Stop writing weak headlines.
Your headline is often the only part of your marketing people read. Whether it’s an ad, email, social post or billboard, those few words need to give people a reason to keep going.
My tip to make a headline stronger is simple: start with a verb.
Give People Something to Do
Verbs create action.
Compare “Fall Registration Is Now Open” with “Register for Fall Classes.” Or “New Ways to Save on Energy” with “Cut Your Energy Bill.”
The second versions tell you immediately what you can do or what’s in it for you. Telling the reader what’s in it for them is the key to successful marketing.
Subject Lines Have an Even Tougher Job
An email subject line has to compete with everything else in an inbox. It doesn’t need to be clever. It needs to make someone curious enough to open the email.
I like subject lines that are short, usually seven words or fewer, and specific and written like a human. Tell me what I’ll learn, what I might miss or why I should care. And don’t use a scare tactic or threaten me. That’s a quick delete for me.
Don't give away the whole story. If the subject line tells me everything I need to know, why would I open the email?
Clever Isn’t the Goal
The best headline I ever wrote was “Need New Boots?” It was for a client whose boot mobile visited construction and industrial job sites for employees to try on and order work boots.
The headline was on a poster that went in a breakroom or jobsite trailer and included the brands available and the date and time of the visit. The headline simply asked the question that mattered: Do you need new boots?
In an environment where comfortable, OSHA-compliant boots are essential, we didn't need to be clever. We needed to get workers interested in visiting the boot mobile. And it worked.