Make Your Headline Scream
| Category: Copy Writing - ad copy | Date: 2003-05-14 |
When it comes time to write your headline, be it for your sales letter, web page, or advertisement; always ask yourself: "Whats in it for the customer?"
If you can successfully answer that question, then youre well on your way to making the sale.
Why is this so important? Because thats exactly the question your web site visitor will ask: "Whats in it for me?"
Put yourself in his or her shoes for a moment.
"What would you want from this if you were the customer?"
What will your customer receive? How will it meet his wants and needs?
Dont assume that because the web site visitor really doesnt need the product that he wont want it.
If he likes it and its cool and convenient, hell probably get it.
Its your job to help him realize just how cool it is, just how convenient it is, and just how much he could really like it!
So now its time to get to work.
Make a list. List the greatest product feature first. Then list the second, third, and so on.
Next, think what the customer could want from each feature and list these beside your product features.
Once you have your list, you can start writing your headline and then your copy.
Try to include a great benefit (whats in it for the customer?) in the headline if you possibly can!
Here is an example to illustrate my point.
Suppose you are selling lemonade from a lemonade stand on a hot summer afternoon. (Cmon, admit it, didnt you do this when you were a kid? It was great fun, wasnt it? Except when business was really slow - then it could get borrrrrrrring fast!)
So what should an enterprising young entrepreneur put
on his or her sign?
"Buy lemonade, 50 cents!"
No! No! No!
Why not?
Because it really doesnt say much. And it doesnt entice little Suzy (who probably doesnt really like or trust you anyway) and her mom to want to buy.
Is there a great benefit in this headline for your two customers?
Lemonade?
Not really . . . thats the product youre selling.
Its kind of like advertising new software with a headline like this: "Software, $19.95".
Would you really buy software just from reading this headline? (Now, come on, be honest!)
Probably not.
Heres a better message for your sign:
"Ice cold lemonade!
(Fresh-Squeezed)!
50 cents!"
Would that entice Suzy and her mom to buy on a hot hot hot summers day.
You bet!
From this second headline, you can see the ice cold lemonade! You can smell the lemony juice! You can see the lemons! You can even taste the tart juice swishing around in your mouth! You want a glass right now (because it is a hot day and you are thirsty! And because it sounds so good!).
In fact, I just now got up from my computer and got a cold drink of lemonade. (See the power of good advertising copy!)
From this second headline the customer knows right off that the drink is ice cold.
If its hot outside, this information is really important to your customer. Your customer wants something cold to quench her thirst!
Also, the drink was made fresh from lemons - not from powdered drink mix.
Freshness and newness will always be great selling points for a product and can be a big motivator to buy!
And of course, the customer knows the price - 50 cents.
So Suzy and her mom stopped and bought two cups each of lemonade because it was so good!
You answered several of their questions right off the bat just with your headline! They didnt even have to stop and ask you these questions!
You told them that: 1) the juice is ice cold and 2) you told them what type of lemonade you were selling (from freshly-squeezed lemons) 3) and finally, your headline told them the cost for one cup of lemonade.
And as a result, you made the sale (even from Suzy, who stuck her tongue out at you as she left!).
Now you get the idea!
So the next time you sit down to write your advertising copy (or your headline for your lemonade stand) think about Suzy and her mom. Think about how hot it is outside. Think how they want an ice cold cup of freshly-squeezed lemonade!
Isnt that what you would want as well?
Then put it into your headline!
About the author:
Ron Knowlton is the founding editor at soaringprofits.com/
Subscribe to "Articles To Boost Your Success Online!" <subscribe@soaringprofits.com>
"Download a great marketing e-book!" *FREE* *$49 value* Limited-Time Offer!
soaringprofits.com/free-ebook.htm
:To contact see details below.
ron@soaringprofits.com
http://www.soaringprofits.com/
If you can successfully answer that question, then youre well on your way to making the sale.
Why is this so important? Because thats exactly the question your web site visitor will ask: "Whats in it for me?"
Put yourself in his or her shoes for a moment.
"What would you want from this if you were the customer?"
What will your customer receive? How will it meet his wants and needs?
Dont assume that because the web site visitor really doesnt need the product that he wont want it.
If he likes it and its cool and convenient, hell probably get it.
Its your job to help him realize just how cool it is, just how convenient it is, and just how much he could really like it!
So now its time to get to work.
Make a list. List the greatest product feature first. Then list the second, third, and so on.
Next, think what the customer could want from each feature and list these beside your product features.
Once you have your list, you can start writing your headline and then your copy.
Try to include a great benefit (whats in it for the customer?) in the headline if you possibly can!
Here is an example to illustrate my point.
Suppose you are selling lemonade from a lemonade stand on a hot summer afternoon. (Cmon, admit it, didnt you do this when you were a kid? It was great fun, wasnt it? Except when business was really slow - then it could get borrrrrrrring fast!)
So what should an enterprising young entrepreneur put
on his or her sign?
"Buy lemonade, 50 cents!"
No! No! No!
Why not?
Because it really doesnt say much. And it doesnt entice little Suzy (who probably doesnt really like or trust you anyway) and her mom to want to buy.
Is there a great benefit in this headline for your two customers?
Lemonade?
Not really . . . thats the product youre selling.
Its kind of like advertising new software with a headline like this: "Software, $19.95".
Would you really buy software just from reading this headline? (Now, come on, be honest!)
Probably not.
Heres a better message for your sign:
"Ice cold lemonade!
(Fresh-Squeezed)!
50 cents!"
Would that entice Suzy and her mom to buy on a hot hot hot summers day.
You bet!
From this second headline, you can see the ice cold lemonade! You can smell the lemony juice! You can see the lemons! You can even taste the tart juice swishing around in your mouth! You want a glass right now (because it is a hot day and you are thirsty! And because it sounds so good!).
In fact, I just now got up from my computer and got a cold drink of lemonade. (See the power of good advertising copy!)
From this second headline the customer knows right off that the drink is ice cold.
If its hot outside, this information is really important to your customer. Your customer wants something cold to quench her thirst!
Also, the drink was made fresh from lemons - not from powdered drink mix.
Freshness and newness will always be great selling points for a product and can be a big motivator to buy!
And of course, the customer knows the price - 50 cents.
So Suzy and her mom stopped and bought two cups each of lemonade because it was so good!
You answered several of their questions right off the bat just with your headline! They didnt even have to stop and ask you these questions!
You told them that: 1) the juice is ice cold and 2) you told them what type of lemonade you were selling (from freshly-squeezed lemons) 3) and finally, your headline told them the cost for one cup of lemonade.
And as a result, you made the sale (even from Suzy, who stuck her tongue out at you as she left!).
Now you get the idea!
So the next time you sit down to write your advertising copy (or your headline for your lemonade stand) think about Suzy and her mom. Think about how hot it is outside. Think how they want an ice cold cup of freshly-squeezed lemonade!
Isnt that what you would want as well?
Then put it into your headline!
About the author:
Ron Knowlton is the founding editor at soaringprofits.com/
Subscribe to "Articles To Boost Your Success Online!" <subscribe@soaringprofits.com>
"Download a great marketing e-book!" *FREE* *$49 value* Limited-Time Offer!
soaringprofits.com/free-ebook.htm
:To contact see details below.
ron@soaringprofits.com
http://www.soaringprofits.com/
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