Copywriting Handbook Notes - Chapter: Headlines
Let me start by saying - this has been the book I've needed to read for years.
After a failed business idea last year, I've refocused my efforts on my copywriting skills.
Not just writing blogs for the sake of it. But writing to sell.
Practice makes perfect - and practice I do.. I'm back to writing everyday... but reading also helps hone in my skills, so it's time to read some crazy amount of books over the next few years to really understand how advertising actually works and become an absolute copywriting God...
Wish me luck.
Copywriting Handbook Notes (Robert Bly)
Introduction to the book
Professionals don’t care if adverts entertain, look good, make people laugh, whatever. They care about an increase of sales.
The goal of advertising is selling.
Copywriting is selling behind a keyboard/typewriter.
When your advertising asks for the order out front, wit a price and a place to buy with NOW included in the copy, that’s hard-selling advertising. It should be tried before any other kind.
Advertising is usually most beautiful when it’s least measured and least productive.
Humorous ads can be troubling as people remember laughing at the ad, but not the benefits of the product.
Copy cannot create desire. It can only focus the desire that already exists in people. The copywriters job is not to create desire, but to channel it.
For your copy to convince people to buy, it must do three things.
- Get attention.
- Communicate
- Persuade.
Chapter 2: Headlines
There’s too many ads nowadays. You have to work to get the attention of people.
There’s 6000-7000 scientific pulished daily. The amount of technical information doubles every five and half year (wow).
In all forms of advertising, the first impression can be the difference between success and failure.
The headline is the most important thing in an advertisement.
Five times as many people view your headline as read your body copy. When you’ve written your headline, you’ve spent 80/100 of your pound.
Putting a new headline on an existing ad could increase the selling power ten times.
Sales appeal is the most important thing, not clever wordplay or gimmicks.
The best headlines appeals to people’s self-interest or give news.
Examples; Kraft Foods “How to Eat Well for Nickels and Dimes.”
The four functions of the headline:
Get attention
Select audience
Deliver a complete message.
Draw the reader into the body copy.
Get attention.
Appeal to self-interest
Give reader news.
New, discover, introducing, announcing, now here..
Free is most powerful word in the copywriter’s vocabulary.
FREE.
Other power words attention-getting;
- How to
- Why
- Sale
- Quick
- Easy
- Bargain
- Last chance
- Guarantee
- Results
- Prove
- Save
Don’t avoid these words. They work.
“Free new report on 67 energy growth stocks* - Meryll Lynch
Get attention in the right way – but selecting the audience, too.
Select the audience.
If you’re looking for old people, no point gathering curiosity from teens.
Similarly, if it’s for rich people, say “THIS IS FOR THE RICH!”
You want to select an audience Not everyone is going to like you.
“is your electric bill too high?” – Utility
Deliver a complete message.
Four out of five people read the headline and not the ad copy.
May also include selling promise/brand name (many don’t)
Draw the reader into the body copy (4)
Some products need a lot of copy to sell, others not so much
The more complex the situation, the more copy (generally)
You have to draw them with curiosity into the body copy to sell them.
Do this with humour, intrigue, mystery.
“What do Japenese Managers have the American Managers sometimes lack?” – motivational pamphlets.
Eight basic headline types
- Direct
- Indirect
- News
- How-to
- Question
- Command
- Reason-Why
- Testimonials
The Four Us for effective headlines
Urgent – urgency gives the reader a reason to act now. “Make 100,000 from home this year” is better than “Make 100,000 from home”
Unique – the power headline says something new – or at least in a fresh way.
Ultra-specific – better to be ultra-specific than to be general… - “What never to eat on an airplane”
Useful – the strong subject line appeals to the reader’s self-interest by offering a benefit. “An invitiation to Ski and Save”
Things to consider:
Does the headline promise a benefit or reward for reading ad?
Headline clear and direct? Point across quickly?
Specific as it can be?
Is it fresh and get the attention with a strong sales message?
Does the headline relate to the product? (avoid sensationalist headlines)
Does the headline and visual work together to form a total selling concept?
Does the headline arouse curiosity and lure people into copy
Does the headline select the audience?
Is the brand name mentioned in the headline?
Is the advertiser’s name mentioned in the headline?
Avoid blind headlines - things that don't make sense without the copy of the ad underneath.
Avoid irrelevant wordplay/puns.
Avoid negatives
A technique to produce a headline
- · Who is my customer?
- · What are the important features of product?
- · Why will the customer want to buy the product? )What product feature is most important?)
When I have the answer to the last question, that is the key selling proposition.
Try writing a dozen headlines for ad.
Final word of chapter:
Headlines get attention.
Enhance the sales message, don’t focus on the creative.
Don’t be clever/obscure the selling message
Too many ads are produced on entertainment value. Because it sounds dull, it might work. For example: “Handling Surific Acid” – for a chemical engineer, they will read it.
That’s the end of tonight – perhaps there will be chapter two tomorrow!