How to Analyze a Headline for Conversions in 4 Simple Steps

Want to make sure you're not wasting money on ineffective marketing messages.

Then do yourself a favor and take 4 or 5 minutes to gain this valuable skill ...

Discover how to identify great headline copy.  

It’s invaluable because the headline literally does 80% of the heavy lifting when it comes to a powerful sales message.

Plus, there’s a fairly simple way to go about auditing headlines.  So, you’ll be able to put this valuable information to use quickly.

Imagine seeing 2 to 10x returns on your marketing dollars just from having the ability to analyze a headline.

That’s what’s at stake here.

This isn’t some pie-in-the sky theory either.  

This is the exact method that the copywriting experts teach at the American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI).  They’ve got some living legends associated with their training system, so you can feel confident in this wisdom.

I rely on it to improve my client copy all of the time.  You should rely on it too.

Here’s what they say about headlines …

The headline needs to be arresting.  It can achieve this objective by arousing curiosity, or promising a direct benefit.

In addition, there is also the “4U’s” assessment that can be used to help you identify whether or not a headline can perform prior to sinking ad dollars into the campaign.

I used a special Google Chrome code, to manipulate copy on an existing website, so you can see the “4-U’s” assessment in detail.

Here is the Home page before my changes to the headline copy ...

Let's take an objective look at the headline from a copywriter's perspective. We'll test it agains the "4 U's" to see how it measures up.

"4 U’s” Assessment: (Score must equal 3 out of 4 for this to be considered a good headline

1. Unique?  Yes
2. Useful?  Yes
3. Urgent?  No
4. Ultra-Specific?  No

SCORE = 2 out of 4

Based on the assessment score, it looks like this copy can use some fine-tuning to improve performance potential.

In all honesty, I’m being lenient by giving this headline a score of 2, because the ultra-specificity is somewhat vague.

Here’s why ...

“Drive Results” can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

Now this is the same Home page after my changes to the headline copy (please note: the image and service feature revolve in real time, my changes are on the right side) ...

4 “U’s” Assessment: (Score must equal 3 out of 4 for this to be considered a good headline)

1. Unique?  Yes
2. Useful?  Yes
3. Urgent?  Yes
4. Ultra-Specific?  Yes

SCORE = 4 out of 4

I’m actually quite proud of this copy.

Here’s why …

Not only does it score a solid 4 out 4 in the assessment, it also provides persuasion on multiple emotional levelsl.

It invokes …

• Curiosity- because I actually want to see what these communications look like
• Laziness- because it promises that the process is easy
• Wit- because there’s a more precise way to follow up with prospects
• Greed- because it promises to shorten the buying cycle

Now that you know how to assess the effectiveness of a headline, let’s zoom out to see more of the tactics that a great copywriter would rely on prior to writing the first word of copy.

A great copywriter has a reliable process that will help him or her craft compelling copy in any niche.

The process should always start with avatar research.  If you want high-converting copy your copywriter must have a process in place.  No exceptions!

You’ll get next-level performance out of the copy when that avatar research comes straight from the mind and mouth of your target market.

A skilled copywriter also has more than 40 conversion elements at immediate disposal to make a sales message more persuasive.  So there’s a lot more to the copywriting stuff than meets eye.

Fortunately, you don’t need to master all of those things.

Just focus on getting better at assessing headlines, and it will have an immediate impact in your business.

Then you can stop throwing away precious marketing dollars on less effective sales messages.