The Smaller the Better
Posted On: 2006-11-15
And you thought that size really mattered?
Yeah, I know what you're thinking but let me tell you that big is definitely not what's going to work here. Oh ... by the way, I'm talking about power words and headlines ... what are you talking about?
Yesterday I talked about power words and how using certain words can increase your chances of making sales because those power words have a very positive impact on whoever reads them. And that happens to apply just as much to any adult products you might be selling as it does to mainstream.
But don't be fooled and fill all of your web pages full of power words. Don't keep hitting the people who are viewing your page with line after line of sales pitch that's full of these wonderful words. Sure, those words have a power but it's a power that has to be used wisely because, if you don't, those words will quickly lose their effectiveness.
Headlines
One of the key places to use power words is in the headline - that one line of text on your web page that you hope will catch the surfer's eye and convince him that he really does need to read the rest of the text on your page.
Once again there is a temptation for overkill in your headline. You want it to convince the surfer to read more so most people tend to overload that headline with words - any words - in an effort to bludgeon the surfer into submission.
Unfortunately that just doesn't work - in fact long headlines tend to have the exact opposite effect. A good headline will interest the reader, a bad headline will put them to sleep. A good headline should contain a maximum of just 11 words and even fewer words can have way more impact.
Every day Steve and I get a hundred or so press releases from various sources. Even though every one of them comes to us because we asked for them and they are connected to topics we are interested in we might only read three or four each day. What makes those three or four so special and rest go straight into the trash is the headline.
Examples
Here is a perfect example of one that didn't get read:
Internet Marketing Experts Plan to Create Series of Informative Reports to Revolutionize Traffic Generation and SEO
That really is the headline from a press release - it is not something I made up - and it contains 16 weak words that do nothing more than tell you that these guys are not Internet marketing experts.
What would a power word headline look like in this instance? Well off the top of my head let's try this:
You Can Revolutionize Your Traffic Generation
Or perhaps this might be better:
Discover the Secrets to Generate More Traffic
Oh ... and while I'm at it; it's not only your headlines that need to be short. The sentences that follow the headline need to be short and focused too. Here is the second sentence that followed that headline - complete with spelling mistakes.
The website that offers SEO and traffic generation strategies for the future and that also serves the public trying to increase traffic and increase the ranking of there websites in search engines has now decided to take a completely new direction.
With turgid sentences like that the new direction could well be downward if their press release is anything to go by.
Here is another headline from a press release that didn't get read until I was looking for some examples to show you.
Utradewetrade.com Hopes to Give EBay a Run for the Money
This headline is interesting for two reasons. It arrived in a press release that was announcing a new auction site. It certainly is within that 11 word limit that I suggested but look at the words used. Hopes is about as weak as you can get ... who would really want to waste their time on a site that only hopes. Don't they know That they can beat eBay? Don't they have confidence in their ability?
If you can't display confidence then you may as well not get into the game because it won't be long before the competition eats you alive.
Once again, off the top of my head, a better headline here would have been:
Watch us Beat eBay at Their Own Game!
Or perhaps this would have more impact:
Get Auction Results with the New Kid on the Auction Block
This headline was terrible and I'm sorry if you find yourself dozing off part way through reading it.
Blinds.com Introduces New Chic Essentials Collection and Reports New Trends in Chic Affordable Blinds and Other Window Coverings
By my count that's 18 words of pure boredom. Something better might look like this:
Save Money with the New Chic Essentials Collection from Blinds.com
So now I hope you can see that my alternatives all included power words that are aimed at getting the reader involved and wanting to know more. Just before I go let me leave you with a couple of suggestions you can use here in adult. Once again, they're off the top of my head so feel free to do your own refining.
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