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Headlines~Headlines~More Headlines
2007 by Sean DSouza. All rights reserved. Published by Psychotactics Ltd. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior
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Images in this document are 2007 Time Magazine, New Zealand Herald, National Geographic Magazine, La Nacion,
Readers Digest, PC World, Cosmopolitan, People Magazine, Elle, Before and After, Daily Mail and Le Figaro.
Contents
Headlines are a pain the butt 1
Time to get rid of the pain
De-Constructing Headlines 3
Exploring Why Headlines Work
What Creates Curiosity? 6
We explore unchartered territory
How To Jumpstart Your Headlines 9
The Power of How And Why
Three Headline Mistakes 13
These Headline Mistakes Could Get You All Knotted Up
Its Raining Headlines 16
Summary 18
All The Good Stuff
Your Action Plan/Assignment 19
Headlines are a pain in the butt...
Yes they are.
Theyve always been that way.
And theres a reason why its so painful to write headlines. All youre ever told, is to
write a headline. And then youre given crummy systems to write the headlnes. Or
even worse, youre told to copy other headlines and tweak them around.
But headlines dont need to be a problem at all. And they arent. And were just about
to find out why.
And what if you did this experiment week after week. Could you indeed make that
customer choose your headline repeatedly? Seems like a rhetorical question, right? I
mean what are the odds of your customer picking out your headline repeatedly. And
yet, thats exactly what you can achieve if you structure your headline in the correct
manner.
To go down this road of expertise, we have to examine the core of headlines. And in
examining the core, we see that three headline elements pop up repeatedly.
There are other headlines. The reader can turn the page, click away to another link.
Or simply ignore your message. Once the reader has moved on, theyve moved on.
You cant afford to be namby-pamby. Youve got to get the readers attention right
away. And the problem gets the readers attention.
Weve written (or are likely to write) headlines with solutions in them -- rather than
problems (even though we know that problems work better). So yeah, you can keep
banging your head on the solution wall, or you can start using problems in your
headlines. And the good news is that the problem is not the only way to get the
attention of the reader.
Example 3: How to hand off your most hated business tasks becomes: Do your most
hated business tasks cost you 10-20% less profit each year?
So yeah, you see we didnt go about writing new and fancy headlines. We just took
the very same headlines that already had an embedded problem in them. And we
said, Hey, can we put some question marks in these headlines?
And our brain, our wonderful brain, thought about it for a second and said, Yup,
why not? And so we instantly realised that we could take any headline and make it a
question. Yes, just like that. But why make it a question?
And knowing the answer means the reader is pulled into the vortex of the rest of your
article, and will stay there reading the rest of your article, if you use the concepts we
learned in the three sessions before this one: Namely the sessions on structure and
drama.
And yes, theres one more way to get customers into the vortex. And its what got the
cat.
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Remember curiosity?
Example 1: How to avoid wasting money on advertising becomes: Can you reduce
your advertising spend by 80% (and still gain new customers)?
Okay, so weve made no changes at all to the headlines that went through Element 1
and Element 2. Why is that? Its because theyre already loaded with curiosity.
How to hand off your most hated business tasks vs. Do your most hated business
tasks cost you 10-20% less profit each year?
The specifics are obvious to you, arent they? The headline was pretty darned good
before we tweaked it with specifics. Then suddenly the headline snapped to attention.
Suddenly it got even better than before. And it was all by putting in some specifics.
Now I want you to pay attention to the fact that the headline didnt require the
question to be specific. It just needed specifics. So what do I mean by that?
If I said: How to avoid wasting money on advertising vs. How to avoid wasting 80%
of your money on advertising, then Ive only changed one element. Ive only changed
the specific.
The 80% that a business will spend on advertising. Thats it. And the headline still
becomes instantly sharper and more focused.
Which then brings up the question: Can we get even more specific?
So instead of How to avoid wasting 80% of your money on advertising we had a
headline like: How bread manufacturers can avoid wasting 80% on their advertising
do you think that car manufacturers would be interested?
No they wont, but do you see how it forces you to focus? How it nails you down to
one angle?
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And if youre into measuring plant brix, then we get:
The connection between low brix food, diabetes and obesity.
Interpreting brix readings on cucumbers.
Is a 12-brix strawberry twice as good as a 6-brix strawberry?
Which takes us to the second curiosity factor of the unknown. Whats the unknown-
or unfamiliar concepts and terminology?
Have you heard about the Three Prong System? Well, thats unfamiliar for some of
you too, isnt it? Those of you who know about the Three Prong System will have
read the notes, heard the audio or attended the Website Masterclass. And when it was
introduced, it instantly gets attention.
And for a third example, lets talk about Attversumption. Whats Attversumption?
Its the sequence of attraction, conversion and consumption thats crucial in getting
customers to keep coming back.
That instead of calling it the three-step system, were giving it a name and calling it
the Three Prongs. That instead of saying Attraction, Conversion and Consumption,
theres a name called Attversumption.
So yes, you can create curiosity. And you can create it with unfamiliar terminology
or concepts, but also think up a name. Naming the unfamiliar concept makes it
easier for the reader, especially as they go through reading the rest of the article.
Which then takes us to the third factor of curiosity: Curiosity is created by a direct
contrast to the existing status quo.
So if you understand the term outsourcing does the term insourcing get
your attention?
You know that when youre in a meeting you need to be on reasonably full alertness,
but what if you could relax in a meeting? You know that headlines cause attraction,
but what if I could demonstrate to you how a headline can instantly drive your
customer away?
Creating direct contrast to the status quo creates intense curiosity. So when you take
the three concepts of insourcing, relaxing in meetings, and distracting headlines, you
get sharp contrast, and hence intense curiosity.
Now notice how much youve already learned. Even as youre listening to this audio,
youre wondering how insourcing works. And at the same time, youre thinking, well
if it does work, then how much of my costs can it save? So youre not just curious,
but youre longing for specifics as well. Which is of course, what your customer longs
for.
And which brings us to the end of this section on curiosity. And also brings us to the
end of the first section on the Three Core Elements of Headlines.
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Why and How Headlines
When You Want To Jumpstart a car, there are two cables.
Headline writing has two powerful cables too: Theyre called WHY
and HOW
You can literally get a headline jump started by using WHY and HOW
Now I personally write for quite a few blogs, for national newspapers and international
magazines. And of course, I write articles for the membership at 5000bc.com and
Psychotactics newsletter.
And they total somewhere in the range of about 300 articles a year. And guess what?
Between 80-90% of these articles have headlines with HOW or WHY
Which brings us to a critical juncture. How are we to come up with HOW or WHY
headlines all of a sudden?
Theres nothing sudden, if youve been diligently doing your assignments so far.
Remember the angles you were told to come up with in the very first lesson. And you
came up with about 10 different angles. Well now take HOW or WHY and put them
on those angles, and youll instantly see how either HOW or WHY will fit exactly over
those angles.
Of course, as you start writing even more angles, youll get even more reasons to
put HOW or WHY in the headlines. But then, will your audience know that youre
constantly putting in a HOW or WHY in the headline?
If youve got an angle thats worth my time, Im going to read it. If you dont have an
angle thats worth my time, then Im not.
Why?
Because youve already learned how to put gesso on the canvas. You know what gesso
is, and once youve done it, you dont need to read an article. But if youre not an
artist and want to learn how to put gesso, then the article becomes really valid.
Which then brings us to the really, really important part of article writing. Did I say
article writing? I actually meant communication. When you communicate, the first
thing you have to decide is who youre communicating to.
We just heard about gesso. Now most of you may not have known what gesso is, and
not cared.
Because it all depends. I can take an angle on gesso that identifies how most
experienced painters under-use gesso. Or how to create unique textures with gesso.
Or something that even the intermediate painter may be interested in learning.
Which is why target audience is so important. If you ask a consulting business, for
instance: Whos going to read your articles, then theyll say: Small to Medium
Businesses. And thats rubbish. You cant have such a broad audience.
Do you know of even one small to medium business?
Or a one person business. And trust me, the problems of a tiny, tiny
one-person business arent the problems of a business with 5 people, let
alone 10 or 20 or 500. If youre talking to a beginner in acrylic painting,
you need different angles and headlines and outlining than if youre
talking to someone intermediate.
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If youre not clear--and I mean crystal clear--about your target audience, then your
articles and your headlines are going to be complete shots in the dark. And all of
this trouble of structure, drama, and next step (that youll soon learn about) will be
wasted.
So before we go any further, I want you to be very clear about your target audience.
And then dig up the angles you wrote in the first assignment.
So before we go bungee jumping into the world of headlines, lets do a little audit.
Weve seen of course, that the HOW and WHY play an outstanding role in creating
headlines.
So you can all these three elements: Problems, Questions and Curiosity in your
headline. But you may choose to skip the Question element for instance.
Here are some headlines Ive written that dont have questions for
instance.
But what did all the headlines have almost without exception?
Almost all the headlines had two elements: 1) A problem 2) Intense curiosity.
And you may wonder: Well, were talking about HOW, WHY, and where did this
THE come from? e.g. The Plate Spinning System, or The 70% Principle. Or The
Logical Case for Increasing Your Prices.
And when you look at it, THE is only a substitute for WHY. Because lets
take a headline like: The Plate Spinning System: How To Run Several Projects
Simultaneously. Well, thats already got a HOW in the headline.
Then if we take another THE headline like: The Case For and Against Pop Ups On
Your Website, can easily be written as: Why Pop-Ups arent as bad for your website as
you believe.
Or lets take a third example: The Insanity of Waiting for the Perfect Business
Bible, can be easily tweaked to: Why its insane to wait for the perfect Business
Bible.
As you can plainly see from the 25 headlines Ive last written, the HOW and WHY
dominate the headlines. Just as the WHAT dominates the outlining, the HOW and
WHY are most likely to get your customers attention.
And yes, problems and curiosity. Cant live without them. So make sure you audit for
problems and curiosity above everything else.
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Three Headline Mistakes
Mistake 1: Ego-Stomping Headlines
Mistake 2: Headlines That Arent Specific
Mistake 3: Headlines with multiple thoughts
You can see whats wrong with those headlines cant you? You may fail to bring in
business, but are you going to admit it? You may be a horrible networker, but hey, thats
not something you want the world to know. And silly? Why would I admit I was being
silly?
Your customer may have a problem you can solve, but theres no way on earth theyre
going to let you get away with stomping their ego.
No, dont ask your relatives. Ask someone who is slightly removed from your immediate
presences.
Once an ego stomping headline has been identified, ask for help to tweak that headline.
For instance: Why most law firm websites fail to bring in business can easily be
tweaked to: How most law firm websites can bring in 20% or more business (and arent
doing so)
And to make that headline more specific: The Power of Walnuts for your health
And then we chance upon a headline thats actually specific: How Walnuts help you
regulate sleep patterns.
And yes, because were so pedantic, lets go one inch deeper, and make the headline
even more specific: How Walnuts help women regulate sleep patterns.
And you can see for yourself which headline has more clout. Is it the Power of
Walnuts that gets your attention, or is it How Walnuts help women regulate sleep
patterns.
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Headlines cant have fluff. They need to be concrete. They cant sit on the fence. They
need to be as specific as possible.
But you know that. You know that when you pick on an angle, you automatically
bring the specifics into a headline.
Headlines that arent specific are duh headlines. You know enough NOT to write
such drivel. But yes, you can indeed start with the general stuff. Just like we started
with The Power of Walnuts and then moved to the How walnuts help women
regulate sleep patterns.
So dont drive your self nutty. Start with the non-specific. And then keep auditing for
the angle. And youll get the dream headline. Its just a matter of time.
One of the biggest mistakes that people make with their article, is they write about
multiple angles. So if we take that walnut example above, well see that we were
talking solely about a very specific angle of how it helps regulate sleep patterns for
women.
ALA also plays a significant role in the development of the brain and cognitive
function; low levels of ALA have been associated with depression and other mood
disorders.
Now see, you have zee problem eef you know so much about zee walnuts. Because
your headline is likely to have multiple thoughts. Instead of just a sleep pattern
based headline, you now want to give your reader even more information.
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And in doing so, your headline looks like this: How Walnuts help women regulate
sleep patterns and help with depression and other mood disorders.
Oh thats noble of you to want to cover so many angles, but you start going all over
the place with your headline and youll quickly have a nightmare with your article.
So yup, its a mistake all right, to have multiple thoughts in your headline. Keep the
headline focused on one thought/one angle.
And yeah, with that, we come to the end of this section on the three big mistakes in
headline writing. So lets just summarise, shall we?
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How-To Headlines
How to determine soil mineral balance by reading your weeds
How to tame your instant gratification gremlin when shopping for clothes on sale
How to be sure youre not buying a wardrobe mistake
How you can turn your closet chaos into simplicity and ease
How to swap clothes shopping frustration for an effortless shopping excursion
How to know if a color/style of garment is right for you
How to make web analytics drive profitable decisions
How analytics can help you identify your most valuable customers
How to craft web analytics reports that answer your most important business
questions
How to use web analytics to improve your return on marketing investments by more
than 200%
How tourism businesses can make sure theyre not missing those critical times when
visitors research travel online
How adjusting shop opening hours could increase tourist spend
How delivering a more authentic experience for visitors could increase repeat business
How delivering a more authentic experience for visitors could increase repeat business
How to turn Scotlands poor weather into a destination advantage.
How to quadruple calls from your online listing
How to eliminate non-fitting clients
He laughed at my business name until he saw my income
How to increase your monthly income by 25% -- every month
How to expand your practice nationally
Why-Based Headlines
Why buying clothes on sale is like pouring money down a rat hole
Why spur-of-the-moment shopping can turn your wardrobe into your biggest
nightmare
Why organizing your closet lowers your stress
Why planning your wardrobe can save you time, money and frustration
Why shopping for clothes without knowing your best colors and styles is self-
defeating
Why most web analytics initiatives show poor ROI?
Why most web analytics reports end up in the trash bin?
Why web analytics fails to improve return on marketing investments?
Why web analytics leverages your investments in usability research?
Why should your web analyst stay with you?
Why ensuring you dont miss those periods when visitors research travel online will
increase sales
Why visitors schedules leave them finding gift shops closed
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Why visitor satisfaction depends on getting beyond a superficial experience
Why overcoming the language barriers that prevent bookings can give tourism
businesses an advantage
Why Scotlands bad weather isnt necessarily a turn-off for international visitors
Why most therapist website dont bring new clients and how you can make yours
hummmmmm...
Why your directory listing isnt converting viewers into clients (and how you can fix
that)
Why your website is not raking in clients (and how to make it work)
Question-Based Headlines
Do you always shop on sale? Buyer beware!
Would you like to save yourself time, money, and frustration when shopping for
clothes.
Does it take you more than 10 minutes to get in and out of your closet looking
great?
Can clothes shopping cost you a lot more than money?
Want to know the first step in getting that date/2nd interview/promotion?
Can web analytics help you to sell more tickets?
Can web analytics help you identify your biggest forum leechers?
What web analytics reports help you to identify your most profitable games?
Can web analytics improve your return PPC campaigns by 200%?
How can offshoring decrease you web analytics TCO by more than 80%?
Can web analytics help you to double your online conversion?
Can web analytics help you to find your most valuable customers?
Which web analytics reports help you to answer critical business questions?
Can web analytics improve your return on marketing investments by more than
200%?
Can you decrease TCO for web analytics by 80% and still get results?
Specific Headlines
How B&Bs can cut online advertising by 75% and still increase bookings
Could opening for two extra hours in the evening increase profits by 25%?
How to double conversions from your website by speaking to visitors in a language
they understand
Why the fact that 80% of visitors cite the weather as the most disappointing aspect
of their trip is great news
Is run-off reducing your natural capital by 80% each year?
Can you increase soil fertility at half your current annual cost?
Is transpiration the cause of 50% of your crop losses?
Can ground-cover increase your profits by 30%?
Is humus loss responsible for 50% of your capital erosion?
How can you get 10% more horse power from your classic bike
How an electronic ignition can keep your bike out of the shed and on the road.
Did you know that a 2amp-hour battery with a Pazon will last a whole race
meeting?
17
That we could take the same headline and tweak it so that it could have a problem, or
a question, or a curiosity factor. And in some cases, it could have all three, or just one
factor.
But that by taking it step by step, and adding problems first, then questions and then
curiosity, we could create some pretty darned awesome headlines.
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Your Action Plan
Write 5 How headlines.
5 Why Headlines.
5 headlines with specifics in them.
5 Question headlines