How to write a headline that demands attention ... in two steps

Let’s start with Rule No. 1: Make your copy looks like news, and not like traditional advertising.

People are conditioned to seek out news.  If your copy looks like advertising, they are more likely to ignore it.

The research bears this out. “If you make them look like editorial pages,” advertising icon David Ogilvy said, “you will attract about 50 per cent more readers.”

How do readers tell the difference between news and advertising? The layout says a lot. So does the choice of photos, graphics and other images.

But the most important element is the headline. Write a great news headline and you will capture your audience. Write a bad one and you will never recover.

So how do we write a great news headline?

As the creative director for Reader’s Digest, Tony Antin studied the art of headline writing for 30 years. He broke the process down into two steps.

1. What you will say.
2. How you will say it.

What you will say

• Imagine the ideal customers you want to reach. The more specific, the better.
• Now imagine that two or three of these ideal customers are discussing the problem you want to address. How can you enter that conversation? What can you show them that solves their problem? Are they likely to agree with you? Are they likely to believe you? Will they view what you offer as something they want right now?
• Focus on what is immediately meaningful to those customers. What are the specific benefits of your product that solves their problems?
• Based on all of this, write down a generic headline that will likely interest those ideal customers. If you get stuck, try using these headline templates:
  • How you can  …
  • Seven ways you can … (Try to keep your list to no more than 10 and no fewer than three.)
  • The best way for you to …
  • Everything you should know about …
  • The secret you should know about …
  • Little known ways for you to …
• The headline should make a promise that resonates with your target audience: “Read this and you will learn how to cure this particular problem that is driving you nuts.”
• Keep it simple. Just say it. Don't get fancy.
• Remember: Marketing is a triage. You can't sell everyone with one piece of copywriting. So identify the folks who are most likely to embrace your product as a solution to their problem – and sell them first.

How you will say it

• Clarity is far more important than cleverness. Focus on saying what you have to say as clearly as possible.
• Try to use no more than 16 words. Be ruthless. If you don’t need a word, cut it.
• Make one of those words a verb. A headline is a sentence, not a label.
• Work in “you” or “your.” This makes it clear that the copy is about the reader, and not the company.

If you want to know more, Copyblogger offers a great (and free) short course on writing headlines.