An effective sales page or online ad cannot do without a good headline! If people don’t read your headline or are not interested in your headline, chances are that they will never read the rest of your ad or sales page text. This means they will probably never click and that means that you will never sell anything.
This post is all about converting, attention-grabbing headlines and how important they are to master for an online marketer.
I will explain the purpose of a headline and how to simply master writing killer headlines, even if you are not a native speaker (like me). There are simple “fill in the blanks” exercises that can help you to understand the art of composing effective headlines for your online business.
If you watch to the end I will tell you how to get your hands on my secret headline swipe file that can help you to find inspiration for your own headlines. I use it all the time and it has never failed me in over 10 years of writing ad copy.
Did you know that I started writing sales copy for the first iMacs and for the Star Wars Episode I line of Action Figures in 1998? Yes, that’s how long I have been doing this!
There is an interesting quote by David Ogilvy, who is often called the “Father of Advertising” from Surrey, England. He said: “On average, 5 times as many people read the headline as read the main copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar”.
He was very right and it is still right today, although today you need to work even harder to get a customer’s attention for your copy than it was in his days, because the attention span of current generations is a lot lower and the amount of marketing messages and headlines has grown exponentially.
If I would ask you who the highest paid copywriters are on the planet, you expect that it is the internet marketers that sell their high ticket courses, memberships and other products. People like me, and probably you as well. But you would be wrong! The truth is, that it’s the people in advertising, and specifically the tabloids, magazines and blogs.
If you visit a news stand, just look at the headlines of the tabloids and magazines that scream at you. The headlines are often so outrageous and weird, that you cannot help yourself and stop what you’re doing and see if you read that right!
Is Your Sales copy Not Converting?
If people don’t read your headline or are not interested in your headline, chances are that they will never read the rest of your ad or sales page text. This means they will probably never click and that means that you will never sell anything.
And that is exactly what that headline should do! It should stop you in your tracks and focus your attention on the article itself. If you’re interested in the headline, chances are that you’ll pick up the magazine to actually read the article. And often the article is a lot less interesting than you thought.
But the headline did what it was designed to do: you have already purchased the magazine, which is the main goal for the publisher.
Translate that to online and it means that you click the article to read more, with all the additional ways the website can market stuff to you by keeping you reading.
So, it’s exactly the same online: you log out of your free online email account, and there is a wall full of headlines. One even more crazy than the other. Even if you think you’re not susceptible to that stuff, it’s difficult not to read any of them and to not click the article.
What I am trying to explain, is that effective headline copywriting is an industry in itself. And even through these copywriters make huge amounts of money, most of them follow a very simple formula. Even more so: there is pretty good software available that can do the work for you. Just replace the standard words in the sentences and you’re good to go!
Some examples of the best headline scripts:
HOW headlines
How To Survive xxxx (and Other Funnel Marketing Tricks)
How Risky Is Your xxxx?
How People Are Paying Less Than $xx For xxxx
How xxxx Are Changing The xxxx Industry
Other headlines
Little Known Ways To xxxx (e.g. Make More Sales)
VIDEO: Habits To xxxx In (this year)
Xxxx (the problem you’re facing) Leads To Terrible Things
90% Of xxxx Don’t Know About This Trick
Xxxx Expert’s Vision Of The Next 5 Years
Experts Select The xxxx Of (this year)
The xxxx (e.g. Online Marketer’s) Headache
The Average Salary of xxxx Will Shock You
Must-Have xxxx Products Being Sold For Next To Nothing
xxxx Are In For A Big Surprise
Protect Yourself From The xxxx Scam
Stay Safe When xxxx (challenge you’re facing, like “When Your Facebook Ads Stop Converting”
xxx Get A Ball Out This Year
The xxxx Site You Can’t Afford To Ignore
The xxxx Site You Can’t Afford To Ignore. Tips For xxxx
Stop Paying So Much For Your xxxx. 4 Simple Steps To Cheaper Rates
xxxx Turns $1.500 To $1 Million In Just 3 Years
Little Known Way To Save Hundreds Of Dollars On xxxx
Thinking Of Buying xxxx? Read This First!
Playing With The Coolest xxxx Ever
Apps To Get You Through xxxx
New Rules For xxxx
New Device/software/tool Prevents xxxx
This New xxxx App Is Almost Too Good To Be True
Revealed: Secret xxxx Ends In Disaster
Secret xxxx Strategy To Make More Sales
Question Headlines
Why xxxx Hacks Will Keep Happening
Which xxxx Are Most At Risk For Being Stolen?
Why You Don’t Need a xxxx
xxxx: Why The Traditional Advice They Sell you Is Wrong
What are xxxx Doing with New Funnel Marketing Funnels?
Why Can’t I xxxx (e.g. “Make More Sales”)?
You can see what all these headlines are doing, right? If you start with these “fill in the blanks” templates, you will have your attention-grabbing headline for your Facebook Ad, Google Ad or Sales Page in no time!
When you start using these templates you will finally understand the power of effectively grabbing your visitor’s attention. And once you have their attention it is your job as a professional copywriter or marketer to add value in the main copy.
It needs to be clear for your reader that this was not just a click-bait headline for an article that does not deliver in the end. Because if you use the power of effective headlines and your visitors do not find value in your article or landing page, you run the risk of losing them forever!
In this video I have listed only a small part of all the headlines I use for my ad and sales page copy. If you want to learn more, make sure to watch the next video where I continue with other headlines that will stop your visitors and customers in their tracks and make them so curious that they simply have to click your buttons and links. They are that powerful!
Want to see other examples of powerful headlines? Visit the link in the description for a FREE Headline Swipe File that I can send to you if you’re interested. Like almost everything I am offering you, it is completely free of charge.
To your success!
