Why Headlines Are So Important To Your Success!

Some call them headlines,tag lines; others refer to them as”catch lines”
or “tie-in-slogans.” Whatever the words used to refer to them, they are
perhaps the most important part of your promotional writing.

Do you recognize any of these ? :

“Like a good neighbor…”

“Your in good hands…”

“It’s the real thing !”

“Fly the friendly skies”

“The quicker-picker-upper”

Most of those head lines are recognizable by us without even including
the name of the company or product.

They summarize in a very few words the essence of the thing
they are promoting. They communicate a positive feeling
or relationship to the product. They do it with a memorable
phrase that is easily repeated.

The shorter the description is, the more challenging it is to
write. Anybody can write a 400-word description of a product
or service. Now try doing it with 5 to 10 words ! Each word you
choose is very important to the message.

Here are some excellent tips for writing good headlines for your
business offer.

1) Start by noticing advertisements on billboards as you walk,ride or drive down the
street,road or highway.  Billboard advertisers have but a few seconds to
catch your attention to sell their service or product.

Mostly their copy is going to be a very good headline with a picture of the service or product.                                                                                                                                                                                         These are great examples of how to write effective headlines.

2) Be aware of other media forms like newspaper and magazine display
ads, business cards, brief radio and TV commercials. Observe the
thing that caught your attention and makes the message easily remembered.
It’s usually a concise and well-written headline.

3) Write down everything you can think of that relates to your business.
You may even start with a narrative description in paragraph form.

4) Now, make a list of the top 15 or 25 things that are important and
worth mentioning. Shrink that list down to 8 or 10 of the most important things
you wish to convey.

Now eliminate repetition or things that are not really that relevant  to your service or product.                                                                                                                                                                                       Get your list of words or phrases down to 3 or 4 central elements.

5) Based on your final core selection, make up some phrases which will
serve as your headlines for consideration. Use short and simple,
everyday language.

Which of these headlines would you remember best ? :

“Joe’s auto repair shop, the lowest-prices and the best service”
OR
“Quality Care For Your Car !”

“The Best Tax Service Anywhere Around The Town !”
OR
“Your Tax Experts At Work !”

“Emergengy ambulance service available 24-hours a day”
OR
“When Minutes Count!”

Well, you get the idea!

Do some test marketing with your final two or three best
headlines. Discover the one that works best for you and
incorporate it into all of your promotional messages.

Remember, like any of life’s endeavors, experience and
practice help to improve your skills level. If you want to
be a good writer, write a lot !

Best of luck in your promotional efforts.