Writing ‘Killer’ Headlines

The best headlines do 3 things - identify the right target market, provide benefits and generate enough interest to get them to start reading.

Let’s look at each one in more depth ...

Identify The Right Target Market: You need to make sure that your target market read your Direct Mail letter. Your headline needs to immediately speak to them. There’s nothing wrong with starting your headline with ‘MOTHERS’ or even ‘ATTENTION Ladies 37-40 with no children’. Of course, there are other more subtle ways, such as ‘Here’s how to make your Ford go faster’ or ‘Help the kids succeed at school this year’.

Provide Benefits: You need to give your readers reasons to investigate further. Think about it - what is really going to make them want to read. A headline such as ‘MEN: How you can have twice as much sex as you’re having now ... guaranteed’ speaks for itself. What can you say about your product or service - what is the main benefit? Once you’ve thought of that, try coming up with some more specific and interesting ways of phrasing it. For example ‘How you can make an extra $4500 this year and pay off those credit card debts’ is more interesting than ‘How you can make more money’.

Generate Interest: There’s nothing more powerful than curiosity. Compare these two headlines - ‘AMWAY: a new future for you’ and ‘How you make $1100 extra per week, by meeting 3 new people a month’. Both are for the same company, but one holds more interest value and is more likely to get you reading. Try getting the main benefit across without telling the whole story, and getting a bit of mystery in there. Of course, too much mystery can kill your whole ad. Who’d read an ad with a headline such as ‘Pure grunt’, ‘Big cheese’ or ‘Stilted’? No-one, as so many advertisers have discovered.

Headline Starters

Your headline can be your make or break. It needs to create an emotional attachment immediately to either engage a readers seeking of pleasure of their avoidance of pain. If the heading is not effective, the readrer will not progress further.

The headline should identify an enourmous problem or an significant benefit and justify why eithjer will impact on the readers life.

Consider using powerful words that activate the readers senses and emotions such as:

Awesome

Do You...

Exclusive...

Fact...

How I...

I Dare You...

Imagine...

Introducing

Inside Secrets...

Last Chance...

Magic...

Make Money...

New...

Never Seen Before...

Now You Can...

Proven...

Reasons To

Results...

Save...

Save Money...

Secrets Of....

Sex...

Stop...

Take Advantage...

Testimonial...

They Laughed...

Time Sensitive...

Treat Yourself...

Truth About...

Uncensored...

Unlock...

Warning...

Ways To...

Which Of...

Creating Powerful Offers

So you’ve written a great headline, an exciting first paragraph and sub-headlines that tell a story. But what are you going to do to get your target market to respond? Great copy alone will not work, you need to have a strong offer, an offer that you would respond to.

 So what is a great offer?

When thinking of what to offer your customers ask yourself - ‘If I read this ad, would the offer be good enough to make me respond?’ If the answer is no, then go back to the drawing board. Without a great offer, you cannot achieve great results.

Another thing to consider when coming up with your offer, is the lifetime value of the people who respond to your ad. Taking a smaller profit in the short term will generally work out better in the long run.

Here’s some examples of powerful offers ...

• Free haircut - For a hairdressing salon looking to increase its database.

• 2 Steak Dinners and 2 Glasses of Wine for $10 Restaurantrecruiting members for its VIP Club.

• 1 New Release Video and a Large Pizza for $3 - Video store promotion to recruit new members.

All of these offers have a ‘too good to be true’ ring about them and are sure to get a great response. Weak offers will cause your ad to fail. Understand that your offer is the part of your ad that gets your customers to act now, and to  buy from you rather than your opposition.

Here’s some examples of weak offers ...

• 10% Off - This is not a big enough discount to generate interest. Of course, it will depend on the size of the purchase.

• Call now for your free colour brochure - So what? Everyone hands out brochures. Unless the product is something incredible, people won’t respond.

• Buy 9 and get the 10th for 1/2 price - No one would respond to this offer. It’s too small.

Types of offers ...

Here are some possible offers that would be worth considering ...

The Added Value with Soft Dollar Cost ...

Soft Dollar Cost refers to products, services or added extras that you

can combine with your standard product to make it more attractive and

increase its perceived value, but don’t add much if anything to your costs.

For this strategy to be effective the added extra must have a high perceived

value, in other words your customers must see the added benefit as being

great value.

The Package Offer ...

By packaging products and services together you create a more marketable combination. There is a higher perceived value when products or services are packaged. Your customers will want to buy more, simply because of the extra products they get when buying a product they already want.

One of the best examples of a great package is computer equipment. Buy the hardware and receive the software for free. This style of offer is very attractive to potential customers.

Discounts vs. Bonus Offers ...

More often than not discounting will cost you profits. A far better way of clearing stock and generating extra trade is to have a 2 for the price of 1 sale. Or, try a buy one of these and get one of these FREE. The other way of putting this offer is every 10th purchase free, or when you spend $100, we’ll give you $20 of your next purchase.

Valued at Offer ...

If you are including a free item in your ad, make sure you value them. For example - RING now for your FREE

consultation, normally valued at $75. This positions your time, product, or service much more than a simple free

give-away that people won’t value or appreciate.

Time Limited Offers ...

Place a time limit on your offer, it will dramatically increase the response rate because it gives people a reason to respond right now. Place urgency in your offer ... For a short time only ... Call before such and such ... Only while stocks last. These will all create a sense of urgency in your consumers mind.

Guarantee Offers ...

Using a guarantee offer is a great way to boost the response to your ad. People will be far more willing to part with their money if you take the risk out of the buying decision. The better the guarantee you make the higher your response will be.

FREE Offers ...

Giving away something absolutely free (no catches whatsoever ) is often a brilliant way to build a loyal customer base. Offer a “bribe” to get them in the door initially, then great service and products to encourage them to come back. This type of offer can reduce your “cost per lead”  dramatically.

Template of a Successful Direct Mail Letter - 1

Big Headline Expressing Main Benefit and Invoking Curiosity

Dear [name],

I’ve included a [implement] to make a point - [explanation of why you’ve included the implement].

Let me explain - [a little more explanation of what you mean, plus more body about the problem]. Here are the 4 main benefits of [doing whatever you’re asking the reader to do] ...

1) Benefit 1 ... explanation

2) Benefit 2 ... explanation

3) Benefit 3 ... explanation

4) Benefit 4 ... offer

[Summing up statement, also tackling any immediate objections, such as ‘and before you say ‘I can’t afford it, check this out’].

I’ll phone you in the next couple of days to discuss the idea further. I look forward to speaking with you then,

Your name

Position - Your business name PS [Something to sweeten the deal, plus an indication of when the offer ends - make it soon, so they have to take action soon].

Template of a Successful Direct Mail Letter - 2

Big Headline Expressing Main Benefit and Invoking Curiosity

Dear [name],

I’ve included a [implement] to make a point - [explanation of why you’ve included the implement].

Let me explain - [a little more explanation of what you mean, plus more body about the problem]. In the past, you’ve had to 1) [problem 1] 2) [problem 2] and 3) [problem 3].

Now there’s a better ways - imagine if you could [explanation of how you’re different and how you make it easier].

[Summing up statement, also tackling any immediate objections, such as ‘and before you say ‘I can’t afford it, check this out’].

I’ll phone you in the next couple of days to discuss the idea further. I look forward to speaking with you then,

Your name

Position - Your business name

PS And of course, we offer a guarantee - [outline your guarantee].

Template of a Successful Direct Mail Letter - 3

Short Headline

Sub-headline explaining big headline and getting the reader’s interest and curiosity ...

Dear [name],

I’ve included a [implement] to make a point - [explanation of why you’ve included the implement].

You’ll be glad you’ve received this letter, there’s now a way to buy [product or service] without the usual hassles. With [your business name], it’s ...

Easier ... [explanation of how it’s easier]

Cheaper ... [explanation of how it’s cheaper]

Faster ... [explanation of how it’s faster]

Higher quality ... [explanation of how it’s higher quality]

[Summing up statement, also tackling any immediate objections, such as ‘and before you say ‘I can’t afford it, check this out’].

I’ll phone you in the next couple of days to discuss the idea further. I look forward to speaking with you then,

Your name

Position - Your business name

PS [Your offer, plus an indication of when the offer ends - make it soon, so they have to take action soon].

Template of a Successful Direct Mail Letter 4

Big Headline Expressing Main Benefit and Invoking Curiosity

Dear [name],

I’ve included a [implement] to make a point - [explanation of why you’ve included the implement].

Before I go any further, firstly let me say thanks - thanks for being a customer of [business name]. It’s much

appreciated.

Now back to [whatever you spoke about in the headline]. Let me fill in the gaps - [a little more explanation of what

you mean, plus more body about the problem]. Here are the 4 things you may not know about [doing whatever

you’re asking the reader to do] ...

1) Benefit 1 ... explanation

2) Benefit 2 ... explanation

3) Benefit 3 ... explanation

4) Benefit 4 ... offer

[Summing up statement, also tackling any immediate objections, such as

‘and before you say ‘I can’t afford it, check this out’].

I’ll phone you in the next couple of days to discuss the idea further. I

look forward to speaking with you then,

Your name

Position - Your business name

PS [Something to sweeten the deal, plus an indication of when the offer ends

-make it soon, so they have to take action soon]. One more thing - this deal

is only for past customers of [business name]. If you have friends who would

like to take advantage, please phone me first.