5 Tips For Beginner Copywriters to Boost Your Headlines
Write headlines that compel readers to read the whole piece.
Writing good headlines can make or break your copy.
That’s because only 20% of people read past your headline. Or in other words, 80% of readers aren’t interested enough to bother reading the body. So if the headline’s the only part of your copy they read, it better be good.
Here are 5 tips from David Ogilvy (the ‘Father of Advertising’) to boost your headlines.
1. Make a promise
Let the reader know in the headline what benefit they will get from your product.
Don’t make them wait to read it later in the body. Forget suspense — you’re not writing a mystery novel. Let them know how the product will benefit them straight away.
Put the promise front and centre in the headline because they might never get to your body to find out the details.
2. Include some news
You gain interest by including some news — by letting them know the product isn’t the ‘same old.’
Answer these questions in the headline:
- What’s new?
- Why should they be interested in the product?
So if it’s a new product, say so. Or if it’s a revamp of an old product, say so. Or if it’s a new use for an old product, say so.
Readers aren’t interested in the product if they think they’ve seen it all before — let them know what’s new about it in the headline.
3. Offer some helpful information
People like actionable advice. So signal it in the headline.
This is no big surprise — we’ve all read 100s of ‘how to’ blogs. But there’s a reason there are so many of them: Because they work. These attract readers. So let readers know they’ll learn something from your copy. Something useful.
Try including these words in your headline:
- How to
- Tips
- Hacks
- Tools
4. Be specific
Put words in your headline to identify your target reader.
Especially if it’s a niche audience. For example, if the product targets women who play rugby — signal this in your headline. The more niche the audience is, the more important the specifics are.
For another example, look at the headline of this article. Including ‘for beginner copywriters’ in the headline shows exactly who I’m writing this for. It may lead to fewer people reading it. But the people who read are more likely to engage.
So use specifics to reach the people who will benefit from the product. The people who are more likely to read all of your copy.
5.Clear > clever
Your headline needs to communicate what you want to say in the clearest way possible. That’s it.
So don’t try and be smart. Or mysterious. Because we’re not writing a novel.
And only 20% of readers get past your headline.
This means that even if you can write vivid metaphors or great puns, most readers won’t read far enough to discover what they mean.
So don’t be smart. Be simple and clear. And telegraph what your copy is about.
