How to create attention-grabbing headlines

One of the most important skills in direct marketing is being able to create attention-grabbing headlines. Marketers are always looking for a new perspective or technique that will allow them to add more punch to their headlines.

Why are headlines so important? Because it has been shown that an effective headline can improve your response rate by up to 1800%. If your response rate can go up that much with a good headline, it makes sense to spend as much time as necessary working on your headlines until you get the results you want.

Your headline is what draws people’s attention to your ad. It is your introduction to your offer and your first impression of your company. If you can’t grab your readers’ attention, you can’t make sales, so it’s vitally important to create compelling and effective headlines. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Appeal to greed or self-interest.
The old “what’s in it for me” approach works for a reason. A good headline will keep the reader reading to find out how you are going to meet her needs.

2. It attracts the attention of the reader.
A great way to get noticed is to offer something for free. The word “free” catches your attention quickly.

3. Appeal to the reader.
Keep your title simple, avoiding language that is too clever, cute, or unnecessary. Call on the reader to act in their own interest by highlighting a significant benefit they will derive from your product or service. Keep your language and print style simple but powerful.

4. Communicate with your niche market.
Effective advertising requires that you know your market and directly appeal to that market. This means that you need to specifically target your title to meet the needs of your niche.

5. Communicate a clear message.
You’ll get the best results by communicating a complete and clear message in your headline.

6. Encourage the reader to read the body of your ad.
Your headline should be so compelling that the reader is drawn to read the entire ad. Tactics such as humor, intrigue or mystery have been used successfully to achieve this end.

7. Headlines should be simple when it comes to well-defined products.
In particular, if you’re selling high-interest products or deals that will cost the consumer over time, it’s important to be clear about what you’re selling and the cost involved. This is not the time for humor, puns, or withholding of information.

8. Your sales pitch can be unique and compelling.
Creating a headline that expresses the main idea in a fresh or compelling way or with a difference can be very effective.

9. Use your headline to announce new product information.
If your product has been improved, won an award, or if you have any other news about your product, you can use your title to advertise it.

10. How-to headlines can entice readers to read and respond to ads.
When you offer to teach the reader something beneficial, offer important information, guidance, and solutions, you are likely to get an improved response rate.

11. Be provocative.
A headline that asks a question that is provocative or that the reader can empathize with will usually attract attention. When your headline is in the form of a question, make sure it focuses on the likely needs and wants of your target audience.

12. Guide customers to take action.
Don’t leave your readers hanging. Be sure to let them know what you want them to do. Headlines that tell your readers to take specific actions, including “buy now,” are known as “command headlines.”

13. Reason with your readers.
One of the easiest and most effective methods of writing ads is to list the features or benefits of your product or service. You can present your list of benefits with a “reason why” heading.

14. Use a testimonial headline.
When your headline is in quotes, it grabs the attention of the readers. When someone else speaks highly of your business or product, it’s a form of proof that customers are happy.

15. Combine words and graphics.
Headlines often work best with images because the combination creates a more powerful impact than words or images alone.

16. Don’t be too smart for your own good.
The purpose of advertising is to educate your target market or directly sell a product or service. It is not a platform to showcase your creative talent just to spark interest and attention.

Finally, be willing to test your headlines and let the market decide which is the best. By playing around with headlines and copy, you can get significantly different results. Obviously, you would still use the ads that got the best results. For the same cost of advertising, your response can improve ten times or more simply by evaluating the response to changes in your ads.