If your headline doesn’t catch the reader’s attention, it has failed…and so have you. The headline is the most important part of the ad. It is 80% of your outreach effort.
Your headline should illustrate a major benefit that the customer can expect from your product. It essentially sells the reader on your ad. It doesn't announce the product, but rather catches the reader or listener's attention and convinces them to listen or read on.
The headline has one other function: it brings your reader or listener into your ad. A good headline reaches out and grabs readers by the collar and pulls them in.
The reason I had you spend so much time determining your unique selling proposition is because one of the things it will do is help you produce a headline. And, since your headline can be your most powerful benefit, there's every reason to spend as much time as you need to in order to get it right.
One of my favorite comments on headlines comes from advertising industry legend David Ogilvy:
"In your headlines, you should think promise."
What is the biggest promise that you can put in your headlines? From your unique selling proposition, you derive the words or small idea that sparks the interest of prospects and motivates them to learn more about your product.
As you read through newspapers, look at ads in magazines, or get direct mail offers. You will find that the letters you read and the ads that you take the time to listen to are the ones that grab you up front early and get your attention.
Attention comes because the headline illustrates a direct benefit for the prospect. This benefit is so powerful and unique, that the prospect is encouraged to continue listening to or reading the ad. If you are going to invest in any type of marketing to get your product sold, you must come up with a headline that is a description of your unique selling proposition or aspect of it.
Your headline can be a few words or it can be a main headline with several sub-headlines. Its basic function is an appetizer, an "amuse bouche," a tasty little something that will whet the reader's appetite for personal gain and take the reader's eyes from the headline on down into the copy of the ad or the letter (or in the case of radio and TV to get them watching and listening).
Incoming search terms:
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Direct Marketing