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Home Articles Copy writing articles 5 How to Tips to Writing Attention Grabbing Headlines
5 How to Tips to Writing Attention Grabbing Headlines PDF Print E-mail
by CelineHoran


Writing attention grabbing headlines time after time, is the ultimate dream of every direct marketer; enjoying huge returns on investment the ultimate goal. Your skill in headline writing will determine whether you make a lot of money or very little. Striving to write the best headlines possible must be your absolute goal, which will lead to untold success, both personal and professional.

Below are some ideas that will help you craft the perfect headline for every direct marketing situation.

The questions you must ask yourself are:

Does your headline drive the prospect to want to buy now - or later?

The most important thing you must achieve in your headline copy - is give the prospect every possible reason to desire your product now, and not later. You could say things like - 'while stocks last' or 'offer ends today' etc., in your headline copy.

Read lots of direct-mail campaigns that come through your door, and especially those that drove you to buy straight away - study their headline copy. You'll learn a huge amount.

Headlines need to sell their products

Assuming that you already know, hand on heart that your product or service is something the public wants, then expressing this in your headline copy should be a piece of cake.

This means that you have to point out the useful aspects of your product immediately. Flash can get attention, but substance will keep it.

Does this product stand out from the rest?

If a headline looks the same as everyone else's, then the product will seem so, too.

It's always important to discover as many unique selling points this product or service has, during research time (if it's not your product). Then if you've done a good job of explaining it's uniqueness in your headline, the reader will have no choice but to continue reading to find out more about it.

Is the headline specific and clear?

Being ambiguous is not an option.

It's vital to be clear, concise and specific throughout your copy but especially in your headline. This is where the prospect gets their first glance at what it is you're offering. So it's vital to tell her, very quickly what she should expect, should she decide to read through the letter.

The masters of headline copy are magazine writers. You only have to visit any newspaper stand or shop to see the row upon row of magazines and newspapers on offer.

Copywriters know their audience very well, and write very compelling copy, in as few a words as possible to ensure their headline are punchy, and compelling.

Just looking at the magazines you browse everyday critically should give you an idea of how you can best tailor your writing to a specific gender, age range, or special interest group.

So how can you tell if your headline is working?

When you put these four key techniques into place, your headline will be pulling double duty. It will first grab the prospect's attention then secondly select her. Because it would've said something meaningful to her but on the flip side, had the opposite effect on someone else.

It's interesting to note; prospects read headers five times as much as they read the whole copy, which means for every dollar the advertiser spends, 80 cents of his advertising dollar is spent on the header.

According to world famous copywriter David Ogilvy, the headline is the most important part of an advertisement.

So based on that logic and compelling evidence, it would stand to reason that you spend 80% of your time crafting that perfect header. It would be time well spent.

That's just how important the headline is.

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