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Grab Attention with Your Headlines

Written by: Donald F. Pooley

Article Overview: Headlines are the first thing prospects read. 80% decide if they'll keep reading on the basis of your headline.

Grab Attention with Your Headlines

Headlines are the first thing prospects read. 80% decide if they'll keep reading on the basis of your headline.
Do your headlines prompt readers to learn more about your products and services, or click to another web site, or throw away your letter?
Avoid these three headline mistakes:
1. Don't Emphasize Obscure Company Names
Most small businesses and many not so small businesses names aren't household words. Unless your name is among the most recognized brands such as, Craftsman, Waterford, Rolls Royce, the Discovery Channel, WD-40 or Crayola there is a very good chance people won't associate your company name with anything. Have you ever visited a web site or read a print ad where the company's name covered the top part of the page and it's something like, "Pharos Partners"? Unless the name of your company describes what you do, it is not going to grab prospects' attention. Move it to the side and make room for a creative headline.
2. Avoid Welcome Statements
On many websites the first line you read is, "Welcome to our Site". There is a reason you don't see these in print ads. Welcome statements are a waste of time in marketing; they do little to help prospects understand what you do.
3. Delete Vague Descriptions and Statements
Statements like, "Our aim is to connect you with information and resources to achieve your maximum potential", apply to a number of different businesses: cooking schools, management consultants, eldercare programs, etc.
Instead, write headlines to grab your prospects' attention.
People look at web sites the same way they look at magazine ads. They scan the page quickly to see if the product or service is something they want. On the web, or in a marketing brochure, if you capture their interest they'll keep reading.
The best way to do this is to give them a clear idea of the problems your products or services can solve and/or the benefits you provide. Use some carefully selected words such as:
* Reliable Office Supplies, free next day delivery
* In-home sports training for exercise enthusiasts
* Web and print design that helps your business grow.
Grab your prospects' attention in the first few seconds with your headline. Then follow with compelling copy to clarify the value of your products and services and you'll generate many more sales.
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Re: Attention Age Doctrine - Hi Andy, So how did you find of "The Attention Age Doctrine" Part 1? And has following its guidelines yielded any positive results yet?
Advertisement that sales - Plan your marketing programme. It should include commitment to capital resources. If you run a small business, you aren't likely to have a generous enough advertising budget that will allow you to run costly branding or campaign ads. Every advertisement you run must convey to your prospect a solid offer and attractive reasons to act quickly, and result in increased sales and an enhanced image of your company. Good advertising always pays its own way through increased sales and profits, improved cost-effectiveness, reduced selling costs and shortened selling cycles. A useful formula that will help you increase the effectiveness of your advertising efforts is A-I-D-A, which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. When creating an advertisement, always remind yourself that it should: (1) capture your prospects' Attention, (2) arouse their Interest in your offer, (3) create their Desire for your product or service, and (4) provide a powerful spur to Action, that is, turn your prospect into buyers. Remember, bad advertising is an unproductive expense, and good advertising is an investment in future profits!
Re: Character Design - using it effectively in marketing - One thing about characters is that you can make them do things that real people can't do (such as fly). Depending on what you are selling, that can make it seem like if you use/buy their product, you'll have super powers. I know that sounds goofy, but flying is something we all wish we could do at one point in our life and the thought of it brings out the child in us, which makes us WANT. Also, kids are more apt to watch the commercial and say, "Hey, Mom, look at that......!) Attention getting, which is always good.
Re: When is your interest peaked by unsolicited mail? - I rarely ever read the headlines of unsolicited email. I know when it's something I haven't signed up for and delete it right away. I get so much crap it's sickening. I may browse over the headlines as I delete them, but that's it. I haven't really noticed any that have caught my interest. As many have already suggested, I'm so calloused when it comes to headlines because I see them all the time and know what to expect. As a marketer, it makes it easy to sniff out the sales pitches. Headlines such as "can you help me?" usually get my attention, but in the end I know they want me to buy something. At least that's the case for most of the newsletters I get. Case in point, even if it isn't unsolicited, it better have a headline that's going to get me to click on it. Otherwise it'll never get read.
Re: When is your interest peaked by unsolicited mail? - In "The Copywriter's Handbook", author Robert W. Bly emphasizes that effective attention-getting words are ones that offer news. For instance, Bly says "Headlines that give news often use words such as new, discover, introducing, announcing, now, it's here, at last, and just arrived...Free is the most powerful word in the copywriter's vocabulary...Other powerful attention-getting words include how to, why, sale, quick, easy, bargain, last chance, guarantee, results, proven and save" (pg 17 & 18). However, I feel as if all of Bly's keywords are over-used and audiences have learned to ignore them in unsolicited email headlines.


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