Your Marketing Magnet

Advertising legend David Ogilvy said: “When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your marketing dollar.” Because “on average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy.”

Whether designing your brochure, flyer, website, press release, newsletter, E-zine, Blog, press release, ad or Social Media posts, the most important part of your content is the headline since it is what determines if the reader will read on.   

The right headline can be the difference between a wasted written marketing campaign and one that brings you tons of business. In fact, research shows that just changing a few words in your headline can increase the return on all your marketing communications by up to 21 times – regardless of the style, size, format, publication or offering your brochure, flyer, website content, press release, newsletter, blog, Social Media post or ad is distributed in.

The copy you’re creating could bring you 5, 10 or even 20 times the response you are currently getting. So it pays not to leave your headline to chance.  Rather it is best to devise 3 headline variations and test each against the other. One is sure to pop-out and produce a greater response.

So here’s my secret to writing captivating headlines:

Examine Other Great Headlines – The easiest way to create a captivating headline is not by taking someone else’s words and using them as your own. It’s by examining their headline, understanding its structure and underlying principles. What do you find appealing about this particular headline?  How did it peak your curiosity??  Use this same format to create our own enchanting headline.

While in line at the grocery store last week, I noticed the cover of a woman’s magazine with a headline that read: “THE HOLLYWOOD DIET TRICK experts won’t tell you about (but we will)”.

Do you know why it caught my eye?  It wasn’t just about another diet gimmick.  Rather the headline was based on the “you’re losing out because no-one is willing to let you in on this secret formula that I’m now going to tell you” principle that is very powerful because no-one like to feel like they’re being left in the dark!

Even if you’re not an “advisor” in the dieting industry, this same headline can easily be applied your profession and work well. Take mortgages for example:

“The secrets of the mortgage game … and why not knowing the rules could cost you $100,000”

Or accounting – “$5,000 of legal tax deductions the government doesn’t want you to claim (but we do)”

Notice how these examples compare to the headlines you normally see in these industries as well as those you come-up with.  Which are you more likely to read?

To Your Success,

Feel free to post a comment on my Blog, share this article with your colleagues on Facebook & Twitter (if you find it beneficial) or give me a call to let me how my marketing advice is working for you!

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Founding Publicist, Prime Time PR and former editor PRtalk (Canada’s only online marketing/PR magazine that she created to help small business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, book authors and marketing directors understand the differences between advertising, marketing, PR, sales & promotion) turned marketing/PR coach, consultant, trainer, speaker, columnist, author and TV Personality, Janette Burke, creator of “The Magnetic Marketing/PR Process ^TM“ (TMMPP) – her customized, 1:1 & group, cost-effective, step-by-step, guaranteed to get-results-now marketing/PR coaching and training system, is ‘Your Marketing Magnet!’  To discuss the many ways she can help you effectively, efficiently and affordably publicize, promote and take your business to the next level, call: (905) 882-6893; E-mail: janette@yourmarketingmagnet.com or visit: www.yourmarketingmagnet.com