Your Headlines Suck
Posted On: 2011-01-24
After some really crappy weather over the last few weeks this morning is looking like the start of one of those days when it's really good to be alive. The sun is shining ... there's a gentle breeze rustling the palms and the birds are singing.
Of course the long school vacation here in this part of the world is over and school starts back today ... it's a Monday so we're in the office working ... and there's plenty of work to get through today. So if the weather isn't so good where you are today then there's no need to be envious ... we'll be working just as hard as you will.
So what's the difference between making a sale and not making a sale? Well some expert copywriters suggest that the difference can be measured in seconds ... two seconds in fact.
That's the time it takes a person to read the headline on your web page and decide whether or not the rest of the page is worth looking at. So good headlines are vital if you want to make money online and that's why we're revisiting the subject today.
It seems that in these days of information overload most of us have developed personal filters that can tell us whether or not the page we've landed on is worth looking at and if it's the first page of your site that a person has found then it's the headline that really counts.
In those two seconds you have to tell the site visitor something that will arouse his interest ... tell him that it's not just another page full of bullshit ... and convince him that he might see something that he wants to see or read if he spends more time looking down the page.
But not only is the headline important if you want to catch a visitor's attention, it's also important because a strong headline just may overcome mistakes that you might make further down the page. If the headline is powerful enough it will have really fired up the person who has landed on your page to read more even though the rest of the text might be weak.
Over in mainstream experts understand that getting the headline right can be the difference between making sales or wasting your time. That's how important headlines are so what are your headlines like?
Are they short and powerful or are they full of weak words? Do they make people want to look further or do they send people rushing to find the 'Back' button? Do they arouse interest or do they tell people that what is below the headline is just bullshit?
The basic rule for headlines is that they should be between 7 and 11 words long and they should be filled with words that have an impact. For example the word 'a' should probably be avoided while the word 'the' can have some impact so it could be useful.
You should avoid big words ... words that have fewer characters are better ... and avoid words that your reader may not understand. Simple, everyday words are better because if the reader doesn't understand what your headline is saying then they are not going to stick around and read anything else that you have to say.
The focus of your headline should be on the person who is reading it. If you've just designed a fantastic new gizmo that will save people money and you want to tell people about it a headline of "You will save money with our new gizmo" will have more impact than one that reads "We've invented a new money-saving gizmo"
And then there are the two things that I talked about over on Porn Resource today. Personally I would never write a headline that asks a question because if the reader's answer to that question is "No" then you've lost them.
You should also avoid writing a headline that makes the reader instantly think: "Bullshit!". If you generate that response in a reader then you've totally lost them and any chance of ever making a sale will disappear as they click the 'Back' button.
So if the experts are correct and your headline can make or break your efforts to make sale then it's important to get your headline right. It's not something that can be rushed ... your headline needs thought ... it needs crafting ... it needs to be treated as one of the most important parts of your web page.
So let me ask again: what are your headlines like?