News
 6
Hardworking Headlines that Keep on Working
By Dean Rieck
The headline is responsible for about 80 percent of
your response. It is imperative to write one that
works. So here are six headline flavors that have
been proven over and over in millions of print ads.
1. Say it simply and directly. No cleverness. No
jokes. No wordplay. Just get right to the point and
say what you have to say. This works particularly
well with strong offers, solutions to clear
problems, recognized brand names, and product or
service types that the reader is familiar with.
- Pure silk blouses ... 30% off
- The Ultimate Tax Shelter
- Free Money
- The first one million Americans who respond to
this incredible offer will receive Kiplinger’s
CA-Simply Money for FREE.
2. State the big benefit. This helps select your
ideal audience and relays your main selling point.
If you’re offering a discount, say it. If you’re
offering something free, scream it.
- Now! Moonlight Your Way to a Million Dollars.
- Create your own cards, posters and banners in
minutes!
- Get a FREE vase when you buy a dozen roses.
3. Announce exciting news. Casting your headline in
a way that suggests news, rather than just
advertising, can have the same powerful appeal of a
feature story in the morning paper. Key “news”
words: New, Discover, Introducing, Announcing, Now,
At last, Finally.
- At Last, American Scientists Have Created the
Perfect Alternative to a Mined Diamond!
- Introducing the newest idea in cross-training.
From NordicTrack (of course).
- Now program your VCR by simply speaking to the
revolutionary VCR VOICE programmer
4. Appeal to the how-to instinct. We all have an
impulse to improve ourselves and our lives. The
secret here is to focus on a need or want of the
reader and promise to fulfill that need or want
quickly and easily.
- How to stop smoking in 30 days ... or your money
back.
- How You Can Profit From the 3 Greatest Service
Businesses of the Decade!
- How to do Central America on $17 a day.
5. Pose a provocative question. Asking a question
directly involves your reader. However, your
question cannot be random or clever. It must relate
directly and clearly to the major benefit of the
product. It must also prod the reader to answer
“yes,” or at least “I’m not sure, but I want to know
more.”
- Do You Make These Six Common Mistakes On Your
Taxes?
- Gotten a speeding ticket lately? Read this.
- How do I know which mutual funds may be right for
me?
6. Bark a command. Many ads fall flat because they
fail to tell the reader what to do. Commands allow
you to simultaneously be direct, relay a benefit,
and take a commanding posture. It’s not
conversational. It’s dictatorial, but in an
acceptable way that readers have come to expect in
clear writing.
- Be today’s complete drafter.
- Find anyone, anywhere, any way you want!
- Draw the shades, bolt the door ... and enter a
world of mystery, suspense and terror.
Dean Rieck is
president of Direct Creative, a full-service
creative firm. E-mail:
DeanRieck@DirectCreative.commmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Melissa Data
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