Ask 100 people what makes an advertisement successful, and the chances are you’ll get pretty much the same answers. It should generate sales, they’ll say; get your company name out in the marketplace; inform would-be customers; and make money. All of the answers are right — they are the result of what happens when an advertisement does what it is supposed to do. Problem is, most business owners never fully realize those results because they fail to take into account one golden rule: A successful advertisement captures attention.

Consider the following customer types:

Edward Response: Edward Response likes to read magazines and newspapers. He prides himself on his knowledge of world affairs, and his childhood thirst for information is still as strong as ever. But despite his passion for reading, Edward hardly notices the advertisements strategically placed on the pages between the articles and stories in his favorite magazine or newspaper. He doesn’t consciously avoid them; it’s just that he doesn’t notice them. They don’t shout out, “Hey, Edward Response! Here’s something interesting for you.”

Shirley Response: Edward’s wife, Shirley, is much more likely to notice advertisements in magazines and newspapers. But she’s a busy woman trying to juggle family life, household chores, and a full-time job. Unless the headline of the advertisement stops her in her tracks, makes her think, or shouts out, “Hey you, Shirley Response! This can make your life easier,”she’ll move on.

In either of the above situations, if an advertisers wants to attract the readers’ interest and cause a potential customer to pause, they need to pay attention to the headline. Because it’s the headline the reader sees first first. And it’s the headline that says, here’s something interesting for you; here’s something useful; here’s something that will make you wealthier, healthier, smarter, or happier. It’s the headline that encourages them to read on.

The headline is without doubt the most important part of any advertisement, website page, or direct mail piece. If you don’t have a headline that captures attention, you won’t get a spark of interest from your prospective customer.

So, how do you go about creating a headline that makes your reader stop and read on? Let’s start with identifying some qualities that good headlines have in common.

Headline Quality #1: Self-interest

Let’s face it, the majority of us are interested in only one thing… ourselves. We all want to be healthier, wealthier, smarter, more successful, or better-looking. That’s why self-interest is by far the most effective of all headline qualities. The self-interest headline appeals to the emotions of the reader, taps into their desires, and promises to make their lives better. Every successful headline should use self-interest to make the sale and accomplish results. Here are some examples:

a) Better Sleep. Better Health. Better Bed

b) Reduce Your Risk of Disease with One-a-Day Life-Extension Multivitamins

c) Feel Great While You Lose Weight!

Headline Quality #2: News

Flick through any magazine or newspaper and the chances are that half of the advertisements use news headlines to attract the readers’ attention. That’s because the advertisers know that people are always interested in something new — new products, new services, new prices, and new features. To make sure the reader knows that news is being presented, the headlines use strong pullers such as “new,” “introducing,” “finally,” or “presenting.”

Here are some examples of headlines that use the news to attract attention:

a) Introducing Russell Stover Private Reserve Chocolates

b) New Orleans Silver Dollars Saved from Destruction!

c) Finally…a cordless phone that’s easy to hear, easy to see, easy to dial.

Headline Quality #3: Curiosity

Although curiosity-style headlines don’t work as well as the self-interest or news headlines, there’s something to be said for teasing the reader with a headline that piques their interest. That is, as long as the headline still entices them with an offer, attracts their attention, or conveys news of some sort. Consider the following examples of headlines that try to arouse the readers’ curiosity and see whether you can work out what it is these headlines are trying to sell. (Answers below)

a) Celebrate your organic nature

b) Do your world a bowl of good

c) Transcend

Headline Quality #4: Quick and Easy

The fourth headline quality taps into people’s natural desire to achieve something simply, quickly, and without putting in too much effort. Headlines that use this quality can work very well but they do have a tendency to be unbelievable. A way around this is to use testimonial-style headlines that contain figures. For example, “How I improved my memory in one evening” is more believable than “How I improved my memory.” Here are some examples:

a) I gambled a postage stamp and won $35,840 in two years.

b) I lost 20 pounds in 3 weeks on the [insert name] diet.

c) I guarantee you results worth [insert amount] in one year.

If you have trouble with headlines, you’re not alone. Most copywriters, including myself, agonize over them. Rarely do they come quickly or easily. But if you spend enough time writing, you’ll suddenly uncover a jewel of a headline - one that will make your reader stop, look, and read on.

Answers:

a) Shampoo and body wash

b) Breakfast cereal

c) Tea.

About the Author

Julia Hyde is an advertising copywriter and consultant specializing in search engine optimization, search engine marketing, and traditional advertising. She currently creates advertising concepts and copy for businesses through her company Persuasions, and is in the process of launching Creative Search Media, a full-service advertising and search engine marketing agency. Her clients include large corporations, small businesses and entrepreneurs.

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