|
Writing Headlines For Sales Letters
When we read newspapers, it is the headline that attracts us to a particular feature or spot, explaining why editors and journalists frequently spend as long deciding on a headline for their front pages as they do on writing the story itself. Various techniques help them decide what will, and what won't, attract readers to their publication. The same principles apply to writing sales letters.
The headline plays lead role in the AIDA principle by reaching out and forcing the reader to take notice. If the reader isn't drawn to your headline, the rest of your copy might just as well be written in code: no-one will read it. Take time over this essential feature.
Tips
* Make it clear. Even if you use a play on words like newspapers frequently do, your message must still be understandable.
* Humour can be effective, as long as it's relevant. Humour is widely used by journalists to attract readers' attention. The same can be accomplished in letters.
* Make it believable. If you can, use real facts and figures in your headline, and make sure you can substantiate them. If you say, for instance, that '9 out of 10 people prefer XYZ', make sure you can prove it.
* Do not suggest your product can work miracles. It's not only illegal, you'll also alienate prospects, and customers.
* Be wary of using too many adjectives. Ironically, though used to describe your product or service, adjectives can slow down the reader and distract his interest.
* Very often the main benefit to the customer forms the headline. For creating your own headlines, try writing down as many benefits of the product as you can think of, then rank these in order of importance, from '1' for most important down to however many features are identified. Include that main benefit in your headline.
|
|
