So what goes into a power-packed headline? Well, here are a few suggestions:
1. Solve a problem - I read a great headline on a web site for custom written poetry
(www.peoplepoems.com). It said, 'We can solve your gift problem in 1 day for just
$15.00'. Wow! If I were in the market for a gift, and didn't know what to buy, I would
definitely read the copy that followed that headline. It offered to solve my problem and
that caught my attention.
2. Use a statistic - The Customer Service page of my web site (www.ktamarketing.com)
states, 'It costs 30 to 40 times more to gain a new customer than keep an existing one.'
I know as a small business owner that statistic really hits home. Every small business
owner is looking to save money in every area possible. Most are very interested to read
what needs to be done to keep their existing customers.
3. State a quote - Did someone famous say something that applies to your advertising?
Can you put a new twist on an old saying? Use it! A weight loss center might try
something like, 'If it's not over 'til the fat lady sings then this is going to take awhile!'
4. Ask a question - Perhaps our same weight loss center might ask, 'What does it take to
lose 20 pounds by summer?' One word of caution with asking questions… never ask a
question that can be answered with, 'No'. For example, our weight loss center would not
want to ask, 'Do you know how to lose 20 pounds by summer?' The reader might very
well answer, 'No' and skip the ad. If they knew how, they wouldn't be reading your ad!
5. Create a mystery - A consumer's watchdog group once began an ad with 'Who's
responsible for this!?' That would definitely make me want to find out what the heck was
going on.
Above all, make your headline applicable to your target audience. Just as the question, 'Do you
know how to lose 20 pounds by summer' doesn't apply because it can be answered with no, it
also alienates the target group.