smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Whether you are writing headlines for sales letters, job or product advertisements or email newsletters, your objective should always be same: you need to grab the interest and attention of your target audience.

The most important part of any advertisement is the headline, which should be eye-catching – you need to use it to hook your customers in. They will use headlines to decide whether they read on or not, and unread copy will not help you sell your products. If you’re stuck for inspiration, then follow these five tips to help you write winning headlines.

a) Your headline should be need-based

You need to establish a desire in your customers, and suggest that the product or service you are offering is something they want. Try to decide what would make you buy the product and consider the audience you are writing for. It’s a good idea to look at tabloid and broadsheet magazines and newspapers for some ideas on headline writing, and to get a feel for which words appeal to which audience.

b) Use tried and tested words that grab attention

Words such as ‘new’ and ‘free’ work well as they are eye-catching and will encourage curiosity on the part of your readers to find out more. Other key words that can be useful are words related to announcements, such as ‘how’, ‘how to’, ‘discover’, ‘solve’, ‘introduce’, ‘advice’ and ‘wanted’. Featuring special offers, or the price in the headline can also be effective.

c) Try to suggest the feelings of ‘quick’ and ‘easy’

You can draw customers into the rest of your offering by suggesting that you have a product or benefit that is quick and easy to get. However, ensure that you make the headline believable – supporting it with facts and figures can help you achieve this. But avoid headlines that simply state facts, as your audience will know what you are trying to say without having to read any further.

d) Don’t put everything in capital letters

Your headline needs to be as clear as possible as you will only have a few moments to grab a customer’s attention, and although capital letters stand out, they make the text harder to read, so don't put everything in capital letters. Don’t be afraid of writing long headlines – a long headline that conveys a message can be more powerful than a short headline that says nothing.

e) A personal touch can work wonders

For example, if you are using email as a marketing tool, it can be a good idea to put the letters ‘FW’ in front of the headline, as it looks as if you are forwarding it from someone else, and this can add a more personal feel.

There are no hard and fast rules for writing headlines that sell – the key is to keep on testing your ideas and styles until you find one that works. A good way of testing whether your headline is getting the right message across is to test it with a group of people, such as your friends and family, without telling them what you are trying to sell.

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