Read Me First!
By Lois Boyle-Brayfield, president and CCO, J. Schmid & Associates.

The importance of headlines cannot be underestimated. They are a critical part of the success of a campaign, the most important copy in the entire piece and often, they're written last—almost as an afterthought. The headline is more likely to be read than any other copy in your marketing materials, so don't waste the opportunity to make it as powerful as possible.

How compelling are your headlines? Understanding some general rules will help you create headlines that truly help sell your product or service.

Purpose
Consider the headline's purpose. Depending on the medium, the headline is prompting a different action on the part of the reader. On the back of a catalog, the headline is enticing the customer to look inside, whereas a postcard headline is vying for the reader's attention in a stack of mail.

Is it clear what you're asking the reader to do? If you are selling a product, tell customers how to order it. If it is a traffic generator, make sure customers understand they must redeem the offer in your store—and make sure you tell them where the store is.

Positioning
Focus on the positive—instead of describing your airline neck pillow with a headline that says, "Avoid neck strain," announce the positive with, "Feel refreshed when you fly!"

Avoid first person point of view. Customers respond better to "you" and "yours" than "me" or "I." And don't forget that the two most powerful words in advertising are "you" and "free."

Voice
Make sure it's easy to read—remember, the customer has to "get it" in an instant. It's tempting to get clever with headlines, but be careful with humor because your customers must get the joke or they're going to miss your message entirely. Don't assume that the customer is going to read all of the copy in order to be in on the joke, because most won't get that far.

You also must know who your customer is and speak directly to that customer. A great example of a multi-channel merchant that understands this is Duluth Trading Co. The creative team truly understands its customers and how to speak with them by delivering a consistent, relevant message in its catalog, Web site and e-mails. The copy uses the same language its customers use. In fact, much of the copy, including the headlines, is customer-generated. Headlines include, "Best darn T-shirt I've ever worn!" or "Your presentation jacket is one helluva coat!" This is unorthodox copy for sure. Will it alienate some? Yes. But is the tone relevant to its customers? Absolutely.

Typography and Layout
Font choice is also crucial—don't sacrifice readability for style. Sans-serif fonts are popular and make good design, but research shows that serif fonts are more quickly recognized and read. All caps headlines and initial caps on every word also decrease readabilty and should be avoided. Reverse type is another dangerous distracter.

When choosing placement of the headline, keep in mind that anything placed above the headline isn't going to get read. The eye typically locates the headline first, and then gravity pulls the eye down. This means that in general, the headline belongs at the top of the page.

Across the Channels
Once you have the basics covered, you should consider the unique requirements of the specific channel you'll be using:

• Direct Mail. Often in direct mail there are several headlines in one mail package—a teaser headline on the outer envelope, descriptive headlines on the enclosed brochure, a precursor on a letter, a call to action on the order form, and reminders and incentives on the accompanying inserts. Each headline serves a unique purpose (and you must understand its role), but it's also important that all serve to promote the experience of your brand as well as the products or services that you are selling. One important component of a direct mail package is the call to action. Calls to action should always be treated as headlines no matter which component they are on or where they are located.

• Catalog. Catalog headlines must always engage readers and keep them on a spread. To do this, spread headlines must be attention-grabbing and immediately tell readers what they can expect as a general benefit for the products collected on those pages. A headline should acknowledge the common theme of the products and make the customer want to learn more.

When it comes to individual products, benefit headlines usually outpull product-named headlines. If you are going to use product names, be sure to lead with your No. 1 benefit in the body copy or pull out the primary benefit in a subhead. Keep in mind that it is helpful to the reader for a product headline to be descriptive enough to mirror the picture of the product so the reader can make a quick connection between the two.

Don't forget within a catalog there are many opportunities to use headlines to inform, direct or engage the customer in brand differentiation—including: editorial sidebars, testimonials, page 2, back cover, even the front cover.

• Postcards. The postcard has the hardest-working headline of them all because of the amount of competition in the mail. You have a nanosecond to answer two questions: "Who is it from?" and "What's in it for me?" The first question is easily answered by the presence of your logo and the indicia. Use the headline to answer "What's in it for me?" by stating the primary offer in an easy-to-understand message—complex and multiple offers can dramatically depress response.

• E-mail. An e-mail has three headline opportunities: the "from" field; the subject line; and the headline in the body copy of the e-mail. The "from" must quickly tell who you are. Generally, shorter is better where the subject line is concerned. The number of characters available varies by e-mail provider, so focus on the first five to six words or risk losing them. E-mail as an advertising medium is offer-driven, so it's important that your subject line quickly speaks to that offer.

The headline in the body of the e-mail should create a sense of urgency to get recipients to click through and continue reading instead of hitting the delete key. The headline should be the primary graphic element and quickly state your offer.

• Web site. The rules for Web site headlines are similar to those of a catalog: Use the headline to capitalize on the theme of each page, and use benefit-oriented headlines opposed to headlines that just tell what the product is. Pay attention to your top-bar navigation—does it support your brand message? Why not supplement your logo and tagline with a headline message that changes seasonally? A navigation bar also can be considered a type of headline, one that is more directional in nature. Once you've led them to the product they're looking for, become more benefit-oriented.

So, how do your headlines measure up? Remember, always keep the customers in mind, making your headlines relevant while focusing on what you are asking them to do. No matter which media you are working with, headlines are a big part of your success, so consider developing them first.

---Source: Targeting Marketing Tipline Nov. 1, 2008 newsletter. Lois Boyle-Brayfield is president and chief creative officer of direct marketing agency J. Schmid & Associates. You can reach her at loisb@jschmid.com.