| |
| |
|
WebsiteAlways |
|
Five Tips for Writing Eyeball-Grabbing Headlines
If you made it this far, the headline for this story has caught your attention. Hot headlines are a hit with readers because they stick out, grab attention and urge them to read the rest of the story. We're all experiencing information overload and have made it a habit to skim pages. According to David Ogilvy, a successful advertising writer, "Five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy." Sounds like we need to treat those headlines like trying to get our foot in the door. It doesn't matter if you're writing a sales letter, Web page content, email, or an article. Pulling together a handful of powerful words and putting them ahead of the content is more likely to grab eyeballs than just going right into the story, letter, or content. Despite our success with newsletters, we continue to learn how to add more punch when writing headlines. Here are the tips we have learned and try to apply: Try summarizing the content in 10 words or less and make it your benchmark. Play with it until you come up with something snappy without being unbelievable. Another way to go about it is to treat headlines like a billboard. Speeding cars make it easy to overlook the billboard's message, so it better be short and simple. Another option is to have your colleagues review several headlines and pick which works better. Work smarter not harder when writing headlines and make a whizbang first impression. Expend as much energy in the headline as you do writing the rest of the content. If that doesn't happen, then few will read beyond the headline. Here are some typical words to help you get rolling: Advice... Facts... Last Minute... Save... Amazing... Finally... Secrets... Announcing... Free... Luxury... Security... At Last... Growth... New... Show Me... Bargains... Hate... Obsession... Breakthrough... Here... Only... Share... How Much... Protect... The Truth Of... Discover... How To... Rewards... Yes... Do You... How Would... Sale... You... # Tips... # Ways... Don't Buy... Don't Spend... There is no rule that says headlines have to be dull, flat, or full of technical jargon to ensure professionalism. Go have a ball writing headlines. Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl's notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn't wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.
MORE RESOURCES:
Copywriting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
3 Tips For Writing Better Headlines The single most important element of your website's copy is the headline. Take away practically everything else and you can still manage a sale (if the headline's good enough and you have a strong enough call to action). Professional Writing: Six Great Reasons to Hire a Writer Most people can write. Some can even write well. Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine-Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor-Friendly When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a big role. You want to have excellent copy that appeals to both your visitors and the engines in order to create pages that will rank highly. How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill that will come in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in, say, copywriting, you'll be that much more ahead of your competition. How To Take Your Freelance Writing Chances Your initial freelance writing assignments are the best way to present yourself to your client for repeated work. If you provide for them a good product, at a good price, they are likely to come back time and time again. How To Really Connect With Your Customer In Your Copywriting One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is voice. This is probably because it's tough to set general rules for something that's so personal to each of us. Copywriter Trick Unveiled: How to Write Better Copy Faster "Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book. How To Get Started With A Career In Copywriting Careers in copywriting are booming. Could it be that the new and ever growing market on the Internet has helped to fuel this demand? You can bet your sweet keyword that it has! With so many businesses looking to the internet for their freelance copywriters the demand for employees keeps growing. How to Write for a Paper or Magazine l. Introduce yourself to the editor of your local newspaper. No-Holds-Barred Conversation with Dan Lok - Part 1 Question: If you were starting out and had no references or a substantial resume, how would you go about finding paying customers for your services?To answer your question, I'll assume you're a junior copywriter or marketing consultant.When I first started out and didn't know a soul, I'd open the yellow pages and cold-call the business owners. The Truth About Negative Commands (Dont Read This!) Everyday when I read promotional emails and advertisements, or listen to television commercials and dialogue in shows and movies, or hear people around me in everyday life use commands such as the following examples, I feel dismayed for them.This is because I understand something that many others do NOT!And, since learning what I now understand, while I am BOMBARDED every day from all directions with commands like those listed below, in all their variations, I feel worse and worse for not speaking up!I feel especially badly for all those advertisers out there who are ignorant about this, because I also realize they are often sincerely excited about what they are sharing and are working very hard to attract the attention of others. Top 3 Rules for Writing Effective Copy One thing all successful Internet marketers have in common is that they're good copywriters. If you want to have a profitable online business, you need to know how to write a copy that motivates people to buy your product. More Insider Secrets to Great Copywriting - Judging Your Target Market This week we're going to reinforce the training that Recruits of my Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp are drilled on. In case you didn't read my last article we covered what you MUST do before you write a single word of copy. Copywriting for the Web: Do You Have What It Takes? In the world of web copywriters, many will try, but few will succeed. What category will you be classified as? Hopeless failure, or smashing success?Well, that's a foolish question, right? You want to be successful, of course! You know that you can razzle-dazzle 'em with your knock-'em-out, drag-'em-down copywriting skills. The Formulas Freelance Copywriters Employ When Creating Web Content What is it exactly that copywriters DO when they produce new text for a site makeover? You often see the advertisements; a designer is looking for a freelance web writer who is going to create content around a number of keywords. There's not a lot more information about the process. How to Write Ad Copy that Sells When I write copy for my advertising clients, I always check to make sure the three key elements are in place. 1. Boost Your B to B Marketing Copy: 3 Major Copywriting Blunders and How to Correct Them When you're writing or evaluating copy for a B to B marketing (also referred to as b-to-b or business to business marketing) campaign of any kind, you may think it's only appropriate to write formal copy in which you refer to yourself as "we" or "our organization" and let lots of other copywriting basics fly out the window.Sadly, these sorts of mistakes are the result of the major misconception that you have to be cold and impersonal in your copy if you want to seem professional. Advice From Successful Freelancers: Starting & Maintaining A Freelancer Career For the e-book, Advice from Successful Freelancers: How They Built Their Careers & How You Can Too!, I asked ten questions of freelancers who were living their dream life. Following are some of their answers. Freelance Writing As A Career Most people would love to make a living from freelance writing. If you tell people that you are a freelance writer, chances are that they will respond by telling you about their own desire to be a freelance writer. Web Copy - How Much is Enough? These days, there's widespread acceptance that a website is an integral part of the marketing plan of any business. Likewise, it's commonly accepted that web copy is a vital component of any website.
|
| Interesting articles | Home | site map | Link |
| © 2006 |
