How To (Quickly) Write Fun, Enticing Headlines
Eliminate distractions, banish fear and GO.
Writers suffer from creative paralysis. It’s in our DNA.
However! I have a counterintuitive secret: A little discipline and structure get the creative juices flowing. Here’s what to do before, during and after a headline writing brainstorm to ensure success.
Before the brainstorm…
- Eliminate distractions
I like to sit in a place that’s not my own desk. I intentionally forget my phone, I quit my email (while laughing maniacally) and I play wordless music. - Banish fear
Creative paralysis happens because we want things to be perfect immediately. Not gonna happen, my friend. In fact, much of what you’re about to write will be straight up trash. Tell your brain that things are about to get messy, but everything is going to be all right. - Start the countdown
A half hour to an hour is more than enough.
During the brainstorm…
- WRITE. Go until the time runs out. Don’t delete anything yet, even the stuff you know is no good. This phase is all about production, not evaluation.
- Know where to aim your word vomit. The more you brainstorm, the more you’ll recognize which lines are working and which aren’t. Focus your efforts on the nuggets that have potential. Here’s an example.
Direct mail piece for Ivor Andrew
Recently, my company put together a care package to send to contacts in the food industry. We packed a mini cooler full of chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers. Recipients were told to 1) microwave some delicious office s’mores, and 2) consider our agency if they just so happened to need marketing help. A cute, thoughtful and tasty surprise gift.
We had the gift itself figured out, but we still needed a little personality on the outside of the box, before the box of s’mores was opened. The screenshot below is my actual headline brainstorm for the lines on the outside of the s’mores box. Check them out.
Remember when I said you need to know where to aim your word vomit? Check out the line, “to share or not to share? that is the question.” That line is no good, which is why there weren’t any more like it.
But with the very next line, I knew I was onto something. “Classic campfire snack inside. X not included.” was rich with possibility, and I decided to explore that idea a little more.
You can also use an existing line to immediately inspire a better one. “lonely cooler inside. open immediately.” is strong, but “there is a cooler in this box. it is scared of the dark. please open immediately.” is cuter and made better use of urgency.
As you write, evaluate on the fly and focus on lines that are rich with potential.
After the brainstorm…
High five yourself for being so clever. Share the work internally and get feedback. Include your recommendations if there are lines you’re particularly drawn to. Pray the client loves the work as much as you do.
Take a short break, then do s’more work.
If you’re curious which lines from that screenshot wound up on the box, it was the acoustic guitar one and the first impressions one. The acoustic guitar line would not have existed if I hadn’t explored the idea further.
A final piece of advice: don’t trash the lines that didn’t win. Instead, return to them periodically. At worst, they’ll be good for a laugh at what an incompetent writer you used to be. At best, they’ll be the catalyst for your next big idea.
