“On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
David Ogilvy said this, and I couldn’t agree more.
On that note, here are 4 of my favorite hacks to write better headlines.
These aren’t formulas or templates.
But general angles or principles on which headlines can be written.
Here we go:
𝟭. 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀
There aren’t a lot of elements that can seduce prospects like numbers. They’re easy to consume and, most importantly, objective.
When prospects exactly know the quantity of something, they’re more likely to click.
𝗘.𝗴. 5 signs you need to read Kushagra’s post about copywriting.
𝟮. 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽
Opening a loop in a headline is like having single chocolate from a big box. YOU CAN’T HAVE JUST ONE. YOU WANT MORE…
The cue invites the reader and makes them read line after line after line until they’ve reached the end of the copy.
𝗘.𝗴. I did 100 pushups daily for 100 days. What happened next blew my mind…👇🏻
𝟯. 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
The simplest way to generate curiosity is to ask a question in your headline.
It’s like a mental takeover that persuades the reader to complete the puzzle in their head. They’re likely to look for an answer if they’ve read a question.
The how-to formula is one of the best question structures for a headline.
𝗘.𝗴. How to win friends and influence people?
𝟰. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺
This type of headline can attract a lot of controversy and attention. But if you justify the bold claim in the rest of the copy, it’s all good.
Bold claims are usually made by saying something completely absurd or opposite to a prospect’s belief system.
𝗘.𝗴. Breaking News: You don’t need to starve like an early human to have those shiny set of 6-pack abs. Here’s how to get them fast without fasting…