Creating Headline Clenchers

Have a hard time developing headlines for adwords, webpages, press releases, and other online copywriting items? Here are a few tips to make sure your headline clenches your reader’s attention.

1. Determine your target market. Before you do anything you need to sit down and consider what your target audience is and what message you are trying to sell. For example if you sell web design services there are many options and niches for web design clients. Some areas of foucs may include ease-of-use, do-it-yourself maintenance, custom design, high quality, low-price, marketing aspects, or graphic intensive. If you are selling custom high-quality websites you will want to avoid words such as affordable, cheap, and fast. Instead you should choose words that present your idea effectively such as professional, custom, quality, reliability, or soild.

2. Use verbs/adjectives in your headline. This is not always possible but can have a very positive result if implemented properly. Make sure to use verbs/adjectives that have the desired affect of your message. For example if you sell cars you may consider verbs such as furious, elegant, tough, defined, racing, life-saving, refining, etc. You will note that some verbs define a luxury car and others may describe a muscle-car; that is why it is important to consider what idea you are trying to get across to your audience first.

3. Use questions as headlines. If there is a common question or problem that your clients have you could use that as a headline. We will go to the car example again; if you sell smaller cars then a good approach may be to emphasize the superior gas-mileage of your vehicles. A headline you could use is: “Sick of High Gas Prices?” You could even expand it a step further if you have room to include the answer: “Sick of High Gas Prices? Get a 50mpg Car!” Remember that you will want to include the answer to the question in the first sentence.

4. Describe a benefit or solution in your headline. Remember you do not want to list features of your products; many copywriters fail in this area. You want to offer a solution to a problem, not tout how great your product/service is. Using our web design service example you need to think about what problems having a website solves? It is a marketing tool, it provides customer interaction, it could provide customer service, it is an effective method of delivering information, in many instances it creates the initial impression of the company, or it is just a necessity of the electronic age of owning a business. Thinking of those issues you would not want to list features in a headline such as “PHP Based Website”, “Websites with Online Contact Forms”, etc. Instead offer a solution to their problem. A few examples could include “Get More Customers with a Website”, “Gain a Professional Image Online”, or “Save Money – Online Customer Service is the Key”.

These are just four simple suggestions to keep in mind when writing headlines for any type of online copywriting. Remember that in many cases website visitors will only read your headline and make the decision to read or not read further; make it count! It worked for you didn’t it? You are reading this article! If you have any questions feel free to post comments or contact Eric Morgan at MWI Web Design Services.