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Atricle Dump - How to Write Advertising Headlines
Trade show swag usually includes a few pads of Post-Its, maybe a coffee mug and a hundred pens. When you choose novelty plastic pens for your promotions, you can stand out in the sea of pens and pencils. If you choose properly, the trade show attendees will be using your pen long after they’ve culled the plain stick pens and used up the computer-shaped sticky notes.Carabiner Pens Moms and involved dads will tell you that looking for a pen to write down directions or phone numbers on the road or at the park can be a hassle - because finding a pen in the diaper bag or picnic sack can be next to impossible. Carabiner plastic pens offer a fat writing stick at one end and a convenient carabiner clip at the other. Clip it on the strap of a bag or purse. Clipped to a key ring it’s easy to find on the road or commuter train.Carabiner plastic pens take just two weeks to produce after the artwork is approved. Don’t expect to use these carabiner plastic pens as the rock climbing safety devices they were originally created for, at least not for
Here’s another benefit-oriented headline...
“Eliminate Pain after Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical Researchers”
Select your target customer by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...
“A Proven Way for Miami Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month”
b) Use the headline to arouse curiosity.
“The One Type of Stock You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months”
c) Deliver a promise in your headline.
“Lose 12 pounds Over the next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food”
d) State the prospect’s problem in direct language and suggest you’ve got the solution.
“Warning: Cancer Patients Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life”
e) Start Your ad by telling an out-of-the-ordinary story. “Learn How this Golfer with Constant Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New Type of Club.”
f) If your product and its average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline might be a simple
Business cards are a very good way of advertising a business that you are just getting off the ground or for an old established business. It is a very inexpensive way of advertising and the cards can be designed and made on a home computer and printed at home or in the office.The success of these cards depends on the way they are distributed. It must be an ongoing commitment. Never leave home without your cards so that at any time you want one, you will be able to produce it. See every passer by as a potential customer and hand your cards out with diligence.You must adopt the habit of always leaving a card behind wherever you have been. Leave it in a conspicuous place where it will be found by someone who is curious enough to pick it up and read it. You could leave a couple in a restroom. This is always a good place as there are people continually coming in and going out. Some one is very likely to pick one up and take it with them. Every time you go into a store leave a card on the counter or at the cash out desk. There will b
Easy to do. Right?
Well... not so fast.
It’s possible. That’s the good news. But you have to do your homework first. There are books written on how to write a great headline. If I said you'll find everything you need to know in this article my nose would grow like Pinocchio’s. But I can help you get started in the right direction.
A headline should have the full attention of your prospect in 5 seconds or less. If it doesn't the rest of your copy probably won’t get read.
Many copywriters think the headline is the MOST important part of the copy because it’s read 5-8 times more than your body copy (on average). In short, your headline must get the job done. This is where the homework comes in.
I’m assuming you’ve already done the homework for your product or service. You know it inside and out. You’ve listed all its many benefits in exhaustive detail.
Great!
Now you focus on researching your customer. Advertising legend Denny Hatch says it best, “To write a great ad you have to get inside your customer’s head.”
You have to become familiar with your customer’s interests, desires, and problems. You have to know your customer's mindset. How do you do this? Research tactics might include any or all of the following...
1) Talk to people in your target audience.
Talk to any friends who are similar to your ideal prospect.
Call potential prospects on the phone. Simply tell them you’re doing market research and ask for their input and advice about your product.
Make notes - - especially when you hear the same things mentioned over and over again by prospects.
2) Read what they read.
Newspapers and magazines.
Trade journals for the industry (etc).
3) Read other advertising literature directed at your prospect. Read any controls you can get your hands on for related product(s).
This includes collecting competitors' marketing promotions, direct mail or other advertising. Study them. Pay careful attention to promotions that are mailed over and over again. Those are sure winners. They'll give you insight into the emotional appeals and messages that are currently working.
4) Read what your prospect has written or spoken.
Read testimonials sent in by your prospects. (Maybe your sales letter headline could be geared towards the thing customers liked the best?)
5) Read any of your prospect’s complaint letters. What bugged them about the product? What didn’t they like about the company? Did they suggest how to make things better?
6) Research your prospect on the web.
Take notes. Write it all down.
Okay, now the fun part.
Write down who your ideal prospect actually is in 2-4 sentences. Be concise. Be specific. You'll be merging your product with this person.
Picture them in your mind. Their sex. Their age. Their job. Their work environment. Their home life. The age of their children (if any). Your sales letter headline is going to be written to this one person.
Let’s say you’re a software developer who has put together a complete home-business package that makes it easy to write medical reports for doctors. Since doctors frequently outsource this work it makes a great small business opportunity. You think your research has uncovered the ideal prospect. Now you write down exactly who this person is...
“My prospect is a busy stay-at-home mom taking care of small children. She’s left her full-time job to take care of her family while the children are small. She has lots of business and computer skills gained from her previous work experience.”
Next...
Write down in 2-4 sentences what your prospect really WANTS.
“She wants to make a steady $200-$300 a week to increase the family’s income. She wants to work from home, but only 10-20 hours a week. She doesn’t want her children’s needs to suffer while she works at home.”
Now, put this information to work for you.
Use your headline to speak to the most important burning desire within your prospect as it relates to your product or service. Try to match what she most desires with what you have to offer her. There are different tactics for achieving this (we’ll look at a few in a moment). But, as a general practice, your headline should convey your strongest benefit.
Now, what's the best way to do this? Copywriters have strong opinions over the best way to achieve this. But there does seem to be a little consensus on certain things about headlines.
A headline might do any of the following:
a) Convey the most important benefit to your ideal prospect. Use clear, simple, and direct language. Don’t be cute. Be specific. Avoid generalities.
Don't say, "This marketing system will help you increase your profits..." Instead say, "This Marketing System is Guaranteed to Increase your Profits by at least 43% over the next 6 months..."
Here’s an example of a sales letter headline targeting the stay-at-home mom...
“Here's a Quick Way for a Stay-At-Home Mother to Earn $312 Dollars a Week Part-Time at Home Without Sacrificing Family-Time”
Here’s another benefit-oriented headline...
“Eliminate Pain after Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical Researchers”
Select your target customer by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...
“A Proven Way for Miami Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month”
b) Use the headline to arouse curiosity.
“The One Type of Stock You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months”
c) Deliver a promise in your headline.
“Lose 12 pounds Over the next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food”
d) State the prospect’s problem in direct language and suggest you’ve got the solution.
“Warning: Cancer Patients Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life”
e) Start Your ad by telling an out-of-the-ordinary story. “Learn How this Golfer with Constant Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New Type of Club.”
f) If your product and its average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline might be a simple
Achieving your marketing targets is the most important objective for any organization. More important is the path that you choose to achieve these objectives. Getting the right message to the customers is not that difficult…on the contrary, it is unbelievable how simply the right message can be sent.An effective way to send across your marketing message is promotional items. Consider sending a nicely designed pen with a personal marketing message, or a t-shirt, or even a decorative promotional mug. I myself have visited a number of my clients where on their tables I have seen beautifully designed mugs, kept on the desks. I remember a particular mug that I have seen in one of my clients desks. I even remember asking my client about the organization that presented it to him. After all, your marketing endeavor is how you put yourself across to your clients and for how long.There is no point sending very professional emails and letters which you manage to make your client read. In fact, it will be foolish to think that your client will keep
1) Talk to people in your target audience.
Talk to any friends who are similar to your ideal prospect.
Call potential prospects on the phone. Simply tell them you’re doing market research and ask for their input and advice about your product.
Make notes - - especially when you hear the same things mentioned over and over again by prospects.
2) Read what they read.
Newspapers and magazines.
Trade journals for the industry (etc).
3) Read other advertising literature directed at your prospect. Read any controls you can get your hands on for related product(s).
This includes collecting competitors' marketing promotions, direct mail or other advertising. Study them. Pay careful attention to promotions that are mailed over and over again. Those are sure winners. They'll give you insight into the emotional appeals and messages that are currently working.
4) Read what your prospect has written or spoken.
Read testimonials sent in by your prospects. (Maybe your sales letter headline could be geared towards the thing customers liked the best?)
5) Read any of your prospect’s complaint letters. What bugged them about the product? What didn’t they like about the company? Did they suggest how to make things better?
6) Research your prospect on the web.
Take notes. Write it all down.
Okay, now the fun part.
Write down who your ideal prospect actually is in 2-4 sentences. Be concise. Be specific. You'll be merging your product with this person.
Picture them in your mind. Their sex. Their age. Their job. Their work environment. Their home life. The age of their children (if any). Your sales letter headline is going to be written to this one person.
Let’s say you’re a software developer who has put together a complete home-business package that makes it easy to write medical reports for doctors. Since doctors frequently outsource this work it makes a great small business opportunity. You think your research has uncovered the ideal prospect. Now you write down exactly who this person is...
“My prospect is a busy stay-at-home mom taking care of small children. She’s left her full-time job to take care of her family while the children are small. She has lots of business and computer skills gained from her previous work experience.”
Next...
Write down in 2-4 sentences what your prospect really WANTS.
“She wants to make a steady $200-$300 a week to increase the family’s income. She wants to work from home, but only 10-20 hours a week. She doesn’t want her children’s needs to suffer while she works at home.”
Now, put this information to work for you.
Use your headline to speak to the most important burning desire within your prospect as it relates to your product or service. Try to match what she most desires with what you have to offer her. There are different tactics for achieving this (we’ll look at a few in a moment). But, as a general practice, your headline should convey your strongest benefit.
Now, what's the best way to do this? Copywriters have strong opinions over the best way to achieve this. But there does seem to be a little consensus on certain things about headlines.
A headline might do any of the following:
a) Convey the most important benefit to your ideal prospect. Use clear, simple, and direct language. Don’t be cute. Be specific. Avoid generalities.
Don't say, "This marketing system will help you increase your profits..." Instead say, "This Marketing System is Guaranteed to Increase your Profits by at least 43% over the next 6 months..."
Here’s an example of a sales letter headline targeting the stay-at-home mom...
“Here's a Quick Way for a Stay-At-Home Mother to Earn $312 Dollars a Week Part-Time at Home Without Sacrificing Family-Time”
Here’s another benefit-oriented headline...
“Eliminate Pain after Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical Researchers”
Select your target customer by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...
“A Proven Way for Miami Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month”
b) Use the headline to arouse curiosity.
“The One Type of Stock You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months”
c) Deliver a promise in your headline.
“Lose 12 pounds Over the next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food”
d) State the prospect’s problem in direct language and suggest you’ve got the solution.
“Warning: Cancer Patients Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life”
e) Start Your ad by telling an out-of-the-ordinary story. “Learn How this Golfer with Constant Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New Type of Club.”
f) If your product and its average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline might be a simple
Envelopes are used to dispatch various contents ranging from letters, cards, forms, magazines, reimbursements, papers, books, coins, CD's, and other things. Thus there is a need for envelopes in various sizes to suit diverse needs.The Insert in the envelope should be a bit smaller than the envelope size for easy insertion and removal.Envelope sizes are available in some industry standard specifications. They are broadly defined as A-style, booklet, and catalog, baronial and square. In all these categories, there are different sizes available. For example A-style has A-1, A-2, A-4, A-6, A-7, A-8, A-long and A-10 sizes. And A-4 type has further sub-sizes, like DL, Monarch, Policy, #7, #9, #12 etc. A-style envelopes are generally used for business and correspondence. The booklet style is considered appropriate for annual reports, brochures, marketing material etc. The catalog type is a durable envelope because of its central seam. Even heavyweight stuff could be sent in these envelopes. The square shape is unique but is considered non-stan
6) Research your prospect on the web.
Take notes. Write it all down.
Okay, now the fun part.
Write down who your ideal prospect actually is in 2-4 sentences. Be concise. Be specific. You'll be merging your product with this person.
Picture them in your mind. Their sex. Their age. Their job. Their work environment. Their home life. The age of their children (if any). Your sales letter headline is going to be written to this one person.
Let’s say you’re a software developer who has put together a complete home-business package that makes it easy to write medical reports for doctors. Since doctors frequently outsource this work it makes a great small business opportunity. You think your research has uncovered the ideal prospect. Now you write down exactly who this person is...
“My prospect is a busy stay-at-home mom taking care of small children. She’s left her full-time job to take care of her family while the children are small. She has lots of business and computer skills gained from her previous work experience.”
Next...
Write down in 2-4 sentences what your prospect really WANTS.
“She wants to make a steady $200-$300 a week to increase the family’s income. She wants to work from home, but only 10-20 hours a week. She doesn’t want her children’s needs to suffer while she works at home.”
Now, put this information to work for you.
Use your headline to speak to the most important burning desire within your prospect as it relates to your product or service. Try to match what she most desires with what you have to offer her. There are different tactics for achieving this (we’ll look at a few in a moment). But, as a general practice, your headline should convey your strongest benefit.
Now, what's the best way to do this? Copywriters have strong opinions over the best way to achieve this. But there does seem to be a little consensus on certain things about headlines.
A headline might do any of the following:
a) Convey the most important benefit to your ideal prospect. Use clear, simple, and direct language. Don’t be cute. Be specific. Avoid generalities.
Don't say, "This marketing system will help you increase your profits..." Instead say, "This Marketing System is Guaranteed to Increase your Profits by at least 43% over the next 6 months..."
Here’s an example of a sales letter headline targeting the stay-at-home mom...
“Here's a Quick Way for a Stay-At-Home Mother to Earn $312 Dollars a Week Part-Time at Home Without Sacrificing Family-Time”
Here’s another benefit-oriented headline...
“Eliminate Pain after Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical Researchers”
Select your target customer by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...
“A Proven Way for Miami Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month”
b) Use the headline to arouse curiosity.
“The One Type of Stock You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months”
c) Deliver a promise in your headline.
“Lose 12 pounds Over the next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food”
d) State the prospect’s problem in direct language and suggest you’ve got the solution.
“Warning: Cancer Patients Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life”
e) Start Your ad by telling an out-of-the-ordinary story. “Learn How this Golfer with Constant Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New Type of Club.”
f) If your product and its average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline might be a simple
Envelope manufacturing is a widely established fraternity. Since envelopes are in great demand all over the world, there are many companies in the business. Each one of them strives to produce the best, most useful, and most creative envelopes for attracting customers great and small.A good envelope manufacturer should have the capacity and capabilities to meet the growing need. The main raw material is paper supplied by paper mills supplemented by plastic for special envelopes. The main investment is in printing, cutting and folding equipment. Production, customer support and sales teams do their part in handling orders.Some envelope manufacturers offer to produce envelopes of particular sizes only, while others offer a limited variety based on their machinery capabilities.An envelope manufacturer needs to take into account size, windowing option, folding or seaming positions, flap styles and sealing methods. Some offer customized printing for bulk orders, while others invest in inserting equipment to offer additional service to
Now, put this information to work for you.
Use your headline to speak to the most important burning desire within your prospect as it relates to your product or service. Try to match what she most desires with what you have to offer her. There are different tactics for achieving this (we’ll look at a few in a moment). But, as a general practice, your headline should convey your strongest benefit.
Now, what's the best way to do this? Copywriters have strong opinions over the best way to achieve this. But there does seem to be a little consensus on certain things about headlines.
A headline might do any of the following:
a) Convey the most important benefit to your ideal prospect. Use clear, simple, and direct language. Don’t be cute. Be specific. Avoid generalities.
Don't say, "This marketing system will help you increase your profits..." Instead say, "This Marketing System is Guaranteed to Increase your Profits by at least 43% over the next 6 months..."
Here’s an example of a sales letter headline targeting the stay-at-home mom...
“Here's a Quick Way for a Stay-At-Home Mother to Earn $312 Dollars a Week Part-Time at Home Without Sacrificing Family-Time”
Here’s another benefit-oriented headline...
“Eliminate Pain after Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical Researchers”
Select your target customer by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...
“A Proven Way for Miami Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month”
b) Use the headline to arouse curiosity.
“The One Type of Stock You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months”
c) Deliver a promise in your headline.
“Lose 12 pounds Over the next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food”
d) State the prospect’s problem in direct language and suggest you’ve got the solution.
“Warning: Cancer Patients Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life”
e) Start Your ad by telling an out-of-the-ordinary story. “Learn How this Golfer with Constant Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New Type of Club.”
f) If your product and its average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline might be a simple
Companies that traditionally wholesale their goods to commercial markets are finding a niche in retail sales, selling their wares to individuals over the Internet. Sales of goods ranging from designer jewelry to gourmet coffees are perfect for the Internet. Items that might not be able to support a brick and mortar store, with its need for regular hours, an ever-present sales staff, and lots of inventory, can easily be operated as a sideline by a wholesaler. Software that creates a retail website with online credit and debit card capability is easily accessible and not that expensive; predesigned templates make it easy to give the website a unique and professional look.One jewelry wholesaler lives in rural New Hampshire and wholesales her jewelry to customers all over the Eastern Seaboard. She recently decided to start a website retailing selected pieces of her jewelry to individual customers via the Internet, and is pleased with the results. "I find that I am enjoying the creative process," she said. "It's fun to see what pieces will really se
Here’s another benefit-oriented headline...
“Eliminate Pain after Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical Researchers”
Select your target customer by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...
“A Proven Way for Miami Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month”
b) Use the headline to arouse curiosity.
“The One Type of Stock You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months”
c) Deliver a promise in your headline.
“Lose 12 pounds Over the next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food”
d) State the prospect’s problem in direct language and suggest you’ve got the solution.
“Warning: Cancer Patients Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life”
e) Start Your ad by telling an out-of-the-ordinary story. “Learn How this Golfer with Constant Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New Type of Club.”
f) If your product and its average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline might be a simple and direct offer.
“All Movado Watches 66% off Now until this coming Saturday”
The most important thing to remember about creating your headline is to start with your prospective customer.
What is it she or he really wants?
The following are some common (and effective) types of headlines used in copywriting:
How to ...
How To (Accomplishment) In (Time Frame)
How To Turn (Problem) Into (Benefit)
How To Get (Goal) From (Something Common)
How To Improve Your...
How To Start...
How To Have...
How To Make (Someone) Do (Something Great)
How To Get Free (Product/Program)
How You Can (Action) In The Next (Time Frame)
How (Unexpected (Event) Changed My (Situation)
How I (Accomplishment) In (Time Frame)
How I (Accomplishment) By (The Unexpected)
How I Improved My (Problem)
An Easy Way to …
A Proven Way to ...
Introducing ...
A Quick and Easy way to ...
Why you should ...
Announcing ...
If ... Then ...
(Problem) -- How To Fix It
A testimonial can sometimes make a great sales letter headline. Especially if it conveys your product's biggest benefit. When used in this way it can be powerful...
"We use the 305 Dawson Water Pump every day for plant operations and it always works without a hitch."
A few last thoughts ...
Never use a sales letter headline to trick your prospect. It should ALWAYS be related to your product or service in a way that meaningfully ties in with your copy. If you use tricks to get attention your prospect may start reading your copy, but as soon as they discover they've been tricked the sale is dead.
Your sales letter headline doesn’t have to be cute, hype-y or outrageous to get attention. After outlining all your product’s benefits find the one your prospect wants the most and you’ll be on your way.
Copyright 2006 Joseph Farinaccio
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