Persuasive Copywriting Tips: How To Write An Attention-Getting Headline, Part 1

The headline is one of the two most critical leverage points in any sales letter or ad. (The other is the offer.) A strong headline can make a huge difference in influencing your prospect to continue reading. For that reason, it's absolutely critical to have a strong, powerful headline.

This article series covers 7 key tips for writing powerful, attention-getting headlines that pull your reader into your body copy. Use these tips as a guide for creating a headline... and as a test to determine the strength it.

Headline Tip #1: Flag Your Target Audience

I make a distinction between your target market and your target audience. Your target market represents the total number of potential prospects for your product or service. It is defined by certain shared characteristics with your existing buyers.

Your target audience, on the other hand, is the subset of that group who are most likely to buy from you. This represents your "starving crowd", and is the target you're aiming for. For example, if you sell a product to help people quit smoking, your target market may be smokers who want to quit... but your target audience will most likely be smokers who so desperately want to quit they are willing to try your solution, even though nothing else has worked for them. There's a subtle but important distinction here that can make all the difference in your results.

You can flag your audience either explicitly or implicitly. For example, if you were to explicitly flag your audience, you might come out and say, "Attention: Smokers Who Desperately Want To Quit..."

Alternatively, you can be a little more "smooth" by implicitly flagging your audience like this: "Introducing A Scientifically-Proven Method To Help Smokers Quit Cold-Turkey WITHOUT The Intense Cravings. Guaranteed To Get You Over The 'Hump' Or Your Money Back."

When flagging your audience, it's critical to have an understanding of who they are, what most resonates with them, and what problems they're really concerned about.

The best way to find out is to talk with your buyers in person. Interview them to find out what they were going through when they bought your product. You'll be surprised at what you uncover! I guarantee what you learn will help make not just your headline, but all of your copy much more powerful and focused on your target audience.

Headline Tip #2: Be Unique

One hallmark of a weak headline is it could be used by anyone selling a similar solution. Take the weight loss market, for example. "Lose Weight Now" is not a very powerful headline because there is nothing unique about it. Anyone selling any type of weight-loss product could use it.

On the other hand, the following headline is much more powerful...

"How To Melt Your Fat Away And Keep It Off For Good Using This Little-Known Detox Secret The Diet Industry Doesn't Want You To Know About..."

Notice how this headline is suddenly much more interesting as a result of communicating a unique idea. It's also more specific (Tip #5) and has an element of intrigue (Tip #6).