Seven Ways to Tackle a Marketing Headline

Guest post by: Keith Thirgood
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Direct Mail The Numbers Game, part two - By Keith Thirgood

There are a number of standard headline formats that copywriters have used for years that consistently work. Substitute your product, service or benefit in place of my examples, and see if you get a good working headline.

The Question: Questions get the reader thinking: "Are you concerned that your sales staff aren't up to the job?" Readers can't help but answer it in their minds. They're automatically involved in your message. Once involved, many will continue to read your letter, ad, brochure or website just to discover the answer or solution you provide.

The "How To" approach: How-to headlines are amazing: "How to take credit cards online without being held hostage by your bank." When you empower people, they tend to buy into your message.

Testimonials say it: Despite the fact that no one is going to publish a negative testimonial, people still respond positively to testimonials. A recommendation from a neutral third party helps overcome people's natural suspicion. "Within weeks of implementing Fred's system, our sales were up by 25%." Jane Smith, CEO, Someone's Company, Vancouver.Never try to get away with using something like "J.S., Vancouver". Nobody believes a testimonial that's not personally acknowledged Use the person's full name and location. (If it's a B2B testimonial, include company name and title.)

Tell them what to do: Big firms in their advertising often use these sorts of headlines. Along the lines of: "Put a tiger in your tank." Take your key benefit and convert it into a command.

It's big news: Don't try this when you've nothing newsworthy to say, however, if you've got news, you can use it. "Fred Smith, CEO, doubles the size of our service department to better service our customers." "Capstone Communications Group introduces the Tactical Marketing Workshop series to bring professional marketing expertise into the hands of micro businesses."

Deadlines, "threats" and special offers: Regrettably, most of us can't get our act together to take advantage of everything we'd like to. To make the sale, you've got to motivate your target to act today. "Sale ends in three days" "Every day you delay costs you hundreds of dollars" "For a limited time, buy one and get one free."

FREE, the four hundred pound gorilla of marketing terms: "FREE whitepaper on doubling your income" will draw lots of interested prospects. And forget the belief that well-to-do folks aren't motivated by free stuff. It's just not so. However, make sure you write your offer to suit your audience's sense of their worth. "No fee for your initial consultation" or "Each executive desk comes with a bonus, gold-filled CEO pen set"

Headlines are a shortcut into your prospect's consciousness. Most of us don't have the time to devote to thoroughly read your marketing message, so a good headline grabs us and commands our attention. Don't shortchange this important marketing tool.

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Direct Mail The Numbers Game, part two - By Keith Thirgood

About the Author: Keith Thirgood

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Keith Thirgood is Creative Director of Capstone Communications, a marketing and design firm. He is immediate past-president of the Association of Independent Consultants . He can be reached, 9 am - 5 pm EST, at (905) 472-2330 or through his website, .
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