COPYWRITER: How To Write Headlines That Bring In Business ...

This weekend I received a beautiful and disturbing postcard from a local realtor. The graphic showed a gorgeous property in the hills but sadly this exquisite house was overshadowed by the shocking headline:

?Just Listed! Explosive Views.?

My mind filled with images of air bomb testing fields, ignited trees and flying, screaming bunnies. I imagined that this incredible house with bay window after bay window looked out over incredible devastation.? And then I couldn?t help it; I giggled.

Any copywriter or marketer will tell you that headlines and tag lines need to grab attention. But what kind of attention? In this case, I noticed the headline because it was so horribly and laughably inappropriate. I?m not in the market for a house, but imagine all the potential clients he scared off with just those two words.

Headlines are tricky. As a copywriter, I believe all writing requires a great amount of craft, but headlines are especially elusive. They must achieve several things in a very short space:

-?????? grab the right kind of attention

-?????? accurately reflect your unique brand voice

-?????? accurately represent the service/product you?re advertising

-?????? show a sense of cleverness without being cheesy or unprofessional

-?????? be compelling enough to entice the reader further

-?????? show a potential customer that you know what they need

But what happened for this poor real estate agent? Unfortunately, his headline made him look like an unprofessional realtor who is not only a poor marketer, but one who also lacks any understanding of a potential client?s needs. What homeowner wants to live next to land that spontaneously erupts?

In my ten plus years as a copywriter, headlines and tag lines remain two of the most critical and most difficult pieces to write. So pay special attention to these powerful little phrases. Assumedly, you know your customers best, so what are they really looking for? Speak to that need. What do you provide? Let them know. Be sure to speak in your brand?s voice. Be creative and compelling, but be careful too; don?t let a couple of words blow up your chance of bringing in business.

Source: http://www.rdmcopywriter.com/write-headlines-bring-business/

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