|  | The four functions of a headline According to Robert W. Bly in his "Copywriter's Handbook", every headline you write must accomplish four different functions: 1) Get attention: When you read a magazine or a newspaper, you ignore most of the ads and read only a few of them. Yet, many of the ads you skip are selling products that may be of interest to you. The reason you don't read more ads is simple: There are just too many advertisements competing for your attention; and you just don't have the time to read them all. This is why as a copywriter you must work extremely hard to get the attention of your prospect. 2) Select the audience: If you are selling life insurance to people over 65, there is no point in writing an ad that generates inquiries from young people. The headline can select the right audience for your ad and screen out those readers who are not potential customers. Ex. "To men and women over 65 who need affordable life insurance coverage". 3) Deliver a complete message: According to David Ogilvy, four out of five readers will read the headline and skip the rest of the ad. If this is the case, then it pays to make a complete statement in your headline. That way, you can do some selling to those 80% of the readers who read headlines only. Ex. "Caught soon enough, early tooth decay can actually be repaired by Colgate!" 4)Drawing the reader into the body copy: Very few products can be sold with images only. But most items (specially online) require that the reader be given a lot of information. That information appears in the body copy, and for the ad to be effective, the headline must compel the reader to read this copy. To arouse his or her curiosity. You can do this with humor or intrigue. You can ask a question or make a provocative statement. You can promise a reward, news or useful information. Ex. "What do Japanese managers have that American managers sometimes lack?" Back to section 2 |