“Are You Ready To Learn The One Sentence That Will Add An Extra $1,542 Per Month To Your Business?”
If that headline grabbed your attention…
And you’re sitting on pins and needles to learn what this sentence is…
Well, you just read it!
The headline is the most critical piece of your sales copy, and there’s a reason why it’s all-important: if your headline is boring or doesn’t scream “THIS IS FOR YOU,” then your potential customers will go right by without giving you a second look.
But if your headline is strong, it means your visitors will read the second sentence… and the next… and the next, sucking in your information, your credibility, and your deal until it’s time to make the sale.
Want headlines that engage and sell? Listen and learn.
Watch Your Length
How long should you headline be? Typically, writers are taught the value of getting ideas across as quickly as possible, but when it comes to sales, that rule goes straight out the window.
The headline isn’t an exception. Make your headline long enough to clearly state what the product is, what they’ll get from it, and how quickly they’ll get the benefits.
Use uppercase, bold text, underlines, and highlighting to emphasize the most important parts.
You can also compound your headline by using a pre-headline to specifically get the attention of your target audience, or a sub-headline to deliver a more detailed picture of your benefits.
And what kind of benefits should you lead with?
Be As Specific As Possible
Customers respond powerfully to specific numbers and figures. We’re inundated by advertisements for all kinds of products offering vague benefits in a vague amount of time, and we dismiss most of them as hype and hyperbole – so if someone gives an exact percentage or dollar figure, we take it as a sign that we aren’t dealing with another generic offer.
Create Urgency
By giving your readers a reason to read more, you increase the chances that they will, which brings you closer to closing the sale. If there’s a deadline, a specific number of copies available for sale, or special information they’ll gain from reading the sales copy, put it in the sub-headline or near the top.
Create An Emotional Tone
There are lots of small factors that drive us emotionally, but when it comes to sales, they can all be simplified as the fear of loss or the hope of gain.
As you write your headline, try playing to the reader’s hope.
If you make them feel eager and excited, there’s a higher chance that they’ll read more of what you have to say. That does not mean that you should keep it entirely positive as some copywriters suggest – there are times when you should vividly remind the reader of how painful and stressful it is to have their particular problem.
But it’s best to be upbeat and reframe problems in the opening of your copy. Most of all, you should make sure that your headline – along with all of your writing – has some emotional tone to speak of.
Tested And Proven
Are you assuming that your headline is getting the job done? Think again. The only way to make sure that your headline is the best possible headline is to split test it against other headlines you’ve made stressing different benefits of your product. Once you’ve spent an extensive amount of time testing headlines and design elements, you have an optimized website that makes the most of the traffic it gets.
