When I saw this headline in the local newspaper, it almost seemed to jump off the page.

It was a small ad in the bottom right-hand corner of the page.

The headline immediately captured my attention, curiosity and interest.

I wondered what it was all about.

Three Seconds to Grab Attention

If the headlines in your emails, direct-mail letters, newpapers or flyers are under-performing, then it is costing you sales.

No doubt about it.

When selling products or services by email, direct mail or on the Internet you have about three seconds to make your point or lose the reader.

The headline in this ad was such a great attention- getter that I immediately read the ad then clipped it out of the newspaper.

Capturing Attention

In this ad there was a photograph of a young, attractive blonde woman next to the headline.

But I had no idea what product the ad was supposed to be selling.

The headline made me curious, so I HAD to read the ad copy and it was good – it also explained the wording in the headline.

You could actually change the text a bit and use it for any type of product or service.

This was the text:

“Your hair deserves the best.  It should not have to settle.
If your current stylist doesn’t get your hair or takes it for granted . . .
it is time to move on.”

After that paragraph, a telephone number was listed, along with the name of a local beauty shop.

So, how do you create a GREAT headline if you are not a professional copywriter?
Glad you asked 🙂

Five Tips to Writing Great Headlines

Five tips that will empower you to write a great headline today.

1.   Make your headline short.

Five to seven words works very well. You can be more expansive in the sub-head, once you have your visitors’ attention.

2.   Use a question as your headline.

The point of your headline is to get people to stop long enough to read the rest of the message or consider your site. Asking a question is a great way to do this, if you ask the right question.  HINT: The right question is always one that can be answered by your product.

3.   Be clear.

Tell the reader exactly how your product will help them.

(There are exceptions. Although this “Break-up” headline was not clear, it made me curious enough to read the entire ad.)

4.   Use a “number of steps” formula.

If your product will solve a problem in a certain number of steps, say so. People love simple solutions to their problems.

Or . . . use a “number of ways” formula. Use this instead of a number of steps.

5.   In an advertisement, a good headline takes up 50% of the ad space.

Print ads should have enough white space surrounding the headline to make it a clean and obvious central focus point.

Want some help?  Join my private one-to-one e-Course and I will help you create attention-getting ads and emails!