The Undeniable Power Of A Headline

Copywriters as well as journalists know the power of a well written headline. Even with that knowledge many people continue to under rate just how critical a powerful headline is in determining the success of an article, ad, press release, web site or marketing document of any kind.
Whatever type of marketing document one is concerned with it is vital that the headline be compelling enough to grab the readers attention. If the headline isn’t great it is unlikely that the document will get read, or at least not read as much as the document may deserve.
Since the success of a marketing document depends on the attention attracted by the headline it is important to give careful consideration to using just the right words. To start, your headline should specifically target your prospects. If your headline doesn’t “speak” to the people you want it to you are likely to have little success with the document itself. Any results achieved with a marketing document will be in direct proportion to the quality of your headline. Headlines should arouse interest and grab one’s attention.
If your headline isn’t a success your document won’t be read, sales won’t be made. A great many people will read headline copy but only a small percentage will read the rest of the document. Half of your writing time should be spent developing a headline. If you develop a great headline that draws the reader’s attention you stand a much better chance of getting what you’ve written read.
However, a great headline cannot guarantee that your writing will be a success. The body copy must also explain the benefit(s) expressed in the headline. Although a great headline can lead to the success of a document with good or even excellent content the opposite is not true. A headline that leaves something to be desired can condemn good or even great body content to go largely unread.
Writers should keep in mind that all headlines should be useful to the reader. The reader should feel a sense of urgency as he/she reads. A great headline conveys the idea that ‘this benefit’ is unique.
Headlines that trigger strong emotions are usually successful. It’s important that a headline offers the reader a reward for reading. Great headlines are believable but also intriguing.
Writers have a variety of headline styles to choose from. However, the headline style should directly relate to the style of the body content. Some headlines are referred to as ‘direct headlines’. These headlines simply state the selling proposition in a very direct way. ‘Indirect headlines’ take a more subtle approach than direct headlines. This type of headline can use the reader’s curiosity to invoke continued reading. ‘News headlines’ are written as a news release. ‘How to headlines’ usually get read. Other headline types include: ‘command headlines, ‘question headlines’, ‘testimonial headlines’ and ‘reason why headlines’.
By understanding the power of a great headline one realizes the importance of giving a great deal of consideration to headline development. By creating intriguing and believable headlines that spark an interest in the reader a writer can be certain that his/her documents will be read more often.