Headlines

Start with this overall link: http://www.copyblogger.com/magnetic-headlines/

How to Write a Killer “How To” Article That Gets Attention http://www.copyblogger.com/how-to-write-a-killer-how-post-that-gets-attention/

I. Double the Benefits, Double the Power

This may be the most famous “how to” headline ever:

How to Win Friends and Influence People

How to Save Time and Get Things Done (Time Management Coach) How to Get a Better Job and Make More Money (Recruiter) How to Save Money and Retire Rich (Financial Planner)

II. How to [Mundane Task] That [Rewarding Benefit]

How to Get a Mortgage That Saves You Money How to Get a Mortgage That Cuts your Monthly Payment in Half How to Get a Mortgage That Gets You in Your Dream Home While Saving You

$937 a Month

III. Leaving Out the “To” Works, Too

Start with “How” but leave out the “to.”

How I Improved My Memory in One Evening How I Made a Fortune With a “Fool Idea” How a New Kind of Clay Improved My Complexion in 30 Minutes How One Easy Tweak Makes Windows Crash Proof

7 Reasons Why List Posts Will Always Work http://www.copyblogger.com/7-reasons-why-list-posts-will-always-work/

Let’s take a quick look at 7 classic “list” headlines

1. Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of High Blood Pressure?

2. 10 Ways to Beat the High Cost of Living

3. Five Familiar Skin Troubles

4. Six Types of Investor — Which Group Are You In?

5. How to Give Your Children Extra Iron — These 3 Delicious Ways

A “how to” headline mixed in with a list — it’s almost not fair. Note that the word “these” plus the number of items, followed by “(adjective) ways,” is an extremely specific and powerful use of 4 simple words.

6. Free Book Tells You 12 Secrets of Better Lawn Care

7. 76 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid You to Answer Our Ad a Few Months Ago

10 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas http://www.copyblogger.com/10-sure-fire-headline-formulas-that-work/

So, you’re seeing too many of those “how to” and list headlines, and want to try a few different angles?

1. Who Else Wants [blank]?

Starting a headline with “Who Else Wants…” is a classic social proof strategy that implies an already existing consensus desire. While overused in the Internet marketing arena, it still works like gangbusters for other subject matter.

Who Else Wants a Great WordPress Theme? Who Else Wants a Higher Paying Job? Who Else Wants More Fun and Less Stress When on Vacation?

2. The Secret of [blank]

This one is used quite a bit, but that’s because it works. Share insider knowledge and translate it into a benefit for the reader.

The Secret of Successful Podcasting The Secret of Protecting Your Assets in Litigation The Secret of Getting Your Home Loan Approved

3. Here is a Method That is Helping [blank] to [blank]

Simply identify your target audience and the benefit you can provide them, and fill in the blanks.

Here is a Method That is Helping Homeowners Save Hundreds on Insurance Here is a Method That is Helping Children Learn to Read Sooner Here is a Method That is Helping Bloggers Write Better Post Titles

4. Little Known Ways to [blank]

A more intriguing (and less common) way of accomplishing the same thing as “The Secret of…” headline.

Little Known Ways to Save on Your Heating Bill Little Known Ways to Hack Google’s Gmail Little Known Ways to Lose Weight Quickly and Safely

5. Get Rid of [problem] Once and For All

A classic formula that identifies either a painful problem or an unfulfilled desire that the reader wants to remedy.

Get Rid of Your Unproductive Work Habits Once and For All Get Rid of That Carpet Stain Once and For All Get Rid of That Lame Mullet Hairdo Once and For All

6. Here’s a Quick Way to [solve a problem]

People love quick and easy when it comes to solving a nagging problem.

Here’s a Quick Way to Get Over a Cold Here’s a Quick Way to Potty Train Junior Here’s a Quick Way to Backup Your Hard Drive

7. Now You Can Have [something desirable] [great circumstance]

The is the classic “have your cake and eat it too” headline — and who doesn’t like that?

Now You Can Quit Your Job and Make Even More Money Now You Can Meet Sexy Singles Online Without Spending a Dime Now You Can Own a Cool Mac and Still Run Windows

8. [Do something] like [world-class example]

Gatorade milked this one fully with the “Be Like Mike” campaign featuring Michael Jordan in the early 1990s.

Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat Party Like Paris Hilton Blog Like an A-Lister

9. Have a [or] Build a [blank] You Can Be Proud Of

Appeal to vanity, dissatisfaction, or shame. Enough said.

Build a Body You Can Be Proud Of Have a Smile You Can Be Proud Of Build a Blog Network You Can Be Proud Of

10. What Everybody Ought to Know About [blank]

Big curiosity draw with this type of headline, and it acts almost as a challenge to the reader to go ahead and see if they are missing something.

What Everybody Ought to Know About ASP What Everybody Ought to Know About Adjustable Rate Mortgages What Everybody Ought to Know About Writing Great Headlines

9 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy http://www.copyblogger.com/proven-headline-formulas/

1. Say it simply and directly.

The direct headline should be used far more often than it is. No cleverness. No jokes. No wordplay. The direct headline gets right to the point. It works particularly well with strong offers, recognized brand names, and product or service types with which the reader is familiar.

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2. State the big benefit.

One of the first techniques you should always explore is transforming your major benefit into a headline. After all, your number one selling point should be up front. It stands the best chance of selecting the right audience and preparing them to respond. Plus, if they read nothing else, they have at least seen the best selling point you have to offer. If you have trouble writing this kind of headline, it’s a sure sign you need to think a bit more about your product or service.

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3. Announce exciting news.

People read newspapers and magazines because they love news. It’s just basic human nature. We’re curious. We not only want to know, we need to know. Casting your headline in a way that suggests news, rather than advertising, can have the same powerful appeal of a feature story in the morning paper. An important note: the product or service doesn’t necessarily have to be newly created to qualify as news. It merely has to be news to your reader.

At Last, American Scientists Have Created the Perfect Alternative to a Mined Diamond! Introducing the newest idea in cross-training. From NordicTrack. Now program your DVR by simply speaking to the revolutionary DVR VOICE programmer.

4. Appeal to the “how-to” instinct.

The how-to headline appeals to the need most of us have to improve ourselves or our lives in some way. The secret here is to focus on a need or want and promise to fulfill that need or want. Be careful, though. The how-to must highlight the benefit or final result, not the process itself. Look at this example:

How to make money working from home with your PC.

Suppose instead it read, “How to start a full-time computer business in your home.” This misses the point, doesn’t it? It sounds like a lot of work. It says nothing about the real motivator, which is using a computer you already own to make money easily. To write a how-to headline, begin with the words “How to” or “How” then immediately fill in the benefit.

How to stop smoking in 30 days … or your money back. How You Can Profit From the 3 Greatest Service Businesses of the Decade! How to do Central America on $17 a day.

5. Pose a provocative question.

Asking a question directly involves your reader. However, your question cannot be random or clever. It must relate directly and clearly to the major benefit of the product. It must also prod the reader to answer “yes” or at least “I’m not sure, but I want to know more.”

Do You Make These Six Common Mistakes On Your Taxes? Gotten a speeding ticket lately? Read this. How do I know which mutual funds may be right for me?

6. Bark a command.

Sales copy often falls flat because it fails to tell the reader what to do. This headline type allows you to be direct, provide a benefit, and take a commanding posture simultaneously. It’s not conversational, it’s dictatorial — but in an acceptable way that readers have come to expect in clear writing.

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7. Offer useful information.

Let me clue you in on a little secret. Most people don’t want information. I know you’ve always been taught otherwise, but it’s true. People are drowning in facts. What people really want is a sense of order and predictability in their lives. We want to feel a sense of power over our world. Therefore, we seek out the secrets, tips, hints, laws, rules, and systems that promise to help us gain control and make sense of things. Notice how these headlines promise information that does just this.

THE 20 MOST IMPORTANT STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO LIVE LONGER. FREE. The best kept secrets in America. Free brochure shows you how to end your money worries for good.

8. Relay an honest, enthusiastic testimonial.

A testimonial headline can do two things for you. First, it presents your reader with a third party endorsement of your product or service. Second, it capitalizes on the fact that people like to know what other people say.

“Quite simply, the finest design software ever released.” “This diet program worked for me. It can work for you, too!” “It’s the first book on personal finance that really made sense to me.”

A variation of this strategy is to write a headline in the first person and put quotation marks around it. This “virtual testimonial” gives you a more interesting headline and improves readership.

9. Authenticate your proposition with a little something extra.

People distrust sales copy. And for good reason. A lot of it proves inaccurate or downright dishonest. To cut through this distrust, you can add a little something extra to your headline that seems out of place, yet rings true. Look at the following headlines and notice how the words “Ohio man,” “Obsolete,” and “Frustrated bartender” stand out. Their specificity or quirkiness adds a truthful aura that traditional copy could never achieve.

Ohio man has 21-year tested formula to create multimillion dollar business from scratch, without bank loans, venture capitalists or selling stock. Small Company’s New Golf Ball Flies Too Far; Could Obsolete Many Golf Courses. Frustrated bartender develops incredible device to clean and disinfect your entire home…

There are many, many other ways to write a headline. Whatever strategy you choose, don’t make a decision too quickly. Take time to brainstorm. Write dozens or even hundreds of headlines. You never know exactly what you want to say before you say it, so giving yourself plenty of choices is the surest way to arrive at the best, most powerful headline.

7 More Sure-Fire Headline Templates That Work http://www.copyblogger.com/headline-swipe-file/

1. Give Me [short time period] and I’ll Give You [blank].

This headline promises a strong benefit to the reader, like all good headlines do. But this one is especially effective because it promises to deliver in a very short time period.

Give Me Five Days – And I’ll Give You the Secret of Learning any Subject! Give Me Three Minutes a Day – and I’ll Give You a Better Complexion. Give Me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make You a Better Blogger.

2. If You Don’t [blank] Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.

We love to belong, but feeling excluded is a real bummer. Whether it be a financial opportunity or the social event of the year, we simply hate it when we get left out.

If You’re Out of the Market Now, You’ll Hate Yourself Later. If You’re Not at SXSW 2007, You’ll Hate Yourself Later. If You Don’t Edit Your .htaccess Now, Google Will Hate You Later.

3. The Lazy [blank’s] Way to [blank].

This headline has always worked well with time-pressured people, and that’s certainly true for most people today. No one likes to think of themselves as lazy, but everyone likes to save time and effort.

The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches. The Lazy Dad’s Way to Quickly Getting Dinner on the Table. The Lazy Blogger’s Way to Write Great Post Titles.

4. Do You Recognize the [number] Early Warning Signs of [blank]?

OK, technically this is still a list, but it’s wrapped up in a much more compelling structure than your typical “Top 10” article. People want to avoid problems, and this headline promises the critical tips before it’s too late.

Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of High Blood Pressure? Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of an Employee Meltdown? Do You Recognize the 7 Early Warning Signs of Digg Addiction?

5. See How Easily You Can [desirable result].

We love quick and easy when it comes to learning something new or gaining some advantage.

See How Easily You Can Learn to Dance This New Way. See How Easily You Can Own a Lamborghini Miura. See How Easily You Can Increase Traffic With Social Media.

6. You Don’t Have to Be [something challenging] to be [desired result].

People almost always have preconceived notions about things, and this can be a barrier to taking action. Remove the barrier that stands between them and the desired result with your headline, and people will flock to read what you have to say.

You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Retire on a Guaranteed Income for Life. You Don’t Have to Be a Geek to Make Money Online. You Don’t Have to Be an A-Lister to Be a Kick-Ass Blogger.

7. Do You Make These Mistakes?

This is always a powerful attention grabber, since no one likes to make mistakes. If you’ve targeted your content well for your intended audience, helping people avoid common mistakes is a sure-fire winner with this type of headline.

Do You Make These Mistakes in English? Do You Make These Ajax Coding Mistakes? Do You Make These Mistakes With Your Blog?

Warning: Use These 5 Headline Formulas at Your Own Risk http://www.copyblogger.com/headline-swipe-file-3/

1. Warning: [blank].

If you’ve read this far, I guess it still works. Starting a headline with the word warning will almost always catch attention, but it’s what you say next that will determine how well it works for your particular content.

Warning: If You Depend on Google for Both Traffic and Advertising, You Pretty Much Work for Google Warning: Two Out of Every Three People in Your Industry Will be Out of Work in 5 Years—Will You Be One of Them? Warning: Do You Recognize These 7 Early Warning Signs of Blogger Burnout?

2. How [blank] Made Me [blank].

Use this structure when relating a personal story. The key to the most effective use of this template is for the two blanks to dramatically contrast, so that the curiosity factor goes way up and people feel compelled to read more.

How a “Fool Stunt” Made Me a Star Salesman How an Obvious Idea Made Me $3.5 Million How Moving to Iowa Improved My Sex Life

3. Are You [blank]?

A nice use of the question headline, designed to catch attention with curiosity or a challenge to the reader. Don’t be afraid to be bold with this one.

Are You Ashamed of Smells in Your House? Are You Ready to Learn Chinese for Your Next Job? Are You a Courageous Blogger?

4. [Blank] Ways to [blank].

One of the best list structures, because it’s really a “how to” headline enhanced by specificity that either impresses the prospective reader with how many tips you’ve got, or at minimum let’s them know exactly what to expect.

101 Ways to Cope With Stress 21 Ways to Live a Better Life With Less 5 Ways to Write Killer Headlines

5. If You’re [blank], You Can [blank].

Another great use of specificity, this headline addresses a particular type of person with the first blank, and the beneficial promise to that person in the content or body copy with the second.

If You’re a Non-Smoker, You Can Save 33% on Life Insurance. If You’re an Accountant, Our Frequent Flyer Program Really Adds Up If You Love Scuba, You Can Dive Belize This Week Only for a Song!

The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines http://www.copyblogger.com/twitter-headlines/

I. How to Write Headlines

Twitter has become the place for sharing content links. If your content catches attention on Twitter and spreads, suddenly you’re getting significant traffic from people who may have never visited your site before.

But don’t forget to share other people’s quality content on Twitter. This helps you build up a Twitter audience that values your editorial judgment, which in turns helps you when you have something of your own to share.

In both cases, what you share on Twitter is not just about the actual value of the content. It’s also about whether the content gets viewed and appreciated in the first place.

Yep… the difference is in the headline. You’ve heard this before, right?

II. Same as it Ever Was… But Worse

Every time I tell people about the 80/20 Rule of Headlines, they seem shocked. Remember that one?

On average, 8 out of 10 people will read a headline, but only 2 out of 10 will go on to read the content. This is in a typical headline environment, such as a newspaper, magazine, or web page.

In an RSS reader or email inbox, the percentages are likely worse. The battle for attention intensifies due to the nature of the environment.

Now, think about a Twitter stream.

People are scanning more ruthlessly than ever, looking for interesting tidbits. Your content link is competing with conversations, quips, and tantalizing revelations related to this morning’s breakfast cereal.

Time to up your headline game. But first, let’s review the foundational elements of solid headline writing.

III. What’s the Reward for Reading?

The first thing to keep in mind is that a headline is a promise. It promises some kind of benefit or reward in exchange for attention. That reward could range from an amusing diversion to the solution to a pressing problem.

A good way to make sure your headlines always offer a compelling reward is to use the 4-U approach. This is a copywriting technique taught by AWAI.

Your headlines must:

Be USEFUL to the reader, Provide him with a sense of URGENCY, Convey the idea that the main benefit is somehow UNIQUE; and Do all of the above in an ULTRA-SPECIFIC way.

For a whole lot of elaboration on this, check out How to Write Magnetic Headlines.

For a shortcut, revisit the various headline categories that should cover any type of content you’re dealing with.

IV. The Triumphant Return of the Short Headline

Some people will tell you that a good Twitter headline is as short as possible. This is due not only to the 140-character limit that Twitter imposes, but also because in order for your headline to spread, people need room to retweet it. Twitter culture dictates that you give credit to the person who originally exposed you to a tweet when you retweet, so extra space is needed for the hat tip.

Too many people, however, focus on “short” and forget about “as possible.” A better way to think about it is as long as necessary, but no longer. Luckily, history provides us with some strong encouragement in the short headline department.

A quick review of The 100 Greatest Advertisements by Julian Lewis Watkins shows that 95% of the most effective headlines from the early years of magazine advertising were eight words or less. This is because magazine copywriters had to write tight headlines due to space concerns, just like Twitter users.

Studies done from the direct mail industry show that about 50% to 60% of the most effective headlines are eight words or less, leaving ample indication that longer headlines work, too. On a webpage, there are no space concerns, so web copywriters found that longer headlines communicated more benefit right at the top of the page where eye-tracking studies show people focus, and therefore worked better.

So, Twitter brings us back full-circle at a time when content is the new advertising. But it’s clear that a well-written short headline has power, especially when in a level-playing-field environment where everyone has the same constraints.

V. Rewrite for Retweets

For the most part, you should write your article and blog post headlines pursuant to the same guidelines given above. There are certain cases where I’ll modify my own content headline for Twitter, but it’s rare.

The real value in headline rewriting comes when tweeting other people’s content. Let’s face it, many people write pretty crappy headlines, even when the content is solid. Doing the editorial work can help you build a loyal Twitter following, because you’re finding content that might otherwise be lost in the noise, and then rewriting the headline to better entice people to pay attention.

This can be easier than it sounds. Too many writers love to use obtuse or clever headlines that fail to do justice to their content.

Simply apply the 4 U approach after reading the content and before you tweet. Over time, this will become second nature to you, and your reputation on Twitter will thrive while you send traffic to people who need to learn what you know.

VI. Valuable Content Rules

It’s clear from observation that people will retweet based on the headline alone, before even clicking through to the content. This is the same phenomenon that we saw first hand with Digg.

But unlike the anonymous free-for-all that is Digg, Twitter is a bit different. Your followers may retweet based on a headline alone, but only because they trust you. Your past performance and editorial judgment in selecting (and producing) quality content is what leads to that trust.

Quality content is still the essential ingredient, but make sure people actually appreciate the content you share. Becoming a better headline writer will make that happen for you.