Marketing Directors: How to Write Click-Driving Headlines in 10 Minutes
“A change of headline can make a difference of ten to one in sales.
I never write fewer than sixteen headlines for a single advertisement…”
—David Ogilvy
Wish you could write sixteen headlines for every piece of content and copy?
I did.
For the last six years I was a digital marketing manager at a nonprofit. Managing budgets, contractors, and campaigns made me painfully aware of two things.
First, that great copy is to everything in marketing. If your headline sucks, you’re not getting engagement. And if your copy sucks, you’re not getting results.
Second, I had only minutes to work on most content pieces. I would have loved to spend hours researching and optimizing headlines and subheads, but I couldn’t afford to.
So I had to improvise mini systems and shortcuts to help me churn out headlines, subject lines, preview text, and copy that worked.
No one knows it better than you: Great content takes time, skill, and creativity.
You have the skill and creativity. You don’t have time.
So until you’re able to hire a copywriter, try using this method to write sticky headlines in minutes.
Step 1: Write Down a Name
It’s easy to think the most important element of a headline is something like the promise or the length.
But that’s wrong.
The most important element of a headline is the AUDIENCE.
Specifically, the one person you’re trying to yank by the shirt collar.
The ultimate shortcut to getting someone’s attention? Saying their name or addressing their group.
In The Ultimate Sales Letter, Dan Kennedy calls this “attaching a flag” to your headline. Basically, you’re hanging a word or phrase onto the headline that selects the specific audience you want to reach.
Dan suggests two “flags” you can use, but let’s just focus on one: The “who-is-this-for?” flag.
Here’s what the “who-is-this-for” flag looks like in most headlines:
Seniors: 28 Days to Healthier Gums
Annuity Agents: How to Have Eager Prospects Calling and Begging for Next-Day Appointments
Write down the name of a person and/or their role in your target industry. The name can be real or fictitious.
Then...
Step 2: Write Down What You Want to Say to [Name]
Don’t edit. Don’t think.
Write down the one idea you want your reader or viewer to “get.”
Now...
Step 3: Score It
Okay, you’ve got the name and you’ve got what you want to say. Time to score it.
Ever heard of the “Four U’s”? They stand for:
Useful
Urgent
Unique
Ultra-specific
This is your score card.
Each “U” is worth 1 point. You’re aiming for 4 points out of 4.
Look at what you’ve written and ask yourself:
Is it useful? Does it make your reader’s life better, easier, etc.? If it does, give yourself one point.
Is it urgent? Does it come with a deadline? An expiration date? In limited quantities? If yes, give it one point.
Is it unique? Does it share information not commonly shared in your target industry? Does it use unusual words or ideas? If yes, give it one point.
Is it ultra-specific? Does it include a number or percentage? Does it call out a specific audience (like my headline for this post)? If yes, you know what to do.
Okay, what’s your score?
If you hit at least 3 out of 4, you’re dismissed.
If you got less than 3, keep reading.
Step 4: Tweak Once (or Twice)
Look at the U’s where you fell short.
Add whatever it takes to bump up your score (a number, a unique word, etc).
Then tweak your headline for flow and delete the name you wrote at the beginning of the headline (unless you’re planning on addressing the group like I did in the headline of this post).
Step 5: Score It Again
Now, score it again.
Did you get 3 or 4 out of 4?
Nice work.
I hope this helps. You have a lot going on, and cranking out copy can feel like a plastic bag over your head.
But this quick scoring method should save you time and help you deliver consistently high quality headlines.
Because, as you know and I both know, if your headline doesn’t grab your audience, they’re not going to read or watch the content you spent so much time and effort producing.
And your time is too costly to waste like that.
