How to Supercharge your Headlines

Use these easy and tested tricks to turn your headlines into irrisistible people's stoppers

by Monica Di Santi

July 19, 2020

Compelling headlines are the most outstanding copywriting element. A headline goal is to target the right prospects, call thier attention and make them read the next line.

The first step to succeed is to know your audience thoroughly. This way you'll be able to offer them something they crave or a solution to a problem they have. Add a good knowledge of your product and your competition's activity, and you're ready to start writing a simple and persuasive statement.

The most important task your headline has to do is to grab a passer-by's attention. Your headline has to make them stop because they realize that headline has something in it for them.

As a general rule a headline has to be:

Useful

Headlines have to provide pragmatic information that readers can put into practice easily to achieve a goal.

If the prospect’s problem is obesity a headline talking about a revolutionary way of losing weight could be useful to somebody who has already tried several methods and failed.

If prospects are looking for a way to pay their debts, a headline announcing a free analysis of their personal situation and a free plan to pay their debt quickly will be useful.

Ultra-especific

Address your prospects' need with a particular product or service they can relate to and they would be interested in reading more.

If your audience wants to lose weight, maybe not all them want to do so for the same reason. Some want to lose weight to see themselves sexier and younger but others may want to lose weight for health reason.

If you include this kind of information in your headline it will be ultra-specific.

Unique

Your proposal has to beat your competition, offering readers a deal they can't resist. Packages with bonuses work well.

Most people are bombarded with around 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day. As you can imagine, they have prolific experience in reading offers that look the same or are very similar.

Here’s when you have to consider offering them something they’ll find unique. Maybe you can offer them a recently discovered method to lose weight without dieting or exercising. Of course this has to be real, not a made-up story.

Urgent

As human beings we like to procrastinate, so one way to trigger the fear of missing in your readers you have to state that this wonderful opportunity will be available only a few days. After that date, it will be gone for ever.

Tricks to Supercharge your Headlines

1.Address a specific audience in your headline: Name who will benefit most from this opportunity.

27 of The Best Exercise for Beginners to Try at Home --- Menhealth.com

12+ High Paying Technology Jobs for Software Engineers and Computer Programmers --- Hackeroom

Financing Basics For First-Time Homebuyers --- Investopedia.com

FREELANCE WRITER FEST STARTS FRIDAY! (Register for FREE Now!) --Awai

Small business owners, this one's for you---Wix

2. Make a reference to authority: Including the name of a well-known authority in relation to your product will push interest.

Powerful Book from the #1 Penny-Stock Trader on the Planet [Yes, the whole planet!] ---Daily Reckoning

10 Best JK Rowling Books That Make You Love Fiction Even More ---Lostbooks.org

6 Brilliant Tesla Inventions That Never Got Built --- History

3. Use Urgency: State there's limited time to get this product at such a great price.

FINAL HOURS! Last-Chance Summer Tops From $7.99 --- Bauer

Hurry — Just Hours Left For Your $11 Subscription!---AWAI

GET CERTIFIED! TESOL IS IN DEMAND NOW! ---Renmart

4. Present a problem followed by a solution: You draw readers in with the question and automatically show them the solution.

Boring topic? Here's how to add a dash of fun (& personality) --- Henneke

Are you in a social media bubble? Here's how to tell --- Nbcnews

Do you have a website? You need this ClickBank app High ---High Paying Affiliate Program

WHY quizzes? Find out TOMORROW! Business Success Edge

5. Make the reader curious: Create a knowledge gap so that readers will feel the urge to learn the answer on the spot.

Top Performing Digital Marketing Channels --- _Reliablesoft___

Discover the UK's Coolest Cities ---EnglishUk

Find out What you Need to Know about our AWeber Advocate Program in Under 2 Minutes--- Aweber

Jenny, discover how you can reach your B2B marketing goals--LinkedIn Marketing Solutions

6. Create a counter-intuitive statement: One way to call attention is to go against common sense.

Worried about Coronavirus? Then Watch Horror Movies ---Bob Bly

Building Your Army of One --- Copyblogger

Ugly Websites Convert Better than Pretty Websites--- CXL

7. Target a need: Speak straight and mention their best kept needs.

40% Off The Only Jacket You Need This Fall ---Eddie Bauer

Marketing a book on Amazon? What you need to know ---Scribe Media

Get the boost you need in your customer reviews ---Social Media Today

8.FOMO( feeling of missing out) : The psychology behind this technique is that the feeling of exclusion pushes prospects to act.

You may Regret NOT Doing This ---AWAI

Freelance Writers, You Don’t Want to Miss This! ---Elna Cain

You're Missing Out on These Amazing Features to Grow your Business ---_Aweber__

9. Make use of conversational tone: Address readers as if you were two friends talking informally in a private conversation.

Working from Home? Try Somewhere Else with an AirBnB!--- AirBnB

An Extra 50% Off Tees & Shorts? YES PLEASE! --- Eddie Bauer

Is MarketPal Worth Buying? Read My Review. ---Leo Pascal

10. Exclusivity: Make readers feel important offering something only a few privileged can have access to.

Exclusive first look 👀, 2 Spotlight Jobs of the Week, and More. --- AWAI

Last chance to check out your exclusive invitation --- Heather Robson

ABC Exclusive: NYU Researchers discover superfood --- Raylene

Exclusive for Single Grain subscribers: Locked Discord Invite--Levelingup

11. Use numbers: A number provides a distinct piece of information while breaking the monotony of letters; a perfect combination to call attention.

10 Dos and Don'ts for a Successful Email Marketing Campaign---Social Media Today

21 Powerful Facebook Ad Tools to Fire Up Your Campaigns ---Red Website Design

15 Persuasive Copywriting Techniques That’ll Boost Conversions ---Jeff Bullas

7 daily habits of successful writers--Awai

12. Give a powerful reason to act: When you explain why something is important you'll trigger a positive answer.

3 Reasons to Join the QE Online Agent Workshop --- Quality English

Remnant News: Because The Truth Sets ---The Captive Free!

Why Timing is Everything in Business ---Jeff Bullas

13. Introduce novelty:Our mind is wired to react to something new, different or not seen before.

New: Dress up your beer (you read that right) --- Uncommon Goods

Introducing Downlight 2.0 Outerwear --- Eddie Bauer

Introducing: The Ignite Series ---London Business School

14. Offer a freebie: Free is a great persuasive word that works wonders.

Free Ebook: 101 Ways to Improve your Copywriting --- Writemysite.com

Free Online Training for Agents --- BLS English

Get FREE accommodation for up to 3 months with Bell --- Bell

15. Comparison: This technique always helps you present your offer as more convenient.

This strategy made me more money than anything else --- C. Redlich

Is running better than walking for weight loss --- Fernwood

How much faster will I run if I lose weight? --- YouTube

16. Use your guarantee in your headline: Nobody wants to risk their money so if you explain what type of guarantee you offer, prospects will be more inclined to buy your product.

My “We won’t let you fail” guarantee --- Josh Turner

The first 'buddy system' gets you buyer traffic guaranteed High Paying Affiliate Programs

Sorry about my iron-clad, money-back guarantee --- C.Redlich

17.Add Scarcity: Show prospects they have to hurry up if they want to enjoy this amazing deal.

Get these 86 blogging resources before they're gone --- Bob Bly

This comes down at midnight tonight (sorry) --- Josh Turner

We’re holding your membership card until tonight --- AWAI

18. Let prospects have a peek at how it works: Prospects love to know how your product will solve their problem.

Cut the fat, today - Simple Tip Gives You 6 Pack Abs --- Keto Secrets

How to Grow Your Business With Marketing Mentoring --- Jeff Bulas

How to package business services and sell more --- Ben Kniffen

19. Boost your statement: Enlarge the perspective of your benefits.

The Best of Eddie Bauer Amazing Deals on our Most Popular Styles

The Growing Importance of Agents in International Student Recruitment -- ICEFMonitor

Top 4 Tactics High-Growth Companies are Focusing on Now --- Josh Turner

20. Tell a little a story: We all get hooked with a good story.

I'm 97 and by Putting This under My Tongue I Recover My Memory --- Reiko

80+ yr old DAD Goes Viral After Finding Main Cause of Dementia/alzheimer --- Millicent

Latest US Researchers Found the Main Cause for Memory Loss and All Markets are Up BIG Again--- Moises

21. Address readers by their name: Listening to our names is always charming.

George, a New Book and New Courses! --- Sitepoint

Monica: Officially a Professional Writer by The End of Next Week! --- AWAI

Jennifer, Our Most Popular Courses are Unlocked for 3 More Days Only --- LinkedIn

22. Offer valuable information: That's the reason why people go to the Internet.

10 Benefits of SEO for Small Business --- Reliablesoft

Insiders Look: Building Social Media Ads That Drive Leads & Sales --- Ben Kniffen

How to Create Compelling Content for Phenomenal Email Marketing --- Red Website Design Blog

23. Turn the headline into a question.

Want us to Send you Clients Every Day? --- The Profit Sweetpot

Have you Ever Thought About Having your Own Coaching Program? --- Ben Kniffen

What are People Saying About Copyblogger Pro? --- Copyblogger

24. Refer to an ultra-specific problem: Give details about a particular problem.

Chronic Stress Puts your Health at Risk --- Mayo Clinic

Five Common Working-At-Home Problems- Solved! --- Lifehack

How to Pay Off $16,000 in Credit Card Debt and Avoid Interest --- Cnbc

To round the idea off, first know your audience, your product and your competition. Then, bear in mind these tricks and mixed them together when writing an effective headline. You'll become a master of killer headlines.