How a 74-Year-Old Book (That Doesn't Mention the Internet) Can Teach You to Write Killer Web Headlines Quickly and Easily

The following is a sponsored post by Commune / The Content Optimization Company™.

Like any writer, you want to write headlines that'll grab your readers and not let go.

And you're probably wondering how a 74-year-old book could possibly help you.

And you're still reading, right?

Bingo.

Welcome to the world of powerful headlines.

In his classic 1935 book, Tested Advertising Methods, advertising pioneer John Caples lays out the headline elements that attract the most readers.

So here's what a 74-year-old book can teach you about successful online marketing.

Three Types of Headlines That Are Virtually Magnetic

1. Self Interest

   Your readers are generally interested in one thing—themselves. And this self interest tends to fall into one of five categories:
   • Sex / sex appeal—not sex itself, necessarily, but the feeling of being attractive, popular and loved
     
   • Greed and the desire for prestige
   • Fear and the need for safety and security
   • Ease and the aversion to hard work
     
   • Charity and selflessness, and the desire to make choices that provide that warm little flame of self congratulation
2. News
   

   Humans are hardwired to be receptive to novelty. So not only do your prospects want to find new and better solutions for their problems—they're also incredibly bored. Offer them something new and they'll thank you for catapulting them out of their everyday humdrum for a few moments.

3. Curiosity
   

   Humans are also hardwired to be curious. Tweak that curiosity reflex by adding a little something unexpected in your headline—something relevant but surprising that makes your reader go "Huh?"

Combine These Elements for Extra Punch

Many of these tips work just fine on their own, but you can combine them for even more power. Try these two combos to start.

• Self interest and curiosity
  

  Headlines like "How I Blew the Dust off a 74-Year-Old Book and Became an Online Marketing Whiz" hook your prospects with a healthy helping of self interest (we all want to be online marketing whizzes) and curiosity (what does a 74-year-old book know about the internet?).
  

• Self interest and news
  

  Headlines that contain the words "now," "finally," or "at last" are great ways to incorporate news and self interest.

Got the basic idea? (And notice how important self interest is?)

Next week, we'll go even more in-depth and show you a specific, proven method you can use to write headlines that not only grab your reader's attention but also make writing your content easier.

Want to learn more about content optimization? Download our free Instant Content Optimization manual for nine proven strategies you can apply today. Want to optimize your website or a client's? Claim your complimentary content optimization analysis and learn where you're leaking traffic, leads and sales.

Comments

[Origin Design]

This is great! It just goes to show that while the methods and media used to reach consumers may evolve and shift, the basic desires of humans remains relatively consistent. Thanks for the fantastic post.

[Simon Smith]

Glad you liked it! Here's some more news you might like: there's a video of our headline tips on the Commune website. Just go here: http://communemedia.com/blog/headline-video/

Cheers,
Simon