It’s no small matter that your words sell before the product sells.
Keeping that in mind, only a smart company can realize that the headline is their fishing net; the harpoon they need to build their brand and sell their product – much before the rest of the advertisement can even be considered. David Ogilvy, hailed by many as the Father of Advertising, summed it up perfectly in this one quote:
“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
Studies show that eight out of ten people only read your headline. So, let’s rephrase the statement.
Your headline sells before your product sells.
Here are four tips for writing a genius headline for your product:
1. Keep it simple, stupid.
Another classic from David Ogilvy himself, the KISS rule pleads with you to strip the fluff, stamp out the buzzwords, and sell the product. Conciseness in length, clarity in meaning, and coherence in the structure are the tenets of a great headline. Tricks and shock-value headlines fly past your audience’s heads.
2. Tell a story.
People are beguiled by narratives and characterization, whether they like it or not; and your headline is your grand opening statement. Your audience can read as much as you’d like them to about your product, provided your headline features a statement that shrewdly crafts the first thread of a superbly laid out narrative; one that ends with a successful sale.
3. Sell your product. And sell only.
Everything your headline says should be engineered towards a sale; nothing more, nothing less. Oftentimes, copywriters get so lost in trying to craft a creative headline that they forget the primary objective of the entire campaign itself is to sell a product. If people refer to a headline as ‘creative’, the ad has failed. Write to sell and in doing so, write well.
4. Research matters.
Don’t sell something your product can’t live up to. Over-the-top claims and eye-catching headlines are too many to count in an aggressive market that is hell-bent on high sales. Dedicate yourself to understanding the product you are advertising. Find your narrative and niche in it, then shout it out for the world to hear in your well-researched headline.
A great headline is the stepping stone to a great sales week, month, or even a year for your organization. So, choose your words carefully.
And if you’re too busy to care for the craft of creating spectacular headlines, leave your cares at the door of Xnap Creative. Our team of highly dedicated copywriters will write your brand and product to perfection – word to word.
Get in touch with us today!
