Copy Skills: More Ninja Headline Skills (Mad Skills!)

January 19, 2008

First impressions count, and that is why your headline is so utterly important. Important enough to be re-visited in this second post about headlines.

Casual Joke Insert: Sleeping on a corduroy pillow will give you head lines. (DRUMROLL PLEASE, MAESTRO)

Apart from being the hook to get your readers to read your message, your headline can actually BE your message. The gist of it can be represented with just a few words in your headline.

In The Copywriter’s Handbook, copywriter Bob Bly sets forth eight time-tested headline categories:

DIRECT HEADLINE: No attempt at wit or cleverness, just getting straight to the point e.g. Aliens Ate My Dog!

INDIRECT HEADLINE: The purpose of this is to elicit curiosity which is satisfied in the main body of the message e.g. Left in the dark during exams (this could be about power failures or going blank in the middle of an exam).

NEWS HEADLINE: Works best if you’re actually dishing out actual news e.g. Rugby Coach Resigns.

THE “HOW TO” HEADLINE: This method of encouraging further reading works well, especially if your “how to” guide is of interest to the reader e.g. How to keep that New Year’s Resolution.

QUESTION HEADLINE: This creates immediate thought from the reader (hopefully), thus engaging him and hopefully provoking him to read on e.g. Is She Cheating On You?

“REASONS WHY” HEADLINES: This technique is often used to demonstrate the topic of the main body e.g. Reasons Why You’re Not Safe On The Streets Anymore.

TESTIMONIAL HEADLINES: A celebrity or someone of worth or interest to your readers adds clout to your message e.g. Oprah admits to being a fan of WritersForHire.co.za.

ACTION NOW HEADLINES: There is an immediate and clear call to action in the headline e.g. Lose Weight In Ten Weeks, Guaranteed!

For more on writing great headlines, check out the Magnetic Headlines series on Copyblogger.

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