HOW TO CREATE A CAPTIVATING HEADLINE

You're reading this article because the headline captured
your attention. It sparked your desire to know more about
creating headlines. That's the mission of an effective
headline. It captures the reader's attention and provides a
compelling reason to read whatever follows.

The headline is the most important part of any ad or sales
letter. It determines whether or not people will read your
message. You may have the best written copy in the world but
you've wasted your time if your headline doesn't excite
readers enough to read your message.

Here are some examples of effective headlines I found in the
classified ad section of a popular website:

1. Lose 15 Pounds In 30 Days... And Keep It Off
2. Submit Your Ad To 200 Websites With 1 Mouse Click
3. Instantly Increase Your Orders By 29%
4. How To Make $2,000/Month At Home With Your Computer
5. Discover How To Reduce Your Fuel Bills By 43%

Each of these headlines clearly states the benefit I can
expect to get from the product, service or business
opportunity promoted in the ad under the headline. If I am
interested in gaining the benefit, I cannot resist reading
the entire ad to find out more.

A SIMPLE FIVE STEP PROCEDURE

I've used the following 5 step procedure many times to
create powerful headlines. It's simple and easy to follow.
Even someone without special talent, skill or previous
experience can use it to create a captivating headline.

STEP #1. Define in writing the ideal prospect you want to
capture with your headline. Be sure to include the
characteristics that make your product or service valuable
to this prospect.

STEP #2. Personalize this ideal prospect by visualizing them
as one person you want to attract with your headline. Keep
this vision of one person in your mind whenever you're
writing a headline. Your ad or sales letter will be read by
one person at a time. Therefore, you'll find it easier to
produce an effective headline by visualizing just one person
and writing to that person.

STEP #3. Determine the most valuable benefit this person
will gain from the product, service or business opportunity
promoted in the message under your headline.

STEP #4. Write as many one sentence statements as you can
about this benefit. Use one or more of the words from the
following list in each statement. There are many other power
words you can use in your headlines. However, many years of
trial and error have taught me these 12 are the most
effective:

You, Free, New, Guaranteed, Fast, Easy, Discover, Proven,
How-to, Save, Increase, $7953 (any exact amount of money)

STEP #5. Select the most powerful statement on your list. If
you have several that seem equally powerful, try combining
them into one statement and use that as your headline.

That's it! You've just created a powerful headline to
capture your reader's attention and provide a compelling
reason to read whatever follows your headline.

Here are some examples of effective headlines I developed
using this 5 step procedure.

* Easy Way To Increase Your Sales 60% or More This Month!
* Discover How You Can Reduce Arthritis Pain FAST!
* You Can Earn 50% More Commissions This Year - Guaranteed!
* How To Save $1,329 On Your Next Printing Job!
* NEW Free Report: 10 Proven MLM Recruiting Ads YOU Can Use
* How To Build Your Small Business FAST - Guaranteed!

Use this simple 5 step procedure the next time you want to
create a captivating headline. It's easy to follow and
you'll create a powerful headline to attract your reader's
attention and compel him/her to read your ad or sales
letter.

About the Author

Bob Leduc is a Sales Consultant with 30 years experience in
generating low-cost leads. He recently wrote a manual for
small business owners, "How to Build Your Small Business
Fast With Simple Postcards", and several other publications
to help small businesses grow and prosper. For more info:
Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: "Postcards"
Phone: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV