and its
derivatives) in your headline, and throughout your copy.
After all, your ad should be
directed to "one" person, and the person reading your ad wants to
feel that you're talking to her personally, not everyone who lives on her
street.
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