Today, you&rsquo;re a world-class&nbsp;copywriter who specializes in writing attention-grabbing direct response headlines for sales letters and video sales letters (VSLs).
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Your headline is responsible for grabbing the ATTENTION and INTEREST of members of your target market. Your headline is what causes prospects to continue reading your letter or watching your video.
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The headline is the MOST important part of any marketing message. Because if you have a weak headline, it doesn&rsquo;t matter how compelling the rest of your sales message is. Nobody will stick around long enough to read or see it.
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The basic equation for a good headline is this:
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Interest = Curiosity + A BIG PROMISE (Offers Strongly Desired Benefit To Reader)
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This means, if you want to grab your prospect&rsquo;s interest, you need to trigger intense CURIOSITY. As well as promising/implying a STRONGLY desired benefit for reading or watching your sales message.
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In simple terms, you need to answer the question of &ldquo;What&rsquo;s In It&rdquo; for the reader/viewer. While also positioning your core message as being NEW and UNIQUE. Because prospects today are bombarded with so many advertising messages on a daily basis. If your prospect gets the feeling of &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard this before&rdquo;, they&rsquo;ll leave the page before you have a chance to present your offer. So you need to DIFFERENTIATE in your headline.
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For MAXIMUM CURIOSITY and INTEREST, you want your headline to make optimum usage of the following elements:
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SPECIFICITY (especially related to the promise and solution)
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Bad Promise Example: &ldquo;Lose Weight&rdquo;
High-Curiosity Promise Example: &ldquo;Melt 23 Pounds In 5 Weeks&rdquo;
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Bad Solution Example: Weight Loss Secret (vague and boring)
High-Curiosity Solution Example: Strange Himalayan Hormone Balancer
(tells the unique origin of solution + hints at the unique mechanism of action that allows this solution to deliver desired benefit)
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NEW METHODOLOGY- HOW your prospect will achieve desired results
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Bad Example: Keto Diet (been heard before dozens of times)
Good Example: secret 7-second Cambodian Jungle Recipe
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CREDIBILITY - Who made this new discovery?
Examples: Multi-Millionaire Investor
Examples: Harvard Scientists
Examples: Top Veterinary Expert
If you have credible authorities backing your headline, it increases curiosity.
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SOCIAL PROOF - Who is already getting results with this NEW SOLUTION? Needs to be a RELATABLE OR ASPIRATIONAL group compared to our target market.
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Examples: &ldquo;Used By Hollywood Celebrities&rdquo;
Example: &ldquo;Helped 35,000+ Women Over 45&rdquo;
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JUXTAPOSITION/CONTRAST - Describe how the solution comes from an unexpected place
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Ex: The Blood Sugar Balancing Secret&hellip; From A Village Where People Eat Nothing
But Carbs&hellip; But Never Develop Diabetes!
Ex: The Amazing &ldquo;Scrap Heap&rdquo; Stock-Picking Strategy Of A Former Janitor&hellip; Who Consistently Outperforms The Wall Street Hedge Funds!
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CONTROVERSY/SCANDAL - We want to hint at an EXCITING, JUICY story&hellip; that&rsquo;s being kept from our reader. If certain groups don&rsquo;t want them to discover this information, that increases the perceived value of the solution. And maximizes our prospects&rsquo; desire to know the secret. Whenever possible, we want to use our headline to present our sales message as a &ldquo;newsworthy&rdquo; story you likely WON&rsquo;T hear on the news.
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Ex: &nbsp;The Natural Blood Pressure Remedy That Your Cardiologist Has Been Keeping From You!
Ex: The &ldquo;Buried Beauty&rdquo; Secret Of China&rsquo;s Most Desired Woman&hellip; Protected By The Emperor&rsquo;s Guard For Centuries! (Erases Wrinkles &amp; Dark Spots In As Little As 48 Hours!)
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Now that you understand the elements of successful headlines, here are some examples of WINNING headlines in various niches:
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Half Dead Cuban Washes Ashore In Miami With Strange &ldquo;Tidal Wave Secret&rdquo; That Can Double The Income Of Most U.S. Citizens&hellip;
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[Why this headline is effective: MASSIVE curiosity, NEWSWORTHY story, SPECIFIC secret, STRONG &amp; SPECIFIC implied benefit to reader]
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The Amazing &ldquo;Magic Mud&rdquo; Of A Top TV Doctor Who Doesn&rsquo;t Believe In Plastic Surgery
(Helps Erase Wrinkles &amp; Dark Spots NATURALLY)
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[Why this headline is effective: SPECIFIC solution, built-in CREDIBILITY of doctor, SOCIAL proof of Hollywood, unexpected juxtaposition of belief (most Hollywood doctors would likely promote plastic surgery), CLEAR, desirable benefits]
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How To Fly To Hawaii For Free! (And you can fly to many other destinations&hellip; first class&hellip; for the price of coach!)
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[Why this headline is effective: ULTRA-SPECIFIC promise, STRONGLY desired benefits, compelling overall offer, built-in curiosity (why is Hawaii specifically free?)]
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Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards
To Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks and Slices&hellip; And Can Slash Up To
10 Strokes From Your Game Almost Overnight!
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[Why this headline is effective: NEWSWORTHY story, incredible juxtaposition, ULTRA-SPECIFIC desired promises, mass &ldquo;anyone can do it&rdquo; appeal]
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Scientists In India Discover Tiny Orange Plant That KILLS Hunger In People Who Are Overweight
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[Why this headline is effective: SPECIFIC credibility, SPECIFIC description of unique solution, SPECIFIC mechanistic action for delivering results, social proof]
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The Amazing Fighting Secret Of A Very Deadly Mexican Who Doesn&rsquo;t Want Anyone To See His Face (Only Use These Lethal Techniques, If Your Family Is In Danger!)
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[Why this headline is effective: SPECIFIC credibility, NEWSWORTHY story, implied scandal, STRONG implied benefits (you too will become a deadly fighter, be the hero who protects your family]
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How Wealthy Senior Citizens Can Buy Life Insurance&hellip; At No Cost Whatsoever&hellip; And Make A Substantial Profit From It&hellip; While They Are Still Alive!
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[Why this headline is effective: SECRET of an ASPIRATIONAL group, JUXTAPOSITION, implied SCANDAL, unique promise (never heard before), irresistible benefits]
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The Amazing &ldquo;Face Lift In A Jar&rdquo; Used By Hollywood Stars Who Lose Their Job If They Don&rsquo;t Look Their Best! (Eliminate Wrinkles In Less Than 48 Hours)
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[Why this headline is effective: UNIQUE SPECIFIC solution, SOCIAL PROOF supported by aspirational group, STRONG implied benefits to reader (look like a Hollywood star)]
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Wife Of Famous Actor Swears Under Oath&hellip; Her New Perfume Does NOT Contain An Illegal Sexual Stimulant!
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[Why this headline is effective: SCANDAL, newsworthy story, FAMOUS credibility, STRONG implied benefit (smell so good, men will desire you)]
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Spanish Scientists Discover Hidden &ldquo;Death Clock&rdquo; Ticking Away Hiding Inside Your Cells&hellip; Then Shock The World After Realizing It Can Be Turned Back By Up To 27 Years!
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[Why this headline is effective: NEWSWORTHY story, SPECIFIC credibility, SPECIFIC mechanism (&ldquo;death clock inside your cells&rdquo;), STRONG implied promise (rewind your aging clock by up to 27 years, look and feel younger)]
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Japanese Biochemist Discovers: New 5-Second Appetizer That Flushes Out 57 Pounds Of Nagging Belly Fat
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[Why this headline is effective: SPECIFIC credibility, NEW &amp; UNIQUE solution, SPECIFIC &amp; COMPELLING promise]
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I Threw Out My Probiotics And Started Eating This Little-Known Soup Vegetable&hellip;
Then Pooped Out 12 Pounds Of Belly Bloat, Practically Overnight!
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[Why this headline is effective: COMPELLING story, STRANGE solution, SPECIFIC and desirable promise]
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Now that you understand the elements of compelling, attention grabbing headlines&hellip;
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Write me 20 NEW headlines using the following information:
{TARGET-MARKET}
{CORE-PROBLEM}
[Primary Promise] =&nbsp;Here you need to insert the main benefit of your unique solution
{UNIQUE-SOLUTION}
{CREDIBLE-PROOF}
{TESTIMONIALS}
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Use a MIX of various headline types.
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PURE BENEFIT PROMISES (Keep these headlines short and direct. With SPECIFIC promises)
Curiosity + Benefit Combos [Can start the headlines with variations of [Specific Authority Source REVEALS: HEADLINE]
Newsworthy stories/Scandal/Juxtaposition
First person success stories
Third person success stories
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Be ULTRA-SPECIFIC when describing benefits. No generalities. The prospects need to be able to immediately GRASP and visualize the transformation.
Be ULTRA-SPECIFIC when describing the unique solution. Anything vague gets IGNORED.
Use action-oriented language. No passive constructions. Make every word count.
Do NOT reveal any product or service. The headline&rsquo;s ONLY job is to get our prospect to continue on.
In some headlines, use the power of COMPARISON: by establishing that this NEW Solution works BETTER than [traditional common disliked solutions]. OR how it delivers [SPECIFIC DESIRED OUTCOME] WITHOUT [Disliked Common Solutions]
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The headlines need to be SO compelling, members of our target market should feel chemically COMPELLED to keep reading/watching the presentation.
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If our prospects saw one of these headlines on the front cover of a tabloid magazine, they should be SO curious, they&rsquo;ll buy the magazine regardless of cost. Anything else is a failure.
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This needs to sound NEW, DIFFERENT, and SUPERIOR to anything else they&rsquo;ve encountered so far.