Writing Headlines | Business Web Factory

How to write compelling benefit orientated headlines…

The headline is the main reason people will read your article, offer or advert.

If you can capture their interest with a powerful sentence or phrase, you’ll get over 80% more response than with no headline at all.

Be quick!

Considering that your visitor has initially no reason to stay, it is not surprising that their behaviour dictates that the headline must take no more than 5 seconds to read. You must capture their interest immediately, otherwise interest in another link will have taken them elsewhere.

Seek out your targeted customers

To improve your chances of attracting the visitor to read on, make the headline specifically targeted to a defined type of customer. That way you can highlight the key benefits they will receive for reading the rest of the page that are important to them.

Offer them a reward for reading the rest of the copy

By putting some form up up-front-contract in the headline that offers them a reward such as free advice, or a free report, or a discount coupon, then your visitor will be persuaded to read the rest of the page to find out how to receive this reward.

Use power words and phrases

Used sensibly, the power words below will initiate more interest, curiosity and response than others used in the same way. For each headline you work on, consider these power words and how you can use them to improve their attractiveness.

Here is
Now
New
Announcing
This
Why
Advice
How to
At last
Who else
Powerful
Wanted
Which
Amazing
You/Your
Incredible
Breakthrough
Introducing

Choose a headline style that suites the product/service and the reader

Below are example headline styles for you to try.

The most powerful headlines are known as benefit headlines. These present the primary practical benefit that you are offering.

Information headlines offer the reader specific information that will benefit them in some way and reading the page will provide advice or vital information to help with their problem.

Other example styles:

Benefit headline:
Who else wants…
Curiosity headline:
When was the last time…
Testimonial headline:
“If it wasn’t for…”
News based headline:
Netflare introduces new gadget…
Offer headline:
Try this amazing…
Information headline:
How to get…
Command headline:
Bring this coupon…
Boastful headline:
Barcham Trees – Europe biggest container tree specialist.
Emotional headline:
Why live in fear when…
Benefit & Emotion headline:
Here’s how to protect your family…
Prediction headline:
Interest rates set to increase…
Cheeky association:
Netflare and Microsoft website share…

6 headline tests:

When you have drafted several headlines for your article, offer or advert, run through the 6 questions below to see how it can be improved and how each headline compares.

Does the headline offer a reward for reading the copy?
What specifics could you add to make it more intriguing?
Does the headline trigger a strong emotion in the reader?
Does it present a proposition that will get them nodding?
Could your headline benefit from a proposed transaction?
Can you add an element of curiosity to your headline?

Use question headlines carefully

Writing a question for a headline is not a problem so long as you understand that a closed question, ie. where the reader can reply yes, no or ‘I don’t care’, then there is no reason to carry on reading.

Measure the success of your headlines

For every headline you write, there will be at least 2-3 alternatives you have thought of. The only person who can decide which is best is your reader. Switch the headlines over a period of time and measure the performance of the page by looking at your webstats.

Summary

Use a powerful and compelling headling to make it impossible for your visitor to pass by without reading on. Always look to see how you can improve it by checking through the headline test. Constantly measure the success of each headline to find the one that works best.