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7Quick & Easy HEADLINE FORMULAS Your Instant Reference Guide To Creating Dynamite, Attention-Grabbing Headlines! Robert Boduch 7 Quick & Easy HEADLINE FORMULAS
Your Instant Reference Guide To Creating Dynamite, Attention-Getting Headlines!
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 Robert D. Boduch Features Benefits
Formula #1: The Ultimate Benefit – FAST & EASY!
When you’ve taken the time to list all the benefits of your product or
service, it’s much easier to begin formulating some excellent headlines. Decide
on the most attractive benefit your product offers. What one great advantage
does your product give customers? What unique advantage does your product
offer? Don’t just guess at it—talk to prospects and customers. Give them a short
list of 2 to 5 solid benefits your product delivers on, and then ask them to choose
just one.
What you hope to achieve with this little exercise, is to get actual
prospects and customers to identify the one benefit that is of supreme
importance to them . It could be a single benefit or, more likely, the “ultimate
benefit” of your product. Try to narrow it down to one powerful benefit and then
use that as your starting point.
A headline that’s centered around the most appealing benefit has a good
chance of attracting far more interest and attention than any non-benefit
headline.
Step #1: Identify Your Big Benefit
Step #2: Provide A Quick & Easy Way For Prospects To Experience The Big Benefit
“Quick and easy” satisfies the craving for instant gratification with little or
no work. What could be better than that? Not only are you promising the one
thing customers want most, but…. you’re also offering this in rapid time and
without much, if any effort on the part of the prospect. This is how you present
the ideal dream solution to your customers and prospects. Make sure your
promise is believable.
Specific solutions attainable in less time and with less effort. That’s what
prospects want… your job is to give it to them up-front in the headline. One way
to do it is to simply add the words “quick and easy”. Another technique is to quote
specific figures in terms of the time required, such as “10 days to…”, “30-day
plan for…”, “…in just six weeks” or “overnight”.
Examples
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Formula #2: The “Borrow It” Approach
This technique “borrows” ideas, words, phrases, and formats from other
headlines and adjusts these to suit. It takes individual components from existing
headlines and re-packages them to suit your product, service, or offer. Here, you
choose different headlines that you like, combine features of several to create a
hybrid. This technique works for both simple and complex headlines. You simply
string together a few parts that you like, and substitute your benefit or offer to
suit.
Never copy someone else’s headline, word for word. That’s theft. But no
one can take exclusive ownership of any word or phrase. You’re always free to
use any word or description in your own unique way.
It’s an easy way to put together a solid headline in just minutes. The key is
to find lots of headlines that you like and to have them ready, in front of you.
You’ll find plenty of examples within this manual package, but remain on the
lookout for others.
You never know when you’ll want to adapt a phrase or technique for a
headline of your own. With your own file of collected headlines, commonly
referred to as a “swipe file”, you’ll have a virtual resource center of adaptable
ideas and techniques.
Following are some examples of simple adaptations from original
headlines:
Original: “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano But When I
Started To Play!~” (John Caples)
Adaptation:
“They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano. They Stopped When I
Picked It Up.” (Gold’s Gym)
Original: Breakfast Of Champions! (Wheaties cereal)
Adaptation:
Breakfast of Millionaires. (Barron’s financial magazine)
Original: “What Four-Letter Word Do You Use When You Have To Write A
Check For Your High Healthcare Premium?” (Jerry Fisher)
Adaptation:
“What Four-Letter Word Do You Use After Stepping On To The Bathroom
Scale?”
Original: “To People Who Want To Write—But Can’t Get Started”
Adaptation:
“To People Who Want To Own A Beautiful House—But Can’t Get Started
With A Regular Savings Plan”
Original: “10 Ways To Lose Extra Weight And Keep It Off!”
Adaptation:
“3 Ways To Rid You Home Of Pests And Keep Them Away For Good!”
You can take virtually any effective headline and adapt it to your own
product or service. Try different options and arrangements. Insert a new word or
phrase. Try it out. You’ll see how easy it is to develop a great headline by using
parts of others to develop one that fits your purposes well.
You can add a new and interesting twist to this formula by substituting a
few words with powerful, provocative, eye-catching replacements. (Refer to
Chapter 9 for specific examples) Sometimes just one word can make a
substantial difference in readership and results.
Formula #3: The Brainstorm Technique
The brainstorming technique is an excellent way to generate innovative,
breakthrough headlines. This technique can be performed as a group exercise,
or individually. Both applications can work well to produce original ideas and
concepts that can lead to awesome headlines.
The idea of brainstorming is to completely free the minds of all participants
and to simply let the ideas flow —unrestricted and unencumbered—without
limitations of any kind. This free-wheeling, creative activity lets you generate an
infinite amount of possibilities.
The best way to brainstorm a headline is to think in terms of customer
benefits and stick to short descriptions of one to five words. Open up your mind
and let the creativity flow. Try to think of single words and phrases that describe
the benefits of your product or service.
It’s a liberating experience, one that can often provide a fresh new horizon
from which to base your promotional efforts upon.
There are 4 simple rules to follow for maximum results in brainstorming:
1. Place a time limit of 5 to 10 minutes on the actual idea generation
stage. This is the first step where raw ideas are produced and
recorded on paper or chalkboard.
2. All answers should be encouraged. No idea is a bad idea at this stage.
Every contribution, no matter how outrageous or ridiculous, should be
welcomed and recorded. Do not edit. Keep the ideas flowing. Spit out
as many as possible.
3. Stop on schedule. Don’t try to prolong a creative session. 5 Minutes is
plenty of time to gather lots of good ideas to explore.
4. Now, you can start to edit out some answers that don’t appear to be
on the mark. Take what’s left and work with those to formulate a
powerful headline.
Example #1
Product: Apples — Sold By Mail Order
Brainstorming Results:
Fresh, Delicious, Succulent, Vibrant Red, Fresh-Picked, Healthy, All-Natural,
Crunchy, Nature’s Finest Food, Pure Health, Pure Energy, From God’s Garden,
Nature’s Gift, Give Yourself A Lift, Bite Me, Ummmmm, Wow!, Organically
Grown, Individually-Wrapped, Wholesome, Too Good To Be True, Country Crisp,
Nature’s Finest Gift, From Nature’s Bountiful Basket, Fresh To You, Fresh-
Picked, Shipped Same Day For Peak Freshness, Rare, Hard To Find, Shipped
By Mail, Hand-picked, Tree-Ripened, Exclusive To Okanagan Valley, Sun-
Ripened.
Possible Headlines:
• Fresh, Delicious, Organically-Grown, Sun-Ripened Apples Like You’ve
Never Tasted Before—Delivered Right To Your Door!
• Give Your Family A Healthy And Delicious Treat From Nature’s Best
Garden.
• Indulge Yourself With A FREE Sample Package Of One Of Nature’s
Most Wholesome, Delicious And Nutritious Foods.
Example #2
Service: Gift Selection And Shopping Service
Brainstorming Results:
Choose The Perfect Gift, Show Your Thoughtfulness, Imagine Their Reaction,
Make It Right, Wow! I Love It!, Very Impressive, Stunning, Immaculate, Elegant,
Enchanting, Awesome, Considerate, Caring, Exquisite Tasteful, Choose Right,
Save Time, Forget The Hassles, Hate Shopping?, They’ll Love It—Guaranteed!,
Impress Them, Perfect Gift Solutions, Gifts On Target, On Time, On Budget,
Helpful Solutions For Busy People, Your Shopping Partner, Hassle-Free, Reap
The Rewards, Show You Care, Personalized Service, Prompt Delivery,
Beautifully Wrapped, Find It, Ideal Gifts, Delivered With Class, Shower Someone
With… (Love, Care, Attention) Guaranteed To Be Well-Received.
Possible Headlines:
• Show Them How Much You Care With A Custom-Selected Gift From
Magic Moments. We Find It, Pick It Up, Wrap It And Deliver It. You Get
The Credit.
• Show Your Exquisite Taste, With An Original Gift They’ll Never Forget.
• Impress Them With The Perfect Gift That Shows Your Thoughtfulness,
Originality And Exquisite Taste.
• Here’s An Easy Way To Find The Perfect Gift, Show Your Appreciation
And Demonstrate Your Exceptional Taste—Without Leaving Your
Office! 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!
Example #3
Product: Portable Water Filter
Brainstorming Results:
Is Your Water Safe? Kill All Contaminants, Kills Germs, Wipes Out Harmful
Pollutants, Enjoy Fresh Water, Double-Filtered, Safe, Healthy, Fresh, Pure,
Purify, Sterilize, Filter, Portable, Adaptable To Any Faucet, Quick Connection,
Travelers Companion, Works Anywhere, Fits In Any Suitcase, Compact,
Convenient, Taste The Difference, Delicious, Safe Water, Double The Protection,
Filters Invisible Contaminants, Take It Anywhere, Guaranteed Safe, Quality, Built
To Exacting Standards, American Made, Replaceable Parts, UV Sterilizer,
Rugged, Lightweight Steel Construction, Saves Big Money, Eliminates Costly
Bottled Water, Snaps Into Place Instantly, Ideal For —Cottage Owners, Boaters,
Travelers, Works Anywhere, Filters 57 Known Contaminants.
Possible Headlines:
• Travelers! Now You Can Enjoy Fresh, Safe, Delicious Drinking
Water— Wherever You Go! New Compact Device Filters And Sterilizes
Too For Maximum Purification!