Search
Related Links

 

 

Informative Articles

10 Tips for Better Writing
As a proofreader of business writing, I see many of the same errors made again and again. Errors in your writing (be they in advertising copy, correspondence, or a web site) are more serious, I believe, than most people realize. Why? Well, the...
11 Tender Writing Sins ... Part One
Put simply, producing a winning tender is all about being able to sell your company face to face and on paper. It's about addressing the needs your prospect wants fulfilled, and proving how you fulfil those needs in the most result-oriented way. ...
15 Key Questions About Writing Your Own Tips Booklet
Everyone has something they want the world to know about and a tips booklet is a great way to do that. More than 500,000 copies in three languages of a tips booklet called '110 Ideas for Organizing Your Business Life' have been sold, all without...
Ad Copywriting: Building Brand Equity one Word at a Time
Ah…advertisements, those wonderfully adorable little vignettes that come to us at all hours of the day, seven days a week, fifty two weeks a year. Seventy percent of them are ineffective. Probably more than that actually. And a lot of them can...
Sowing the Seeds of Opportunity: How to Multiply Your Freelance (Writing) Work
You can turn your $200 fee to write a press release into $2,000 to carry out an entire PR campaign simply by convincing clients to invest in campaigns, instead of individual assignments. Campaigns achieve better results and cost less in the...
 
3 Tips For Writing Better Headlines

Copyright © 2005 by Bruce Carlson

The single most important element of your website's copy
is the headline. Take away practically everything else
and you can still manage a sale (if the headline's good enough
and you have a strong enough call to action). But take away the
headline and your chances for any success are about zero.

Why is this?

Simply put, your headline is the magnet for your copy. It's
the “door” through which people enter your world of persuasion.
Make it appealing enough and theyll step through the door. Fail
to make it appealing and they'll walk on by.

If you want to pull in customers, you need to be able to write
good headlines. And in order to write good headlines, you need to
understand a few fundamental principles of the craft. Here are
3 quick tips for writing better headlines for your website. Take
these to heart and you'll find writing headlines a lot less painful.

1. Understand the true purpose of a headline

First off, you need to have a clear understanding of what your
headline is doing there. From all the confusion I see on websites,
it's safe to say that many people don't understand the purpose
of having a headline up there in the first place.

So what is the purpose of a headline?

Your headline's basic purpose is to get the reader interested enough
to continue reading.

Not to make the sale. Not to be clever or artistic. Not to offer
a riddle for them to solve.

It's just to get them into your copy so they'll read the next thing after
your headline!

Think of your headline as the first step in a journey. Taking a journey is
a pretty major thing. People don't do it lightly. They have to genuinely
believe they'll get something worthwhile out of reading your copy before
they'll take the plunge.

Readers come in all shapes and sizes, since they're people plain and simple,
after all. But in general, readers of your copy have certain basic characteristics.
A big one for your website copy's purposes is the “skimmer” mentality.

Most people are “skimmers”. I'm sure you skim a lot yourself. I know I do
regularly. Very few of us are willing to sit down and read every word in
every ad or newspaper story or magazine article just for the fun of it. So
we glance at the headline quickly and decide in a split second whether or
not we're going to continue reading. If it's compelling enough and clear
enough, we'll read more.

Assume that every person who comes to your website will only skim your headline.
Even if your reader is the most perfect prospect you could possibly find for your
product or service, they'll most likely still skim read your headline.

So you need to work out specific strategies and tactics for getting these skimmers'
attention.

2. Get their attention and target a strong emotion

There are three standard ways to get attention with your headline. These have been
proven by copywriters for many decades now.

In their order of effectiveness they are:

1. Go after your prospect's self-interest
2. Offer your prospect news
3. Try to arouse your prospect's curiosity

Appealing to your prospect's self-interest is the most effective single method
you can use to get their attention. Offer the reader something they want and can
get from you -- a direct benefit. Here are two simple, generic examples of
self-interest direct benefit headlines:

Add Another $1,000 A Month To Your


Income

Want To Impress And Delight Your Friends And Family?

When appealing to your reader's self-interest, you must target a strong emotion. The
first example above targets people's desire for more money. Most regular folks would
certainly like to have another thousand dollars a month coming in. The second
example targets people's sense of pride. Practically everybody wants to feel more
important and look good in the eyes of their friends and family.

Your product or service has a strong emotional appeal built into it (if you haven't
found it yet you'll need to do so right away). And there may even be more than one emotion
involved. If so, then use the one which is the strongest and most positive for your
headline.

Fear is an example of a negative emotion. Sure, you can sell using fear in a headline,
but it's a dicey way to do business and can backfire on you. You could alienate your
reader. Better to bring the fear angle in later in your copy in a “quieter” way, if you
have to use it.

I once fell for a product because of a fear-mongering headline and fear-laden copy. And
to this day I hold a grudge against that marketer. He'll never get any of my business
again.

Remember to keep your target market's wants and desires in the front of your mind at
all times. Find specific problems they have and need solutions for and use that
knowledge to make your headline more targeted.

3. Combine methods and/or bring in your product or service to be even more specific

If you can combine two or even all three of these attention-getting methods in your
headline, then so much the better. Using our headline examples from above, we could
combine them like this:

Amazing New Report Reveals Simple Method For Adding $1,000 A Month To
Your Income

Famous Conjurer's New Book Shows How You Can Easily Learn Memory Tricks
That Will Impress And Delight Your Friends

These two headlines bring in news and even a bit of curiosity. And they're much more
specific and targeted because they refer to the actual product being offered. That's a
good thing.

But you don't need to combine attention-getting methods to make your headline more
specific. By just adding your product or service you'll do a lot. Going back to our
original headline examples, we can use only the self-interest angle (which, remember,
is the most effective attention-getting method) and still make things much more specific.

Like this:

Add Another $1,000 A Month To Your Income With My Proven Trading Service

Impress And Delight Your Friends With These Simple Memory Tricks Anybody Can
Learn

With your own product or service it should be fairly easy to follow this same
route and craft a workable headline. But spend some time on it. The great copywriter
Ted Nicholas says he spends 90% of his copywriting time on the headline. And you
should do the same!

Remember, a decent headline not only grabs your reader, it also makes your job
easier when writing the rest of your copy. The copy will flow smoothly out of that
good headline, because the “table has been set”, so to speak.

So go to it and write that good headline. You'll be amazed at the difference
it makes for you.

About the Author

Veteran educator and freelance writer Bruce Carlson would like to help you improve your online copywriting. Sign up for his highly informative Dynamic Copywriter newsletter at:
http://www.dynamic-copywriting.com

 

Writing.Com: Writers, Writing, Poetry, Creative Writing, Fiction ...
An online community dedicated to fostering writing skills. With a free membership anyone may read, write, rate, and review works.
www.writing.com
 
Welcome to Writing-World.com!
Writing articles and resources. Tips about how to become a better writer, get published and find writing markets. From Moira Allen.
www.writing-world.com
 
Guide to Grammar and Writing
The Guide to Grammar and Writing contains scores of digital handouts on grammar and English usage, over 170 computer-graded quizzes, recommendations on ...
grammar.ccc.commnet.edu
 
Purdue University's Online Writing Lab - The OWL Family of Sites
Writing lab and resources. Email newsletter available.
owl.english.purdue.edu
 
OWL at Purdue University: General Writing Concerns Handouts
This page contains important links to the writing: planning/writing/revising aspects of the OWL website.
owl.english.purdue.edu
 
Writing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The original Mesopotamian writing system was initially derived from a system of ... If it is deemed to be a written language, writing in China will predate ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Writing.org - Advice for Freelance Writers
Articles to help you launch a freelance writing career, from a former literary agent and PLAYBOY editor.
www.writing.org
 
Writing HTML
More than just an HTML reference, this is a structured approach for learning how to create web pages, designed by specialists in learning at the Maricopa ...
www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu
 
National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month
NaNoWriMo is an annual (November) novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world.
www.nanowrimo.org
 
Poynter Online
Apply by Dec. 11 Reporting and Writing the Untold Stories Apply by Dec. 11 ... Reporting & Writing for Multi-Platform Newsrooms. Apply by Jan. 10 ...
www.poynter.org
 
Pages tagged with "writing" on del.icio.us
This short online course provides a practical introduction to writing fiction. During the course you will be expected to write two short pieces for ...
del.icio.us
 
BBC Get Writing
The BBC's online resource for writing drama and comedy for television, radio and film.
www.bbc.co.uk
 
TOC About Writing
Menu of articles on writing written by professional SF/F writers.
www.sfwa.org
 
11 Rules of Writing -- a concise guide to important grammar ...
A concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar.
www.junketstudies.com
 
NAEP Writing Subject Area
NAEP assesses student performance in writing periodically in grades 4, 8, and 12 for the nation, and in grades 4 and 8 for the states.
nces.ed.gov
 
Writing: See what people are saying right now on Technorati
See all blog posts tagged with writing on Technorati.
www.technorati.com
 
IPL Teenspace: A+ Research & Writing
Includes step-by-step instructions on researching and writing, how to find information online and offline, as well as links to useful resources.
www.ipl.org
 
Dictionary.com: Writing Resources
Free online English dictionary and reference guide. List of sites writers can use.
dictionary.reference.com
 
WritingFix: Home of Interactive Writing Prompts and 6 Trait ...
Daily and interactive writing prompts.
www.writingfix.com
 
Advice on Academic Writing
Includes articles on critical reading, planning, researching, style and editing, grammar and punctuation.
www.utoronto.ca
 
 

 
Content Menu
  • 10 keys to writing copy that sells

  • 10 secrets for writing killer complaint letters

  • 10 secrets to writing grants that get funded

  • 10 things that keep you from writing your book and what you can do about it

  • 10 tips for better writing

  • 10 tips for writing a winning resume

  • 10 tips for writing powerful articles

  • 10 ways writing articles can improve your business

  • 11 tender writing sins part one

  • 12 copywriting tips to make your advertising more profitable

  • 12 point checklist for writing feature articles

  • 12 tips for writing articles on the internet

  • 15 key questions about writing your own tips booklet

  • 20 ways to keep your writing inspiration and creativity high

  • 25 ways to promote your writing business

  • 2 ways to really connect with your customer in your copywriting

  • 32 point copywriting checklist to bulletproof your copy

  • 3 keys to better online copywriting

  • 3 quick tips to becoming an instant copywriting genius

  • 3 steps to better sales copywriting

  • 3 strange and twisted copywriting tactics

  • 3 tips for writing articles

  • 3 tips for writing better headlines

  • 3 tips for writing content that will make you sales

  • 3 tips to achieve your writing goals

  • 4 major mistakes to avoid when writing an article

  • 4 tips for writing successful swipe copy

  • 5 ideas for writing effective sales letters

  • 5 key reasons why great copywriting will always be your most important business skill

  • 5 secrets of successful copywriting

  • 5 steps in writing selling your first e book

  • 6 tips for better writing

  • 7 devistating writing mistakes and how to avoid them

  • 7 formulas for writing articles that get read

  • 7 keys to writing a childrens book that sells like hotcakes

  • 7 powerful sales copy writing techniques

  • 7 reasons you should be writing articles

  • 7 steps to writing articles that can explode your business

  • 7 steps you must take before writing a word of copy

  • 7 writing muse kickers to fill up that blank page

  • 8 advantages to writing a book as an entrepreneur

  • 8 tell tale signs that forecast writing success

  • 8 tips for writing a knock em dead headline

  • about writing

  • advertising copywriting the top ten cliches and why you should avoid them

  • ad copywriting building brand equity one word at a time

  • analysis of a topic writing essays and term papers

  • an article writing philosophy do you have one

  • an seo copywriting makeover turning not into hot part 1 of 2

  • an seo copywriting makeover turning not into hot part 2 of 2

  • are writing exercises effective

  • are you achieving your writing goals

  • are you really writing haiku

  • are you writing for a change

  • article writing a great way to promote your website

  • article writing dos and donts

  • article writing errors

  • article writing for fame and fortune

  • article writing the art of attracting website visitors

  • a beginners guide to writing a novel

  • a competitive and cutthroat look at writing

  • a few brief tips to deal with writing rejection

  • a few keys to writing effective dialogue

  • a few thoughts on writing international english

  • a scriptural how to for writing

  • a simple contest with a strong message for all writers wake up your writing spirit

  • a simple recipe for writing success

  • a teacher who influenced my writing

  • a writing exercise that increases awareness and description skills

  • baby steps to writing success

  • back to the copywriting basics

  • basic writing tips some controversial all correct

  • blast your writing blocks

  • blocked stumped and stuck 12 prompts to get you writing

  • blogs like all forms of writing are an art form that takes knowledge and practice to do well

  • boost your b to b marketing copy 3 major copywriting blunders and how to correct them

  • business writing checklist

  • business writing skills ii a web writing primer

  • business writing skills i what do you want to say

  • business writing skills part iii avoiding sexist language

  • business writing when not to be professional

  • can you really sell your writing output on radio

  • checklist for writing articles that get read

  • common writing mistakes

  • copywriting aida is more than an opera

  • copywriting and your five senses

  • copywriting businesses how can i get started

  • copywriting engage prospects by involving their senses

  • copywriting faqs

  • copywriting for the non english speaking audience

  • copywriting is not one size fits all

  • copywriting makeover its not about you its about them

  • copywriting makeover know where your customers are in the buying process part 1 of 2

  • copywriting makeover know where your customers are in the buying process part 2 of 2

  • copywriting makeover making an emotional connection part 1 of 2

  • copywriting makeover making an emotional connection part 2 of 2

  • copywriting makeover search engine friendly can also mean visitor friendly

  • copywriting secrets of the indian mystics

  • copywriting successes and failures a comparison of the good and bad

  • copywriting techniques for a great body

  • copywriting that sells

  • copywriting tips for sales generating brochures

  • creating a search engine copywriting plan

  • creative website copywriting why it impresses both customers and search engines

  • creative writing tips does the name you chose suit your character

  • creative writing tips have you established your main character at the start

  • creative writing where to find fresh ideas

  • crime writing beckons

  • custom writing services market overview

  • designing a successful writing career while standing behind the 8 ball

  • does your copywriting trigger what makes your visitors buy

  • dont miss these 10 must know facts about promoting your website with article writing

  • do the unfamiliar to keep your writing going

  • do you make this big mistake writing your articles

  • dreading the writing assignment outlines to the rescue

  • earn a fortune writing how to reports

  • earn money from freelance writing

  • eliminate redundancies for fat free writing

  • energize your writing and increase your output

  • entering and winning writing contests

  • essential elements of a writing course proposal

  • everything i needed to know about article writing i learned from my english teacher

  • excuse me but your writing is showing

  • e book writing formats how to make the words flow

  • finding ebook writing topics on ebay

  • finding the book writing resources tips and help you need

  • five benefits of article writing

  • five keys to leaner and meaner copywriting

  • five secrets of writing great sales copy

  • five steps to online copywriting success

  • four things every writer needs to do to make a full time living from their writing

  • framing your story writing tips for online marketing

  • freelance article writing on the net

  • freelance copywriting advice 1 take the scary jobs

  • freelance writing a career from anywhere

  • freelance writing markets poetry markets highly paid v unpaid

  • freelance writing markets poetry markets highly paid v unpaid by askprofessors com

  • freelance writing on the internet

  • generating innovative ideas for writing

  • getting results from your writing speaking

  • getting started in column writing

  • get an attitude about your writing

  • get rich writing fiction

  • ghostwriting for fun and profit

  • ghostwriting making money by being invisible

  • golden rules for writing

  • good writing

  • have you plotted your story before writing it

  • having difficulty writing a compelling offer click on a tv infomercial

  • heres a little known secret to writing copy for serious copywriters only

  • hold that article or 5 techniques to effective re writing

  • home business writing made simple

  • hotel internet marketing and the secret of copywriting

  • how ghost writing articles and booklets can earn you big money

  • how i learned to make my writing pay and you can do it too copywriting is easy money

  • how to break into writing for newspapers

  • how to catch the writing bug

  • how to come up with fresh writing ideas

  • how to evaluate writing contests six starter questions

  • how to find a copywriting school

  • how to find freelance copywriting jobs

  • how to find freelance jobs writing about food

  • how to get started on writing killer articles

  • how to get started with a career in copywriting

  • how to give your business writing a twist of the nose

  • how to have an effective writing group

  • how to improve your writing without writing a word

  • how to multiply your freelance writing work

  • how to negotiate rates with a freelance copywriting expert

  • how to overcome the lyric writing hurdles that are keeping you behind

  • how to pluck fresh new ideas for writing killer sales copy straight out of thin air

  • how to preserve your family history by writing family stories

  • how to receive advance information from god in writing

  • how to stay fit while writing

  • how to take your freelance writing chances

  • how to use this unique writing site to make money from your writing

  • how to write to win what are the secrets of writing success

  • how you can find freelance childrens writing positions that will last

  • how you can improve your songwriting skill

  • improve your writing

  • increasing conversions through action oriented copywriting

  • index

  • is there a difference when writing for the internet

  • i am biodegradable my writing is not

  • i have nothing to say overcoming the fear of writing

  • i just quit my last paying writing gig and you should too

  • jumpstart your writing career

  • keeping your readers interested when writing non fiction

  • keyword article writing the key to your success

  • knowing copywriting basics how to get ahead in your copy writing business

  • letter writing journaling

  • letting your writing simmer

  • listen up and improve your writing

  • lots of extra money waiting to be made from writing 5 articles

  • make money writing fillers

  • make your writing sing with structure

  • marketing for writers when writing just isnt enough

  • my free ebook will get you started on writing for profit

  • new to article writing start here

  • nip and tuck three quick tricks for writing seo copy

  • online writing and beyond writers will lead the content revolution

  • phases of instructional design technical writing

  • platform development tip 1 switch writing hats

  • power writing 101 tips and tricks to get you taken seriously

  • profiting from writing your own ebook

  • promise crafting the heart of copywriting

  • promoting your online writing portfolio

  • proposal writing

  • put it in writing

  • quick strategies for writing your essay under pressure

  • realizing the potential of your writing output

  • remember writing for pleasure

  • revealed the 12 500 copywriting formula

  • review michael mastersons accelerated program for six figure copywriting

  • review the step by step copywriting course

  • revving up your writing productivity

  • rotator

  • rules regs and recommendations for search engine copywriting

  • sales headline copywriting two quick steps to success

  • script mechanicssuggestions for writing effective voiceover copy

  • search engine optimisation copywriting the top ten pitfalls and how to avoid them

  • seecrets on writing free requotable quotes for internet writers

  • segmenting your target audience through your copywriting

  • self editing your writing

  • seo copywriting in the wake of the florida update

  • seo copywriting makeover finding the right trigger

  • seo copywriting makeover good rankings but no sales part 1 of 2

  • seo copywriting makeover good rankings but no sales part 2 of 2

  • seven secrets to writing a book that sells

  • seven ways to connect your writing and your life

  • simple writing for super sales

  • six tips for your writing journey

  • six whys of writing

  • slow pokes short story on the changing world of writing

  • some helpful hints in writing articles for the web twenty five tips

  • some helpful hints in writing articles for the web twenty five tips part two

  • some tips in writing articles as an internet marketing strategy

  • sowing the seeds of opportunity how to multiply your freelance writing work

  • so you want to go into ghostwriting

  • starting a freelance writing career or how i sifted through the muck and found my way

  • starting a freelance writing career or thoughts about taking the plunge

  • starting a writing career or how i sifted through the muck and found my way

  • start and make cash from your online writing you must draw blood first

  • strategic copywriting so much more than text optimization

  • succeeding in the business of freelance writing

  • supply side freelance writing

  • sure fire copywriting tips

  • take baby steps in your writing to yield a book

  • technical writing in india

  • ten rules of writing good

  • ten tips for writing effective web copy

  • ten tips to help you finish writing your novel

  • the 12 500 copywriting formula

  • the art of writing a good song

  • the art of writing effective web site sales copy

  • the beginners guide to freelance writing

  • the benefits of freewriting

  • the benefits of journal writing

  • the benefits of writing articles on the internet

  • the idea way to grow your writing business

  • the myths of writing have you bought into these

  • the myth of the writing fairy

  • the online writing business requires constant and regular writing

  • the only thing you need to know about writing articles

  • the power of your ego in writing online copy

  • the psychology of scarcity less is more if you want faster sales from your web copywriting

  • the purpose of custom writing

  • the questions people ask about writing niche non fiction

  • the secrets to writing your very own profit pulling ebook

  • the secret ingredient to your writing

  • the secret to good writing

  • the secret to writing faster and with more focus writing in your sleep

  • the story of the hypnotic writing monkey

  • the three cs of writing an excellent all purpose headline

  • the top 7 rules of power copywriting

  • the top five writing mistakes professionals make

  • the untold secrets of writing best selling childrens books

  • the unwritten world of the reality of letterwriting

  • the write habit how to strengthen your writing muscle

  • the writing club

  • the writing is in the rewriting seven steps to getting it right

  • time saving skills to get more from your writing

  • tips for good business writing

  • tips for writing an attention grabbing

  • tips for writing an informative article

  • tips for writing articles online

  • tips for writing a successful personal online dating profile

  • top 10 tips to complete a creative writing project without losing your creativity

  • top 3 rules for writing effective copy

  • top 7 essential hot selling points to implement before writing chapter one

  • top 7 hot selling points to implement before writing chapter one

  • top seven tips for writing articles on the internet

  • top ten tips for writing your best ever

  • top ten tools for writing humor

  • transform your home page to pull sales with passion copywriting

  • travel writing

  • twenty five tips in writing articles for the web

  • understanding that online writing is business writing will make you a fortune

  • understanding the first rule of writingbefore you start the great american book

  • use real life templates for writing success

  • using and writing press releases

  • using emotional triggers in ad writing

  • using power words when writing articles

  • voice in narrative and dialogue a contrast of writing styles

  • ways to promote your business when your passion is writing

  • web writings evolution the web content market for writers

  • web writing create writing flow with four uncommon connectors

  • weeding out your writing

  • whats so different about writing web copy

  • what a c i a black ops officer taught me about copywriting

  • what is persuasive copywriting and how can it help your business

  • what is writing style and how do you develop it

  • what you absolutely must know about writing headlines

  • where can you find the best resources for technical writing

  • where to find writing jobs online

  • why arent you writing ezine articles

  • why copywriting is the secret to your online success

  • why good copywriting matters

  • wild bills top 30 copy writing principles

  • work at home and make money writing for profit

  • write smart how to create terrific writing goals and achieve them

  • writing about writing

  • writing and walking beating writers block

  • writing an accomplishment driven rsum

  • writing an ebook the how to guide

  • writing an e book needs software free is best

  • writing articles

  • writing articles advice for the do it yourself webmaster

  • writing articles as an affordable internet marketing method

  • writing articles for the search engines

  • writing article important tips

  • writing as a gift

  • writing a business website sales marketing faq

  • writing a page turner

  • writing a successful ebook

  • writing benefit driven web copy 4 steps to more sales

  • writing business letters that get the job done

  • writing copy for online catalogs

  • writing direct mail that really really works

  • writing effective sales copy

  • writing fiction can be fun too

  • writing fiction for the internet

  • writing fiction literature and large blocks of text for the internet

  • writing for dollars how to get started

  • writing for free when when not to do it

  • writing for mediocrity

  • writing for public relations

  • writing for sex markets

  • writing for teen magazines

  • writing for the web

  • writing for the web more places to get ideas

  • writing for the web where to get article ideas

  • writing for yourself

  • writing from home it can be great and not so great for mothers

  • writing getting started

  • writing good dialogue

  • writing guarantees that sell

  • writing help

  • writing it right

  • writing made them rich 1 jk rowling

  • writing made them rich 2 charles dickens

  • writing made them rich 3 richard bach

  • writing made them rich 4 paulo coelho

  • writing made the rich 4 paulo coelho

  • writing narrative vs writing dialogue

  • writing newsletters tricks of the trade

  • writing personal statements top tips

  • writing political radio scripts

  • writing powerful effective solo ads

  • writing reading speaking talking

  • writing short info reports

  • writing s that get noticed

  • writing the recipe

  • writing tips for novice authors

  • writing to excel

  • writing to overpower your competition

  • writing web copy that sells how it compares with offline copy

  • writing well 6 steps to being your own best editor

  • writing without style

  • writing with power 5 snappy rules for success

  • writing your articles an organized framework for success

  • writing your writing job description

  • your writing anxiety 10 ways to bring relief

  • zany ideas that increase writing productivity and quality