No one is reading your post? It’s the Headline!

The sole purpose of writing an article online is to get it read. Whether it’s a blog post, a sales letter, a networking email, all the efforts wouldn’t matter until someone reads it.

What is the purpose of your headline, your fonts, and your graphics?

It’s to catch the viewers’ attention, pull them in and compel them to read the first sentence of the article.

Every accomplished copywriter will tell you, various elements of you copy; the headlines, the sub-headlines, the graphics are all very important. They must all be pointing towards a single goal; to get the first sentence read.

Guess what, the purpose of the first sentence is to get the second sentence read! And, so on and so on leading towards an offer and finally the sale. This element is crucial to any copy intended to persuade the reader to respond to a call for action; leading to a sale or subscription to your newsletter!

The writing should present a persuasive point of the benefits of the product to keep the reader engaged and continue down the path to a call for action. It is a step-by-step process. All persuasive arguments are geared to generating an emotional connection to the product’s benefits and the immediate solution it promises to their urgent problem.

Once you understand the objective of the copy, you’ll appreciate why it’s critical for it to contain the following elements:

• A strong and compelling headline
• An immediate focus on the benefits to the reader
• You must make them a promise that you later fulfill
• You must back up all claims and provide specific proof.

It is important to keep the writing clear, simple and easy to read and maintain a conversational style. You can make it highly effective by using bullets and numbers to highlight each benefit for clear understanding.

Now that we understand the importance of the headlines, how do you write the ones that work? What are the types of headlines catch reader’s attention?

The copywriter superstar Bob Bly puts them under eight headline categories:

1. Direct Headlines
2. Indirect Headlines
3. News Headlines
4. How-to Headlines
5. Question Headlines
6. Command Headlines
7. Reason Why Headlines
8. Testimonial Headlines

The Direct Headline goes right to the point of the offer, the selling proposition. For example, ‘Free special report on secret traffic generation method.’ And, it calls for an action.

An Indirect Headline, on the other hand, would take a little subtle approach. It creates a curiosity in the mind of the reader, raises a question which the body then answers. For example, Blogging you way to the bank or, Google is broken, Exclusive interview with an eBay Power seller.

A News Headline provides information on an actual event or occurrence. It could be a product announcement or an event like; Apple introduces new and improved iPhone or, Apple’s Steve Jobs calls for a press conference.

The How to Headline promises solution to an immediate problem followed by Step-by-Step instructions on completing the task. Like, How to Shave 3 Strokes Off Your Golf Score in 3 Days.

A Question Headline must be a question that the reader can empathize with and would like to see answered. He has to read the copy body to learn about the answer. For example; Is Facebook advertising for you? Or, Can you really make money online?

A Command Headline clearly tells the prospect what he needs to do. The first word should be a strong ‘verb’ demanding an action. An example; Click here for your free special report now!

The Reason Why Headline is another effective way to grab a reader’s attention. The body of the text will contain numbered list of product features or tips, which you then incorporate into the headline statement. For example, 21 success secrets of self made millionaires, 7 Habits of Most Successful People.

The Testimonial Headline is very effective since it presents third party validation, outside proof that you offer great value. It‘s what someone else said about your products or services. It’s in the form of an one-line excerpt of their actual words in quotation marks in the headline, which continues in the body copy. For example, “I was able to get over 130 JV Partners.”

Happy Writing!