Can Catchy Headlines Catch The Attention Of Your Readers?
Think back to a time when you read a catchy headline that you didn’t full understand.
Did you read the article…or did you simply ignore it, thinking it was going to be a story you didn’t care about?
Some copywriters argue that your headline needs to explain what the article/sales letter is going to be about. They all say that it needs to be benefit-driven in order for the prospect to take a look.
To me…that’s a load of BS.
One of my favorite copywriters is Clayton Makepeace – who also happens to be probably the most successful copywriter living today.
Do you think he cares about benefits in a headline?
No!
He cares about what’s going to get the reader to start reading whatever he’s writing. THEN he lays out the benefits for the prospects.
He cares about emotionally driven strange headlines – which almost always turn out to be catchy headlines.
I completely agree with him. Although benefit-oriented headlines are great for short copy, in longer copy you have more room to explain the strange headlines you thought of.
Take this catchy headline for example (which I find hilarious):
“New Zealand Scientists Use Balloon to Measure Cattle Farts”
Now, you probably would want to read that article wouldn’t you? I know I do. There are probably very few people who wouldn’t take a look at that article – and those people are probably boring old farts who have no sense of humor.
As a copywriter or business-owner, you know that the more people that start reading – the better. Once they read that first line of text, they start down what Joe Sugarman calls the slippery slope.
And the farther they read – the more sales you make.
People love to hear about strange things. Even if your copy isn’t about something strange, just make a strange headline that’s catchy and your prospect will instantly be hypnotized by your writing.
The next time you’re writing copy try to think of some strange, catchy headline that will suck your prospect into your article in a split second. Even if you just want to test it!
Your clients will thank you and your bank account will grow much larger -Â much faster.
