Tested Headers that Sell. How to write headlines that catch, trip and stop your audience dead in their tracks.

"If the point is sharp and the arrow is swift, it can pierce through the dust, no matter how thick." - Bob Dylan

Wanted: Publicists who need
to ink world-class media releases that land
clients on page 1 of a major newspaper.
Could that be you? If not, how does the
thought of penning releases with an ROI
of a two-page spread in your top industry
magazine or in the fluffy final segment
of a network newscast grab you?

Mmm-hmm. I thought so. And the place to
start is at the top. Of the page that is. Ever
consider that the header of a press release
and an advertisement's headline have the
same function as the title of an article? (Or book?)
You know that’s to have the content be seen,
heard, read, and then talked about all over.
Now, publicity may not cost a red penny to
place, but c’mon, are your releases resulting
in the media space they could be getting? Enticing,
imaginative yet credible wordcraft is the way to go.
You score stories with winning headlines.

Advertising copywriter finally
unveils her secret weapons for
publicists to write more persuasive
news release headers.

Ad pioneer James Webb Young said a top
headline can bring in as much as 50% more
inquiries. Likewise, headlines will make or
break your publicity efforts. See for yourself.
While interesting, each of these contains flaws:
what are they?

New York Women Survive Man Shortage by Joining
Activity Club for Friendship and Fun

2004 Winner of Essay on “Yoga and World Peace” Announced

How to Get the Gold Out of the Golden Years
[Yes, even this How-to can be tweaked to sizzle]


If you can't identify the flubs in these PR headers,
don’t worry. Simply put the power of this cheat sheet
to work in your next release!

Tia’s tact: use these surefire ways to create a terrific
headline or improve an existing one.

THINK: Unique, with benefits and singularity

1. Lead with: At Last! Announcing! New! Introducing. Finally. Now.

2. Round up your audience. Publicists! “calls in” my target audience.

3. Promise a benefit. A whiter wash, freedom from pimples. Benefits = why people buy. Sell the cure, relief and not the remedy, prevention.

4. Don’t just make it newsworthy. Make it new news. Major Breakthroughs in Car Safety. Seven “Lost Secrets” Discovered. People devour newness. Announce the new; improvement of old; new methodology.

5. Ask an intriguing question. What are the Seven Secrets to Success? is open-ended. And involves your readers.

6. Lead with a testimonial. “This is the most powerful weapon I’ve ever seen!” (Clint Eastwood). Dialogue has life; it attracts. Quotes capture attention. And increase recall by an average of 28%.

7. You can add sheen to any header by adding the word “How.” How to Win Friends and Influence People is still one of the best selling books. “How” offers helpful information. Helpful information = new news. It’s read by 75% more people than copy which deals only with the product.

8. Use the words “these” and “why” in your headline. Why These Skis Are Called “Perfect” is an attention-grabbing statement. Curiosity sells.

9. Quiz your readers. People love quizzes. (How’d you do with the one here?) How Smart Are You? Take This Quiz and See! Involvement.

10. Include the word “wanted.” Wanted-Nervous People. Wanted-Safe Men for Dangerous Times. Wanted whets the inquisitive appetite.

11. Put your product name in your headline. Releases are glanced at. Putting your company name in the header helps deliver some of your message. Just don't make your (or your client's) company name the focus of your headline. Instead, write a riveting headline and slip your name in it.

12. Dramatize the benefit. "Sound Pillow" Lets You Sleep with Neil Diamond! People crave action. (And money likes speed, remember?) Dramatizing benefits is one way to show excitement. Boring bores.

13. Use a before-and-after statement. The Wrong Way and the Right Way to Hire A Lawyer (or Buy a Used Car). Showing how your product can make a difference is a good thing. What's really happening here = comparing what people have (a problem) with what you have to give (the solution).

14. Toss rules 1-13. That is, if you can. (And now that you know what they are - you can). Look, the picture of the traditional press release = header + feature story. And that is acceptable in many arenas. But it's no longer the norm. Especially if you want radio & TV coverage. There, sensationalism sells. Just ask the 1st-time, unknown author who got same-day release calls for 2 radio interviews and 1 for television the next off this header: Michael Moore Gets Shot In The Arm. Canadian is first to do what no American Can. Now, the author has never met Mr. Moore. Was the content credible? Absolutely. Is the headline an example of imaginative writing? Well, the release was e-mailed and relied 100% on its header to even be opened. Was the client happy? No. She was ecstatic.

Your headline competes with a minimum of 350 others in the
average newspaper. And in a world where consumers (your end-user) offer consistency of reactions to different kinds of headlines, (so says Gallup and a host of other commissioned research) doesn’t it pay to put these tacts to the test?

Build your client’s business. And nurture your brand
by being known for copy that sells. A winning header
is now a simple step. Let me know how it grows.

Do you realise the magnitude of difference between one
advertisement and another? Says John Caples, the doyen
of direct response copywriters: 'I have seen one advertisement
sell not twice as much, not three times as much, but 19 1/2 times
as much as another. Both advertisements occupied the same
space. Both were run in the same publication. Both had photographic
illustrations. Both had carefully written copy. The difference was
that one used the right appeal and the other used the wrong appeal.'
The right appeal. The charge of a damn good copywriter.

Want to have a list of words that sell? Go to tiadobi.com and email Tia with this in the subject line: Tia. Give me the list!