Copywriters and journalists alike know the power of a well-written headline. Even with that knowledge, many people continue to underestimate how critical a powerful headline is in determining the success of an article, advertisement, press release, website, or marketing document of any kind.
Whatever type of marketing document one is interested in, it is vital that the title is compelling enough to grab the attention of readers. If the headline is not good, it is unlikely that the document will be read, or at least not as much as the document deserves.
Since the success of a marketing document depends on the attention that the title attracts, it is important to pay special attention to the use of the right words. To get started, your headline needs to specifically target your prospects. If your title doesn’t “speak” to the people you love, you’re likely to have little success with the document itself. Any results achieved with a marketing document will be directly proportional to the quality of its headline. Headlines should arouse interest and capture attention.
If your headline is not successful, your document will not be read, no sales will be made. Many people will read the title text, but only a small percentage will read the rest of the document. Half of your writing time should be spent developing a headline. If you develop a great headline that grabs the reader’s attention, you’ll have a much better chance of getting what you’ve written read.
However, a great headline cannot guarantee that your copy will be a success. The body of the text should also explain the benefits expressed in the title. Although a great headline can lead to the success of a document with good or even excellent content, the opposite is not true. A headline that leaves a lot to be desired can doom good or even great body content to go unnoticed.
Writers must keep in mind that all headlines must be useful to the reader. The reader should feel a sense of urgency as he reads. A great headline conveys the idea that ‘this benefit’ is unique.
Headlines that trigger strong emotions are often successful. It is important that a headline offers the reader a reward for reading. Big headlines are believable but also intriguing.
Writers have a variety of headline styles to choose from. However, the style of the title should be directly related to the style of the body content. Some owners are called “direct owners.” These headlines simply state the selling proposition in a very direct way. ‘Indirect titles’ take a more subtle approach than direct headlines. This type of headline can use the reader’s curiosity to invoke continued reading. ‘News headlines’ are written like a press release. It usually reads ‘How to make headlines’. Other types of titles include: ‘command titles’, ‘question titles’, ‘testimonial titles’ and ‘reason why titles’.
By understanding the power of a great headline, one realizes the importance of paying close attention to headline development. By creating intriguing and believable headlines that pique the reader’s interest, a writer can be sure that their documents will be read more often.