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The Three C's of Writing an Excellent All-Purpose Headlineby Steven Boaze
Since the headline is the first contact your readers have with your message, it must reach out to them. Promise them a benefit. Tell them how they will be better off if they read the rest of the ad. Use action verbs. Save ten dollars is a stronger heading than Savings of ten dollars because of the verb. Headlines can be classified into the
following five basic types; effective headlines frequently combine two
or more of these kinds. News HeadlinesThis form tells the reader something he
or she did not know before. Using the word news does not make it a news
headline. "Now - a copy machine that copies in color" is an example of
this type headline. Advice and Promise HeadlineHere you are promising something if the
reader follows the advice in your ad. "Switch to Amoco premium, no-lead
gasoline, and your car will stop pinging." Selective HeadlineThis headline limits the audience to a
specific group. For example: "To all gray-haired men over forty."
Caution! Be absolutely sure you do not eliminate potential customers
with this type of headline. Curiosity HeadlineThe intent here is to arouse the
reader's interest enough to make him or her read the ad. The danger is
that this headline often appears "cute" or "clever" and fails in its
mission. An example: "Do you have trouble going to sleep at night?" Command or Demand HeadlineWatch out for this one as most people resist pushiness, especially in advertising. "Do it now!" or "Buy this today!" This headline generally can be improved by changing to less obtrusive wording such as: "Call for your key to success!" One common misconception about
headlines is that they must be short and easy to understand. This is not
always true. Here is a headline that was used extensively in print ads
by Ogilvy and Mather for one of their clients: At 60 miles an hour, the
loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock. IllustrationsThere are three primary reasons for using illustrations in an advertisement.
Everyone has heard, A picture is worth
a thousand words; in advertising, the illustration frequently helps the
reader visualize the benefits promised. You can almost feel the warmth
of the tropical sun when you see the photos in January travel ads. Cost
and practicality may dictate whether your ad uses photographs, artists'
drawings or merely canned artwork. Any of these can make the ad more
appealing to the reader's eye. CopyIf you follow the three principles of good copy, your ads will be effective:
Clear, crisp and concise... the three C's of copy writing suggest that the words in your advertising message merely do a good job of communicating. Do not use big words when small words can make your meaning clear. Use colorful, descriptive terms. Use the number of words necessary to make your meaning clear and no more-but also no less! Selecting the right words is critical to the success of the ads. Recent research conducted at Yale University found that the following 12 words are the most personal and persuasive words in our language.
Notice the overused word "free" is not on the list. REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOUR MESSAGE IS PRINTED IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS INSTEAD OF UPPER- AND LOWERCASE LETTERS, IT IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE READER TO FOLLOW AND REMAIN INTERESTED. EVEN IN HEADLINES ALL CAPITAL LETTERS SHOULD BE AVOIDED. Copyright © 1998-2003 Boaze.com Steven Boaze (Chairman) is owner of
Boaze.com which houses and controls 5 websites and provides Web
development services. He is also the author of Hidden Secrets to
Business Marketing and 12 Step Remedy to a Successful Ezine
along with numerous articles on marketing and advertising published by
Boaze Publishing. |
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