The Politics of a Great Headline

                                                                                         

Election time is just around the corner and candidate’s are out in full force pushing their campaigns with posters and signs on every other corner. Add this to the regular influx of ads hitting the streets every week and you’ll realize how, now more than ever, your headline makes or breaks your ad. Whether your doing poster printing or putting together a new flyer campaign, your headline is the crux of your advertisement. It will either compel your reader to continue reading, or turn them away before they've seen your product or offer. What makes an effective headline, though?

First of all, your headline should speak to the reader's emotions rather than their logic or intellect. For one, you simply don’t have the space in a headline to expound on all of the rational reasons for someone to buy the product you’re selling. Emotional responses, however, can be created with nothing more than short phrases or even single words. Additionally, strong emotions motivate people to take action. The more powerful the emotion, the faster the resulting action will be. Those political campaign posters I mentioned are excellent examples of this. Single words, like hope, change and security have driven countless political careers and they can be just as effective for your business. When writing your headlines think about words and phrases that inspire wonder, excitement, curiosity or even fear, and you are certain to grab the reader's attention.

One of the keys to effective headline writing is to communicate potential benefits to the reader. This has an added benefit of setting up an expectation of what will follow in the ad itself. When you get down to it, the customer is going to be looking at your add and asking themselves, “What am I getting out of this? How does this help me?” You need to make sure you that you have something real to offer and that it is clear to the reader. Those political ads miss the mark here, in most cases. Take a look at one and you’ll notice that the candidate’s name is more prominent than their headline and there is typically little substance in the ad. Instead make your headline the prominent feature of your ad and make an offer you can follow up on, be it a new product or a reduced price.

Above all, though, keep your goal in mind when writing your headline. That is, to make a sale. This is what your reader is expecting when they read your ad. They know you have something to sell, so don’t play coy. Use direct, imperative language in your headline. Strong verbs and direct phrases like “What you need!” or “Don’t miss out!” can create a sense of desire or urgency in your potential customer that will get them to act on your ad. Again, look at what they political ads are asking. In short, “Vote for me and I’ll give you change, or hope, or protection, or whatever.” Make sure your headline is just as clear and concise.

Your Headline is going to be the first thing your potential customer sees when they glance at your ad. If it loses their attention, you’ve lost a potential sale. Put at least as much thought and care into creating your marketing headlines as the current crop of presidential hopefuls and have your customers clamoring for four more years.

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