The first objective any promotion must achieve is to capture the attention of your potential customers. This includes print ads, sales letters, flyers, radio commercials, television commercials, signage and websites. The way you attain this is by pushing the biggest hot buttons your potential customers have. Hot buttons include the fears, frustrations, difficulties, desires, pain and/or annoyances people possess in regards to selecting and using your product or service.
Using Hot Buttons
Here’s an example. A software company introduces the first program for businesses that provides instant routing and tracking of field employees. The biggest hot button for employers regarding not being able to track their field employees uncovered by surveys is, “knowing where your field employees are at all times.” Your headline might be: “Finally, you can know exactly where all your field employees are every second of the day just by looking at your computer screen.”
Here is an example of a business faced with stiff competition. The product is workers’ compensation insurance for small business owners. Survey results reveaedl that the biggest fear employers have concerning workers’ comp insurance and agents is “being ripped off.” Your headline might be: “5 ways to make sure your insurance agent won’t rip you off with high workers’ comp premiums.”
Both of these headlines capture the attention of the prospect.
Writing headlines
There is much to know about writing headlines. Here is a quick checklist of some of the things to do and avoid:
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Only use headlines that push hot buttons. |
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Use emotion in your headline so it impacts and impinges. Capture attention with emotion. Once you have their attention, present a logical solution.
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Generalities fail to impinge and are rarely believed. Rather, use specifics like, “7 ways to avoid” or “The 90 second solution to... |
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Stay away from puns or trying to be cute. Double meanings create confusion, are seldom hot buttons, don’t capture attention and fail to promise solutions to perceived problems. |
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A headline should be clear in its interpretation and be able to stand alone as a meaningful statement. It should paint a picture within the minds of your audience, like all of the samples included within this section. |
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Headlines don’t have to be short, as long as each word has a purpose. Thus, if removing a word from a headline reduces its emotional impact, keep it. For example, in the heading, “ Finally, you can know exactly where all your field employees are every second of the day just by looking at your computer screen”, if you extract the words finally, exactly, or just, you’re removing emotional words, thus weakening impingement.
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If you use a photo at the top of your ad or promotion, make sure your headline makes it clear what it is supposed to communicate. Photos can take viewers in endless directions. You want to ensure viewers go in the direction that will enhance the headline and increase impact.
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Here are a few effective headlines:
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(auto repair) How to avoid choosing a repair shop that will overcharge you and mess up your repairs |
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(restaurant) 4 reasons why you should try our restaurant if you love eating out |
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(kitchen remodeling) 10 reasons why our customers can't wait to show you their kitchens |
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(financial planner) Within 6 months you’ll be laughing at money worries, if you follow our 12-step program |
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(dentist) 6 reasons why people dread going to the dentist and how we overcame all of them |
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(coffee cafe) What the Local Starbucks Doesn't Want You to know |
These headlines capture attention and make it easy to create copy that will involve the readers, interest them and get them to take action.
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