8 out of 10 people will read your headline, but 2 out of 10 will actually read through the article. That’s how essential good and catchy headlines are.
Let’s just dive in on how to create headlines that your audience can’t help but be attracted to.
Table of Contents
The basics
A headline is made of different elements.
And when you mix and match these elements, coming up with ideas is easy.
The three standard sections of a headline are:
- Preheadline
- Headline
- Post-headline
You won’t always need them all.
Although, in each one of these sections you can include different elements.
This means you can create lots of different headline combinations.
Pre-headline
Call out the audience
You can either call out the avatar (For all marketers…)…
…or call out their problem (For all marketers sick and tired of rising CPMs).
Point or agitate the problem
“If after the iOS14 update your agency lost clients because you can’t deliver the same results…”
Credibility
Does your product have a credible source, spokesperson, or history?
“Mark Zuckerberg said this system can erase the iOS14 effect.”
Proof
This is evidence of why your system works.
Social proof
Who or what backs up your point?
Mechanism of the solution tease
Tease is what mechanism makes your USP (unique selling proposition) work.
“Thanks to a script of code you install in your server…”
Mechanism of the problem tease
Tease the real reason why your audience is struggling with a problem, that they might not be aware of.
“It’s not about the targeting or tracking, your CPA skyrocketed because you’re missing…”
Urgency
Incentivize people to act now.
Scarcity
(If applicable)
Headline
Big promise
The amazing outcome you want your customer to get.
Mechanism of the solution
How can their problem be solved?
Story/hook tease
“How ex-clients begged me to manage their Facebook campaigns again.”.
Post-headline
Address skepticism or common objections
You know what’s keeping people from buying.
Let them know your answers to those concerns.
Credibility and social proof
It takes time to get people to trust you.
Establish it not only with authority but others who back you.
Dismiss alternate popular solutions
“This system has nothing to do with Interests targeting, having killer creatives or upsells.”
Timeframe/immediacy
Explain how long it takes to get the outcome.
CTA to consume the rest of the page
People have limited time and attention spans.
Getting them to consume your entire page is a big factor in getting them to buy.
Are you writing headlines… or slogans?
Wander the halls of the internet for a few seconds and you’ll run across a group of sites that make the same problem with their landing page headers:
They’re writing slogans, not good header copy.
Here are a few examples of what we mean:
- Finally, a CRM to love
- Make Work Wonderful
- Thrive Everywhere
Headlines like these leave us wondering… What does that even mean? How? Who?
They’re more like campaign slogans than gripping headlines.
When it comes to homepage or landing page headers, customers want information.
They need to be hooked. And if they’re not hooked right away, they’ll leave.
What should you write instead?
PersistIQ’s original homepage header provides a great example of what good copy looks like:
“The outbound automation tool designed for small teams.”
This is good for two reasons:
- We know exactly what their product does (outbound automation).
- We know what makes their product unique (it’s built for small teams).
We’re hooked. Imagine if the PersistIQ landing page header read:
“Sending emails has never been this pretty.”
This is a flashy line of copy. But it tells you nothing.
In closing, we recommend making it clear who your header copy is for, what it does for them, and how it helps.
Maybe it’s not as fancy or exciting to write, but it’s certainly more effective.