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NICHE CONSULT

(Business Growth Magazine)

THE REAL ROLE OF YOUR HEADLINE

Dear Reader,

The first thing I want to say here is that your advert headline does not necessarily need to sell anything. You do not need your readers to grab from the first instance that you are probably selling something. People have evolved and can spot a sales pitch at one glance. This really turns them off in most cases.

Most times it is not like they do not want to buy your product or service. It is just that humans have a naturally built in sales defense. This defense gets stronger the more they perceive you are trying to sell something to them.

The normal human being when being sold to, immediately feels like you are trying to trick them to get their money and we humans hate feeling “used”. The worst is when you make exaggerated claims and begin to sound desperate. Desperation gives a very foul stench to your advertising copy, a stench that can be smelt from far away. Nobody will go close to it , infact it will be avoided.

People want to buy at their own will, without feeling like they are being convinced or tricked into it. Your job as a copywriter is to make them feel that NOW is the right time. You should make your own terms become theirs but this can not happen if they do not even get past your headline.

This is where the role of your headline comes in. The role of your headline is to snatch your prospect’s attention from whatever they may be doing at that point and listen to you. But that is not all, your headline is supposed to make your prospects read the second line of your copy. The role of your second line is to make them read the third line of your copy. Like that , every line must compel the reader to read the next.

It is your duty as a copywriter to compel your reader to read your advertising message in details, not skipping any information at all. Today, we are focused on just the headline.

Let’s take a Copywriting Training/ Course as example.

Headline 1: “BUY THIS COPYWRITING COURSE FOR $400 AND GET $50 DISCOUNT”

Headline 2: “HOW TO PITCH ANY CLIENT NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT”

Which one do you think will get more attention? Definitely, headline 2 will. This is because it hits a major pain point of copywriters, marketing agencies, business owners and even professionals who are trying to market themselves. Whether they are inexperienced, entry level or seniors in their fields, they would want to know more.

Once they get past your headline, then your second line has to do it’s job effectively to keep them reading but by then, your headlines have helped you cross one major hurdle which is getting their attention in this fast moving world where everyone’s attention span gets shorter and shorter everyday.

What do you think is the problem with headline 1? It’s really not so terrible for a headline, the discount is quite attractive but imagine you are a prospect going through their social media fees or surfing the internet looking for copywriting and advertising tips and you bump into this kind of headline. There is a high chance you will scroll past it because your first natural instinct in this scenario is definitely not to immediately spend money. You are trying to see if you can get some tips online for free if possible. Some prospects may even think it is a scam and will not even click to open the full post ( that will be really sad for the copywriter).

This headline ( headline 1) may only work effectively when your audience already know about you and may have built an amount of trust or may know you and had previous intentions of making a purchase. This will not work for fresh prospects you may be pitching for the first time .

Another example of captivating headline we will look at is the “TOVA Ad by Gary Halbert” below.



THE AMAZING “FACELIFT IN A JAR” USED BY HOLLY WOOD STARS WHO WOULD LOSE THEIR JOBS IF THEY DON’T LOOK THEIR BEST.

Even if you are not a Hollywood star and have no intentions of becoming one, you would stop and read because the idea of a “FACE LIFT” appeals to everyone and Hollywood stars are idols to so many people.

The “FACELIFT IN A JAR” brings to your audience awareness, a huge benefit, something of great interest. Who doesn’t want a face lift without the part of going through a surgery. This ad probably had their audience saying things like “how can a facelift be in a jar?”, “ how does this work?”, “Does that mean I don’t need a surgery or Botox anymore?”. These are curiosities they will be itching to satisfy, thus keeping them glued to your sales pitch. This is how marketing geniuses pitch, persuade and convert clients using everyday words we use on WhatsApp without exaggerated claims

The truth is people don’t really care about the name of your product till they know of what importance it is to them. Therefore your headline should first bring to your audience awareness ,the best performance or functionality of the product rather than the physical product.

If we go back to the “TOVA AD” we will see that attention was brought to the functionality of the product which is the fact that using it will make you look like you had a face lift. Rather than saying something like, “BUY THIS CUTE FACIAL CREAM FOR JUST $30”. There are a billion facial creams in the market which may even cost less so why should anyone look at this particular one.

It is also important to understand that as much as your headline captures your audience attention to your copy, that is not where your copywriting job ends. Once you get your prospects attention, you must keep them reading without getting confused or bored.

The headline only gives you that one-time opportunity, opening the stage for you to perform. So you have no choice than to wow them!!