I just used a simple 3 part formula for my topic headline, and here you are reading this post.
Would you like to know my simple recipe for magnetic headlines?
It's not a complicated formula. In fact, once you hear it you may be amazed at how obvious it is.
I first discovered this formula about 10 years ago when I read the classic book "Tested Advertising Methods" (edition 4) by John Caples. And like many new things I learn in this life, at that moment it changed my entire world.
Some of the more experienced copywriters among us already know this secret sauce for winning headlines.
But if you don't know it yet you're in for a real treat, because this simple 3 part checklist is so powerful, it's been used by some of the greatest copywriters who ever lived. And it's been at least partly responsible for billions and billions (that's billions with a "B") dollars in sales.
OK, let's break it down so you can see how simple it really is. Then you can use it any time YOU write a headline.
Bear in mind you might not be able to use all 3 parts in every headline you write. But if you can at least squeeze in 2 of them, you'll have the makings of a world class headline.
The 3 parts are...
- Newsworthiness
- Curiosity
- Self Interest
See... I told you it was pretty obvious, right?
Take my headline for this post,
Introducing a Headline Formula Guaranteed to Pull Readers Into Your Copy
Newsworthiness was represented by the word "Introducing". It's an overused word in headlines these days, but it still invokes an aire of "I'm about to learn something new". Just like reading a news story.
Curiosity comes from ayone who's interested in knowing a formula for winning headlines (like when you first saw the headline, didn't you want to at least know what the formula was?)
And Self Interest is what the entire headline revolves around. Anyone attracted by it wants to know how it can help them write better headlines. And the self interest anchor is the word "Your".
Of the 3 parts, self-interest is the most powerful because let's face it, nobody cares about our offer until they can feel how it'll benefit them.
Newsworthy and curiosity are basically siblings, because most people read the news out of curiosity to know what's going on in the world. So those two are pretty equal.
But if I had to choose one for a mass market, I'd say curiosity is more universal. On the other hand, news can be far more powerful depending on timing and how emotionally charged the current news cycle is.
So there you go. A simple 3 part formula, that if you can implement it correctly, is Guaranteed to Pull Readers Into Your Copy...
Of course we always need to make sure we get our headline out in front of the right audience. So choosing the right market and the right medium comes first.
But that's a topic for another day.