The main purpose of a headline is very simple. You want to grab the attention of your ideal prospect so they’ll read the next sentence in your advertising copy.

Easy to do. Right?

Well... not so fast.

It’s possible. That’s the good news. But you have to do your homework first. There are books written on how to write a great headline. If I said you'll find everything you need to know in this article my nose would grow like Pinocchio’s. But I can help you get started in the right direction.

A headline should have the full attention of your prospect in 5 seconds or less. If it doesn't the rest of your copy probably won’t get read.

Many copywriters think the headline is the MOST important part of the copy because it’s read 5-8 times more than your body copy (on average). In short, your headline must get the job done. This is where the homework comes in.

I’m assuming you’ve already done the homework for your product or service. You know it inside and out. You’ve listed all its many benefits in exhaustive detail.

Great!

Now you focus on researching your customer. Advertising legend Denny Hatch says it best, “To write a great ad you have to get inside your customer’s head.”

You have to become familiar with your customer’s interests, desires, and problems. You have to know your customer's mindset. How do you do this? Research tactics might include any or all of the following...

1. Talk to people in your target audience.

Talk to any friends who are similar to your ideal prospect.

Call potential prospects on the phone. Simply tell them you’re doing market research and ask for their input and advice about your product.

Make notes - - especially when you hear the same things mentioned over and over again by prospects.

2. Read what they read.

Newspapers and magazines.

Trade journals for the industry (etc).

3. Read other advertising literature directed at your prospect. Read any controls you can get your hands on for related product(s).

This includes collecting competitors' marketing promotions, direct mail or other advertising. Study them. Pay careful attention to promotions that are mailed over and over again. Those are sure winners. They'll give you insight into the emotional appeals and messages that are currently working.

4. Read what your prospect has written or spoken.

Read testimonials sent in by your prospects. (Maybe your sales letter headline could be geared towards the thing customers liked the best?)

5. Read any of your prospect’s complaint letters. What bugged them about the product? What didn’t they like about the company? Did they suggest how to make things better?

6. Research your prospect on the web.

Take notes. Write it all down.

Okay, now the fun part.

Write down who your ideal prospect actually is in 2-4 sentences. Be concise. Be specific. You'll be merging your product with this person.

Picture them in your mind. Their sex. Their age. Their job. Their work environment. Their home life. The age of their children (if any). Your sales letter headline is going to be written to this one person.

Let’s say you’re a software developer who has put together a complete home-business package that makes it easy to write medical reports for doctors. Since doctors frequently outsource this work it makes a great small business opportunity. You think your research has uncovered the ideal prospect. Now you write down exactly who this person is...

“My prospect is a busy stay-at-home mom taking care of small children. She’s left her full-time job to take care of her family while the children are small. She has lots of business and computer skills gained from her previous work experience.”

Next...

Write down in 2-4 sentences what your prospect really WANTS.

“She wants to make a steady $200-$300 a week to increase the family’s income. She wants to work from home, but only 10-20 hours a week. She doesn’t want her children’s needs to suffer while she works at home.”

Now, put this information to work for you.

Use your headline to speak to the most important burning desire within your prospect as it relates to your product or service. Try to match what she most desires with what you have to offer her. There are different tactics for achieving this (we’ll look at a few in a moment). But, as a general practice, your headline should convey your strongest benefit.

Now, what's the best way to do this? Copywriters have strong opinions over the best way to achieve this. But there does seem to be a little consensus on certain things about headlines.

A headline might do any of the following:

a) Convey the most important benefit to your ideal prospect. Use clear, simple, and direct language. Don’t be cute. Be specific. Avoid generalities.

Don't say, "This marketing system will help you increase your profits..." Instead say, "This Marketing System is Guaranteed to Increase your Profits by at least 43% over the next 6 months..."

Here’s an example of a sales letter headline targeting the stay-at-home mom...

“Here's a Quick Way for a Stay-At-Home Mother to Earn $312 Dollars a Week Part-Time at Home Without Sacrificing Family-Time”

Here’s another benefit-oriented headline...

“Eliminate Pain after Your Surgery using an All-Natural Remedy Just Discovered by Princeton Medical Researchers”

Select your target customer by speaking directly to the one your offer is meant for...

“A Proven Way for Miami Beach Realtors to Increase Sales by as much as 28% the First Month”

b) Use the headline to arouse curiosity.

“The One Type of Stock You Absolutely Do Not Want to Own over the Next 18 months”

c) Deliver a promise in your headline.

“Lose 12 pounds Over the next 2 Weeks Simply by Changing the Way you Cook your Food”

d) State the prospect’s problem in direct language and suggest you’ve got the solution.

“Warning: Cancer Patients Should Avoid the Most Common Sweetener at All Costs...A Leading Oncologist Suggests this Substitute Could Save Your Life”

e) Start Your ad by telling an out-of-the-ordinary story. “Learn How this Golfer with Constant Back-Pain Shaved an Average of 13 Strokes Off his Game by using This New Type of Club.”

f) If your product and its average price is well known to the prospect then your most effective headline might be a simple and direct offer.

“All Movado Watches 66% off Now until this coming Saturday”

The most important thing to remember about creating your headline is to start with your prospective customer.

What is it she or he really wants?

The following are some common (and effective) types of headlines used in copywriting:

How to ...

How To (Accomplishment) In (Time Frame)

How To Turn (Problem) Into (Benefit)

How To Get (Goal) From (Something Common)

How To Improve Your...

How To Start...

How To Have...

How To Make (Someone) Do (Something Great)

How To Get Free (Product/Program)

How You Can (Action) In The Next (Time Frame)

How (Unexpected (Event) Changed My (Situation)

How I (Accomplishment) In (Time Frame)

How I (Accomplishment) By (The Unexpected)

How I Improved My (Problem)

An Easy Way to …

A Proven Way to ...

Introducing ...

A Quick and Easy way to ...

Why you should ...

Announcing ...

If ... Then ...

(Problem) -- How To Fix It

A testimonial can sometimes make a great sales letter headline. Especially if it conveys your product's biggest benefit. When used in this way it can be powerful...

"We use the 305 Dawson Water Pump every day for plant operations and it always works without a hitch."

A few last thoughts ...

Never use a sales letter headline to trick your prospect. It should ALWAYS be related to your product or service in a way that meaningfully ties in with your copy. If you use tricks to get attention your prospect may start reading your copy, but as soon as they discover they've been tricked the sale is dead.

Your sales letter headline doesn’t have to be cute, hype-y or outrageous to get attention. After outlining all your product’s benefits find the one your prospect wants the most and you’ll be on your way.