Great Headlines And Why They’re Great
March 28, 2009 by fladlien
Filed under Uncategorized
In a sales letter, your headline is usually the second most important element, behind your offer. In email marketing and article marketing, you’re headline is everything. 4 out of 5 people will read your article based on the headline alone. Mess it up, and you miss 80% of your audience.
I’m going to share with you some different types of headlines I’ve found that do their job – which is to capture attention, and then get the reader to dive into your message.
Headline 1: The Fed Makes It Official – They Are Monetizing Debt
I call this an “anger headline”. What makes it so effective is it brings up an emotional response in you – that other, more powerful people are taking advantage of your precarious position. You want to read on because you’re pissed. Notice this is a NON-BENEFIT orientated headline.
My research has found that for email marketing and article marketing, non-benefit orientated headlines, in general, out pull your typical “hit them over the head with a million benefits” headlines. I don’t know why, but I’d guess it’s because we’ve grown immune to big benefit headlines.
When I run through my mental filing cabinet searching for a headline, one drawer I open up is the “anger headlines”. Is there a way I can tap into a subject that causes an emotional rise out of my reader?
Headline 2: Why It’s Okay For Newspapers To Die
I call this a “challenging conventional wisdom” headline. Most people you hear are talking about how the Internet is going to ruin newspapers, and usually the implication is that this is a bad thing. This headline openly challenges that. You just have to read on to see the rationale behind.
Again, notice this is a NON-BENEFIT orientated headline. One time, in a stroke of brilliance, I came up with this headline: “The 80/20 Rule Sucks”. The same technique. Makes you want to read on to see the rationale behind it, doesn’t it? (you can at http://imtimemanagement.com)
Headline 3: What Is The Most Dangerous Country In the World Today?
I call this a “promise of little known information” headline. You want to read on to find out the answer to that question, so you can casually drop it into your “water cooler” talk. Plus, the implication is that it’s not the countries you think it would be (implicitness is a powerful copywriting tool., but requires you walk a fine line).
Do you have some interesting factoid? Maybe you could twist it into a headline for your next article, email or sales letter.
Headline 4: Man Arrested For Trying To Smuggle Woman In Speaker Box
I call this an “incongruent juxtaposition” headline. Two elements that don’t belong together are somehow tied together. These are your “national enquirer” type headlines, and boy do they work. Your brain is developed to notice unique stimuli in your environment around you. It’s a survival mechanism. It’s also a great way to get attention. And if you do so in a way that really makes them curious as to “why the heck..?”, even better.
For example, I one time wrote an ad that started off with “How A Former Monk Went From $0 to $50,000 In 6 Months With Internet Marketing…” (you can read the story at http://internetmillionairerecipe.com)
Anyway, that’s it for today . The real takeaway is how I have these different types of headlines “filed” in my mind. When I write a headline, it always comes from my master list of 10 different types of headlines. (I’ve given you 4 above). I literally just run through this list (I’ve done it so many times, it’s just a part of me now) and I use the technique – or combination of techniques – that best fit the current situation.
I usually write my headlines in one draft, and in 5 minutes or less.
Have you used any of these headline writing techniques in your business? And what do you think of them? Please leave a comment to this blog post.
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You have a way of making the difficult seem simple. Good job.
Very good advice!
Any chance of a blog on the other 6 headline types?
Jane
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Yes please! I was just about to ask the same question. Absolutely brilliant post Jason – I’m desperate for more….what are the other 6 headline types?
Thanks
Martin
thanks for your insight Jason
Nathaniel Wilson
Jason, I don’t think a headline has to provide a benefit as much as it needs to provoke curiosity or a need to know more about the subject at hand. Offering a benefit really does the same thing, ie how is this author going to give me this benefit; is this author qualified to give me this benefit; does this author know what he’s writing about?
Thanx, Jason! Excellent examples. What I like most about them is how short they are. The 4-line sales letter headline with a 2-line subhead (after a short 3-word lead in the top left corner) still works, but this approach is so much better for email subject lines and blog posts. Also as a surprise element for sales letters b/c ppl have become so accustomed to seeing the long headlines. I would also like to test them as meta titles.
Very good advice!
Any chance of a blog on the other 6 headline types?
Jane
Striving to *capture attention QUICKLY* is useful in so many circumstances — headlines, of course, but also PPC ad creation, html title tags (to “sell the click” if you’re marketing via SEO) and even tweets. It’s an excellent discipline, and I appreciate your insights.
Good stuff Jason. I’ve always fallen into the “benefit” style headlines. However, you provide good insight and I will certainly test these in my ads and ezine articles. Where’s the other six?
Hmmm, I will give it a try. Why not with the present benefit headline I only get about 2 percent who open the email. Thanks for your insight.
Good suggestions Jason.
If they don’t open the email, then you have wasted the stamp. No eyeballs = no sales.
Trying different headline types is definitely a good idea. If the number of opens increases, then you have more ‘eyeballs’ on your offer.
Thanks for those insights Jason – very powerful.
Great work Jason. As always, you make sense. I remember one time a so-called ‘guru’ suggested the idea of using ‘bad news’ as a headline in email marketing. It became so annoying as almost all of his ‘followers’ got to using it in their marketing campaigns – I’d avoid it like a plague! If ever I receive emails with this annoying headine, I’d flick them straight to the bin.
Thanks again Jason. Your work is greatly admired-secretly!
Hey Jason,
Great info.
Would it be possible to get a couple more examples of each technique?
You always keep coming up with information that is new and challenging.
Thanks,
Michael
I enjoyed reading these headline writing tips. None of these examples appear to be selling anything. They look like they will reveal information or tell a story. After I saw “How A Former Monk Went From $0 to $50,000 In 6 Months With Internet Marketing…” I read the salesletter to the end and didn’t hesitate to order.
Headlines are important in email marketing these days. People at least know some background info before going to a sales page but that’s not the case with email. BTW Jason are you still in Texas pls check gmail I have sent an email to you reg. IM Time management.
Ok, you inspired me, I just wrote a new blog post entitled “Green Curry Chicken, Gauher Chaudhry and the Juno Awards”
I’m just getting started Jason and wouldn’t have thought to be provocative in email. I see your point, though. We are competing for attention in a noisy world and probably need a bolder approach to customer acquisition.
I know if I were browsing through my email, I would open on any of those headlines without much thought.
I liked that you mentioned ezine articles as another place for these kinds of “different” headlines. That’s definitely a great idea and I’ll start there (especially since I write a lot more articles than sales letters at the moment and probably in the future too (they’re shorter too of course)).
And for sales letters — you’ve clearly shown that that they’re effective. Getting rid of the snooze factor of “same old same old” can only be beneficial.
Thanks for another great post.
Elisabeth
Thanks, Jason! My brain is now whirring with so many ideas thanks to your blog post. I’ve been focusing too much on benefit-laden headlines. Now it’s time to experiment once again.
Good job, as usual, of finding and using the best of the writing tips.
Thanks Jason and keep up the good work.
As I’m more into offline marketing and sales letters, I have been using the news style headlines. I wonder how well these Non-Benefit headlines would work in that environment.
The Music Tracks that Britney Spears DOESN’T want you to know about.
Is my favorite that I have Used in promotion, lots of clicks to the articles and lots to the links that are in the articles.
Great ideas Jason.
Yes, emphasizing a benefit in the headline is a good way to go and the one everybody hears about. Refreshing to get some other ideas that are clearly effective.
Of course I’m not sure if I’m ready to start emulating National Enquirer “Two Headed Monster” headlines
Thanks for the post. Please keep ‘em coming.
joe
I really like the idea. I have seen this headline style before, and considered it to be effective, but until now I have not used it myself. Thanks Jason, I WILL start tonight.
Great post, I have been very curious about headlines, which pull better.
Intriguing stuff, Jason, thanks.
These are great ideas! I’m bookmarking this page so that I remember.