Different Types of Headlines
Headlines range from the blunt "in-your-face" to very subtle statements that
don't even seem like headlines.
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Hard-sell direct mail often use LARGE capitals to grab your attention:
TEN REASONS TO SELL YOUR HOUSE – NOW!
Or adopt a headline that’s less obvious, such as using an important paragraph,
highlighted in bold, at the top of your article:
You might be interested in this. I can think of 10 reasons you should sell your home,
today.
Other proven tips for writing headlines are:
- For classified Ads, use a short three-word headline.
- For website content, repeat the headline across your site, so users
read the message in different areas.
Getting Headlines to Work
Effective headlines address the reader's most important needs.
Design your headline to highlight their problem (though you never use
the actual word problem) which the reader feels so strongly about.
Emphasize the main *benefit* your product offers.
"Conquer Your Fear of WebSphere"
Ready to learn WebSphere? We have what you need. Download our new course. Overcome your
fear and enhance your career with superior quality training from XYZ.
What’s implied here is that the course is so remarkable that it will conquer your
fear of this technology and help you start a new career. Though it’s a little
dramatic, it might work in IT advertising, which can be very bland at times.
P.S.
Research shows that headlines get even better results when enclosed in quotation marks
like the example below.
"Conquer Your Fear of Fear"
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I'm Ivan Walsh, the person behind this site. I help people improve how they write, publish and extend their business assets.