5 Secrets Copywriting Pros Use to Create Headlines: For pitch letters, press releases & products


The first thing an editor or producer sees is your headline. If you don’t capture their interest in your first line, most won’t read any further–and you’ve lost your chance to pitch your idea.

Famous advertising man David Ogilvy said, “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”

5 Easy Tricks to Write Catchy Headlines
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What’s the function of a headline in the big picture? According to WikiHow:

“A successful headline has 4 very important jobs to accomplish:

• Get attention.

• Select an audience.

• Deliver a complete message.”

Headlines make you care. They pique curiosity. They intrigue. They shock. They inspire. Write them in a conversational tone and design them to reach the specific audience that has a need or a desire for what you’re promoting.

Notice I say “desire” because mostly, people “need” very few things. The more direct you are the better. In other words, entice then deliver.

Below is each one of the five secrets to writing headlines that might make you gasp – and read further, followed by an example:

1. The How-to. “How to Get on Oprah in 10 Easy Steps.” When people want to learn about something they turn to “How-to” information as their quickest source. Using numbers is one way to let your audience know that what follows will be easy to digest. “How to” in the title immediately alerts your reader that you plan to give them something they can put to use today in a format they can follow.

Writing Effective Headlines Photo Credit: geishaboy500

2. The Command. “Become an Internet Millionaire!” Though this is a frequent cry, it still has an immediate effect. Why? Commands assure you that there is a way to get what you want from the advice that follows. They touch the “I want that!” place inside you. They tell the reader that it’s possible to achieve the benefit you’re “advertising.” Your copy then backs-up your claim.

How to Write Magnetic Headlines
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3. The Shocking Statement. “Wives Who Don’t Want Sex.” Oprah did a show on this topic stating that “experts now estimate that up to 40 million women suffer from a loss of sexual desire–and it’s likely their partners suffer too.” She even calls it “A secret epidemic.”

Who knew? Bring up the unlikely, the counterintuitive (Even women who loved their husbands in every other way, just didn’t have the desire for sexual intimacy. One woman who ditched the headache excuse, came up with a new approach to avoiding sex: Start an argument). Provocative statements get our attention like an electrical shock. They make you sit up and say, “Really?”

 How to write headlines that sell
Photo Credit: Robert Bejil Photography

4. The Question. “Do you really know your mate?” People often unconsciously answer the question you pose in their minds. Your body copy will piggyback with an answer that includes statistics. You could use an example like: “55% of all couples say that they do, but then are shocked when they find out about their partner’s hidden desire.”

Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy
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  5. The “New” News Item. “Find out about the only drug that cures unhappiness.” (Don’t you wish this were true!) The latest news flash needs to introduce something truly new in order to be valid. To be newsworthy, “new news” promises excitement, informs, or states something helpful that will benefit a lot of people.

Words like “only, new, introducing, powerful, and first,” are a few words that insist on attention. But use them sparingly and carefully, producers and reporters have a low tolerance for any kind of hype. Also, if you say you’re first, it needs to be true.

Headlines are the doorway to getting the media to open and read your email in order to consider your content for their outlet. These five will give you a good selection to start.