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Posted
10 May 2008 @ 5pm

Tagged
Advertising, Copywriting, Tips and Tricks

101 Greatest Headlines You Can Model For Your Sales Copy

101 Greatest Headlines Any good marketer worth his salt will tell you that one of the most important, if not the most important, aspect of a sales copy is….the headline.

The headline is the first thing a prospect see when he looks at an advertisement. The headline is the advertisement…FOR the advertisement.

 

 

 

If you don’t grab the attention of your prospect there and then, he is gonna leave. Period.

And precisely because of this, copywriters spend hours tweaking the headlines, split testing different versions, to determine which gives the best conversion rate.

You will be surprised just how much a good headline can out-pull a less attention-grabbing variant (with all else being equal e.g. benefit, offer, guarantee etc).

 

What makes a good headline? We are looking at something that incorporate the one of the following (or a combination of them) :

  • Compelling benefit for prospects (What’s in it for me?)
  • Curiosity factor (cliff hanger style…)
  • Personalization (YOU.., your name…)
  • Specificity (exact numbers and figures)
  • Thought-inducing (What if you can…? What if you are able…? If I tell you that you can do….?)

 

I’m gonna leave you with the a list of the 100 Greatest Headlines – compiled by Jay Abraham – one of the most renowned marketing consultant in the world.

Read through them and see how many of them incorporates the above pointers. And you will know what I mean.

Do let me know which of these headlines you like the best. And why. Enjoy!

 

1.The Secret Of Making People Like You”

2.A Little Mistake That Cost A Farmer $3,000 A Year…”

3. “Advice To Wives Whose Husbands Don’t Save Money – By A Wife”

4. “The Child Who Won The Heart Of All”

5. “Are/Were You Ever Tongue-Tied At A Party?”

6. “How A New Discovery Made A Plain Girl Beautiful”

7. “How To Win Friends And Influence People”

8. “The Last 2 Hours Are The Longest And Those Are The 2 Hours You Save”

9. “Who Else Wants A Screen Star Figure?”

10. “Do You Make These Mistakes In English?”

11. “Why Some Foods “Explode” In Your Stomach?”

12. “Hands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours – Or Your Money Back!”

13. “You Can Laugh At Money Worries If You Follow This Simple Plan”

14. “Why Some People Almost Always Make Money In The Stock Market”

15. “When Doctors “Feel Rotten”, This Is What They Do…”

16. “It Seems Incredible That You Can Offer These Signed Original Etchings – For Only $5 Each.”

17. “Five Familiar Skin Troubles – Which Do You Want To Overcome?”

18. “Which Of These $2.50 To $5 Best Sellers Do You Want – For Only $1 Each?”

19. “Whoever Heard Of A Woman Losing Weight – And Enjoying 3 Delicious Meals At The Same Time”

20. “How I Improve My Memory In One Evening…”

21. “Discover The Fortune That Lies Hidden In Your Salary.”

21. “Doctors Prove 2 Out Of 3 Women Can Have More Beautiful Skin In 14 Days”

22. “How I Made A Fortune With A “Fool Idea”…”

23. “How Often Do You Hear Yourself Saying: “No, I Haven’t Read It: I’ve Been Meaning To!”

24. “Thousands Have This Priceless Gift – But Never Discover It!”

25. “Whose Fault When Children Disobey?”

26. “How A “Fool Stunt” Made Me A Star Salesman”

27. “Have You  Had These Symptoms Of Exhaustion?”

28. “How A New Kind Of Clay Improved My Complexion In 30 Minutes.”

29. “161 Ways To A Man’s Heart – In This Fascinating Book For Cooks.”

30. “Profit That Lie Hidden In Your Farm.”

31. “Is The Life Of A Child Worth $1 To You?”

32. “Everywhere Women Are Raving About This Amazing New Shampoo!”

33. “Do You Do Any Of These Ten Embarrassing Things?”

34. “Six Types Of Investors – Which Group Are You In?”

35. “How To Take Out Stains … Use (Product Name) And Follow These Easy Directions”

36. “Today .. Add $10,000 To Your Estate – For The Price Of A New Hat.”

37. “Does You Child Ever Embarrass You?”

38. “Is Your Home Picture-Poor?”

39. “How To Give Your Children Extra Iron – These 3 Delicious Ways…”

40. “To People Who Want To Write – But Can’t Get Started.”

41. “This Almost Magical Lamp Lights Highway Turns Before You Make Them.”

42. “The Crimes We Commit Against Our Stomach.”

43. “Thousands Have Benefited From This Special……., Have You?”

44. “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano – But When I Started To Play…”

45. “Throw Away Your Oars/ Sack Your Boss…”

46. “How To Do Wonders With A Little Land!”

47. “Who Else Wants Light Cake – In Half The Mixing Time?”

48. “Pierced By 301 Nails… Retains Full Air Pressure.”

49. “No More Back-Breaking Garden Chores For Me – Yet Ours Is Now The Show Place Of The Neighbourhood”

50. “To Men Who Want To Quit Work Someday.”

51. “How To Plan Your house To Suit Yourself.”

52. “Call Back These Great Moments At The Opera.”

53. “Lost My Bulges…And Saved Money Too!”

54. “Right And Wrong Farming Methods – And Little Pointers That Will Increase Your Profits”

55. “New Cake-Improver Gets Your Compliments Galore…”

56. “Imagine Me…Holding An Audience Spellbound For 30 Minutes…”

57. “This Is Marie Antoinette – Riding To Her Death.”

58. “Did You Ever See A “Telegram” From Your Heart?”

59. “Now Anyone ….Can Do The Job For You.”

60. “New Shampoo Leaves Your Hair Smoother – Easier To Manage”

61. “It’s A Shame/Pity For You Not To Make Good Money – When These Men Do It So Easily”

62. “Thousands Now Play When They Never Thought They Could.”

63. “Great New Discovery Kills Kitchen Odors Quick – Makes Indoor Air “Country-Fresh”

64. “Announcing….The New Edition Of The Encyclopedia That Makes It Fun To Learn Things”

65. “For The Women Who Is Older Than She Looks.”

66. “Here’s A Quick Way To Break Up A Cold.”

67. “76 Reason Why It Should Have Paid You To Answer Our ADA Few Months Ago.”

68. “Suppose This Happened On Your Wedding Day!”

68. “Are We A Nation Of Low-Brows?”

69. “What Everybody Ought To Know… About This Stock And Bonds Business.”

70. “Money Saving Bargains From America’s Oldest Diamond Discount House.”

71. “Greatest Gold-Mine Of Easy “Things To Make” Ever Crammed Into One Big Book.”

72.17,000 blooms from a single plant.”

73. “In two seconds, Bayer aspirin begins to dissolve in your glass.”

74. “Six times whiter washes”

75. “Melts away ugly fat.”

76. “Tastes like you just picked it.”

77. “At 60 miles per hour, the loudest noise in the Rolls-Royce is the electric clock.”

78. “They laughed when I sat down – but when I started to play…”

79. “How a bald headed barber saved my hair…”

80. “Shrinks hemorrhoids without surgery.”

81. “9 out of 10 decorators use Wundaweave Carpets for long life at low cost.”

82. “Relives congestion in all 7 nasal passages instantly.”

83. “Here’s what you do to get rid of pimples fast.”

84. “Before Wheezo hay fever medication made you drowsy – with Wheezo you can have relief and be alert.”

85. “Announcing: Guided missile spark plugs.”

86. “Ours Alone! Persian lamb originals – only $15.40.”

87. “Does she or doesn’t she – only her hair dresser knows for sure..”

88. “Would you believe it? I have a cold!”

89. “Pour yourself a new engine.”

90. “Starting July 5th – the Atlantic Ocean becomes only 1/5th wide.”

91. “Floats fat right out of your body.”

92. “What everybody ought to know about the stock and bond business.”

93. “Aunt Mary, who never married…”

94. “When you’re weary with daytime fatigue, take Alka Seltzer.”

95. “Don’t invest one cent of your hard-earned money until your check this guide.”

96. “If you can count to eleven, you can increase your speed and skill at numbers..”

97. “The difference in premium gasoline is in the additives.”

98. “See what happens when you crush our executive baggage – nothing!”

99. “If you’ve already taken your vacation, don’t read this. It will break your heart.”

100. “It took 24 years and genetic engineering to make this product possible.”

101. “This is so powerful that it is almost illegal…”

 

All Success,

jagfoo

[tags]E-MoneyMarketing, advertisement, sales copy, copywriters,split testing, copywriting, headlines, benefit, offers, guarantee[/tags]

 

 

 

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61 Comments

[...] E-MoneyMarketing – Online and General Marketing Strategies wrote an interesting post today on 101 Greatest Headlines You Can Model For Your Sales CopyHere’s a quick excerpt Any good marketer worth his salt will tell you that one of the most important, if not the most important, aspect of a sales copy is….the headline. The headline is the first thing a prospect see when he looks at an advertisement. The headline is the advertisement…FOR the advertisement. If you don’t grab the attention of your prospect there and then, he is gonna leave. Period. And precisely because of this, copywriters spend hours tweaking the headlines, split testing different versi [...]


Posted by
crranches
11 May 2008 @ 12am

Great post. The often over used quote sure is true, “you only get one first impression, so make it count” same thing with the headlines. Make em good or get out. thanks for the post.


Posted by
Tim
11 May 2008 @ 3am

This post is so powerful, it should be illegal!


Posted by
Smilenut
12 May 2008 @ 4pm

Thank you for the so useful information. Some headlines are really funny:)


Posted by
Poker Rakeback
12 May 2008 @ 6pm

Great information. However, i will only use some of them and some is not that suitabble


Posted by
Jag Foo
12 May 2008 @ 6pm

@ccranches:

You are damn right dude. Impression counts. Just like when you try to chase your first gf/bf.

@Tim:

This post IS illegal!

@Smilenut:
Funny headline works too!

Cheers,
Jag


Posted by
Kredit ohne Schufa
13 May 2008 @ 3pm

I like this headline “The Child Who Won The Heart Of All” cause Children’s are innocent.So,they able to win heart off all people.


Posted by
Wholesale Womens Clothing jewelry
13 May 2008 @ 5pm

Is it true.. Is it really possible. I guess it is a good idea. Thaks


Posted by
pine furniture
13 May 2008 @ 5pm

Hmm…. not a bad one. good blogging.


Posted by
Sleep Aids
14 May 2008 @ 12pm

Excellent article. It made me want to go to my website and re-work my headlines.


Posted by
evening star
14 May 2008 @ 9pm

[...] headline is the first thing a prospect see when he looks at an advertisement. The headline is the ahttp://emoneymarketing.com/tips-and-tricks/101-greatest-headlines-you-can-model-for-your-sales-copy/Luster??s? hosted an evening of glamour and excitement with new celebrity endorser Birmingham [...]


Posted by
Lawn Service Raleigh
14 May 2008 @ 11pm

What about the “shocking” factor. I guess that could fall under “curiosity” but sometimes headlines can attract based on how outrageous they are.


Posted by
boris
15 May 2008 @ 2pm

Very nice blog… Best article that I’ve read today.


Posted by
Keral Patel
15 May 2008 @ 3pm

Yes catch words do get more attention. The best trick is to try in your MSN or Yahoo.

Just write something like “Oh wow” “This is awesome” then don’t write anything. The other person will surely get interested.


Posted by
Jag Foo
16 May 2008 @ 3am

@boris:

Thanks Boris. Appreciate it. By the way, good compilation of do-follow blogs on your site. =)

@Keral Patel:

Sounds good. Maybe we can the “…” behind to further heighten the ‘curiosity’ factor.

Jag


Posted by
Bape
16 May 2008 @ 4am

Thank you for the so useful information. Some headlines are really funny. Its important to have a catching header!


Posted by
sandals and flip flops
16 May 2008 @ 7am

It is important to aim for the head with headlines. That’s what my mentor used to say and I’ll never forget it. Use it to stun the reader, to hit him on the place he will definitely pay attention too. Nice post, it’s always good to have another approach to send the message.


Posted by
Jag Foo
17 May 2008 @ 12pm

@Bape:

Yes, the headline about the bald barber saving my hair tickles me… =)

@sandals and flip flops:

Headline is very important. Always need some time to get it right.


Posted by
SEO
18 May 2008 @ 5pm

I think my attention could be caught by headline 53:
“Lost My Bulges…And Saved Money Too!”


Posted by
Poker Bonus
19 May 2008 @ 9pm

I like this header”“How I Improve My Memory In One Evening…” because a lot of people are busy working and so tired with all the task given.If there is a way to improve memory,i am sure a lot of people are interested to know more.


Posted by
zohai
21 May 2008 @ 11am

Some titles are just so prominently ads which no one would wanna read anyway. So what I suggest is don’t make your headline sound like an ad =P Try to lure by giving real info as said in the headlines and ads come later once they are reading it


Posted by
Adam
21 May 2008 @ 1pm

A very interesting list indeed. Save the best for last, my favorite, “This is so powerful that it is almost illegal…”


Posted by
Jag Foo
21 May 2008 @ 2pm

@Adam,

I like that headline too! Illegal indeed!

Cheers,
Jag


Posted by
Jag Foo
21 May 2008 @ 2pm

@ Zohai:

Hmm..good point on giving info. Just that…you can’t really put many words in a headline…so you probably want to insert the benefit in – and exclaim it loudly!

Jag


Posted by
Blisters
21 May 2008 @ 3pm

“This is so powerful that it is almost illegal…”

I like this heading because it is really unique and will attract attention because the product is legal but because it is extreamly good,it makes almost illegal!!


Posted by
Earn Cash
23 May 2008 @ 7pm

nice 101 great headline
im gonna be the 102 that one


Posted by
soccer 442
23 May 2008 @ 9pm

yeah interesting article. theres definently a few good points..


Posted by
Nashville SEO Zombie
24 May 2008 @ 12am

thanks for the list man. Ive collected stuff like this from a couple of different posts. Its nice have a quick reference of ideas when working on link bait. A good title is a must when link baiting.


Posted by
jobs
24 May 2008 @ 11am

Wow…then i must follow up with you, i willing to be the 103^^


Posted by
Southwest Rugs
26 May 2008 @ 3am

Real catch headline that one. Headlines seem to be getting more and more radical these days. Thanks for the post.


Posted by
Creatine
29 May 2008 @ 3am

Thanks for this helpful resource! Between this and the post on copyblogger about headlines, I should have this headline writing thing covered in no time!


Posted by
buy Viagra
5 June 2008 @ 10am

Headlines are indeed important. I do got a headache on selecting which to use. The list are helpful. Some of the words are useful to me. Thanks


Posted by
Marmaris
9 June 2008 @ 8pm

I also agreed with zohai..
Keep it up and good try.. :)


Posted by
Short Hairstyles
15 June 2008 @ 7am

thanks for the list


Posted by
Paid Surveys
17 June 2008 @ 7am

interesting article

thanks for the list


Posted by
DVDs Online
17 June 2008 @ 11pm

A snippy, enciting headline is so important, yet it’s a mistake SO many people make. Even with copy, many writers will waft with poetry or some raspy verse before actually getting to the point of the article, and by then, the user has lost interest.


Posted by
watch euro 2008
18 June 2008 @ 9am

thanks for the list buddy


Posted by
chase
20 June 2008 @ 7am

I love some of these! Some of them are pretty funny!


Posted by
Jeramy
18 July 2008 @ 5pm

Good headlines sell papers, they have alot to compete with on the newspaper shelf. I always wonder if the other newspapers headlines have anybaring on a editors coice of headline.


Posted by
Text Link Ads
29 July 2008 @ 6pm

Greatest headline lists info. Hope to get my headline with your tips. Thanks.


This is indeed a good post. I read with a lot of interest the list that you provide and i must say that all those headlines get my attention. I just have to say it: You are right!


Posted by
BRK
11 August 2008 @ 6am

“This is so powerful that it is almost illegal…”

I have to go with this one too, lol. It sounds like a pick up line.


Posted by
rayban 3320
14 October 2008 @ 6am

I really like the whole list. so original an still new in many markets.


Posted by
uwak
5 November 2008 @ 4pm

thanks for great listing…….very useful


Posted by
Mike
7 January 2009 @ 3am

Thank you for u arcticle. Very good. You are right. I read it with interesting.


Posted by
natural mole & wart removal
8 January 2009 @ 8am

:)It is really unique and will attract attention because the product is legal but because it is extreamly good.I always wonder if the other newspapers headlines have anybaring on a editors coice of headline.


Posted by
natural mole & wart removal
8 January 2009 @ 8am

awesome article…I think..you tuch the limit. :)


Posted by
Sponads
11 January 2009 @ 12am

Some very eye catching headlines in there. I am sure you might be also getting traffic from lost of this headlines in your post.


Posted by
Lightning Bug Viral Advertising
12 February 2009 @ 6am

I don’t think I’d click on too many of those to be honest.


Posted by
tobias
20 May 2009 @ 1am

Haha. good list. a must read for the tabloid creators?


Posted by
Body Building Resource
23 June 2009 @ 7pm

Great headlines. I like headlines that evoke curiosity as they are definitely powerful sales tools.

Thanks,
Jean


Posted by
Women Clothing
20 October 2009 @ 11am

I read with a lot of interest the list that you provide and i must say that all those headlines get my attention. I just have to say it: You are right!


Posted by
Bill
23 January 2010 @ 12pm

Funny list. There is a newspaper here in Cool Springs TN that I could swear has used some of them already.

Bill


Posted by
Greg
28 January 2010 @ 8am

Is all about the impresion you are so right


Posted by
free registry cleaner
30 January 2010 @ 1am

thanks for the list buddy


Posted by
replica wallet
29 April 2010 @ 5pm

I Study with a dish out of occupy the listing that you furnish and i must order that totally those headlines develop golly attention. I precisely induce to say it: You are right!


Posted by
Rakeback Offers
30 April 2010 @ 8pm

Thanks for the post. What do you all think of the future of blogging? I have been reading a lot about google’s attempt to gain preferential treatment for its site from internet providers. This will result in their sites being faster than sites owned by individuals and/or smaller comapnies. It’s my beleif that if google is able to succeed there will be far less websites out there and therefore far less blogging.


Posted by
replica watch
7 May 2010 @ 5pm

Is all about the impresion you are so right


Posted by
gigabytes
29 September 2010 @ 6am

Nice list. Might use one of them someday.


Posted by
Wendy
6 October 2010 @ 9pm

Awesome headlines! Thanks for the post :)
Would love to hear more.


Posted by
Robe Fashion
26 November 2011 @ 11am

Even with copy, many writers will waft with poetry or some raspy verse before actually getting to the point of the article, and by then, the user has lost interest.


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