Can The Right Headline Really Make You Rich?
Legacy signals
Legacy popularity: 925 legacy views
Copywriters have advocated for years how critically important headlines are to the success of any advertisement or sales letter.
Because they are.
To prove it they often quote copywriting legends such as John Caples, who pointed out “If the headline of an advertisement is poor, the best copywriter's in the world can't write copy that will sell the goods. They haven't a chance. Because if the headline is poor, the copy will not be read. And copy that is not read does not sell goods. On the other hand, if the headline is a good one, it is a relatively simple matter to write the copy.”
And David Ogilivy pointed out, “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.”
Wow. If the best copywriter's in the world need a good headline to sell their products, and if headlines account for eighty cents out of every dollar spent on an ad, I think it's safe to say that headlines are important.
But, in my estimation, the value of a well written headline goes far beyond that. Because a well written headline will not just sell your goods – it can also make you rich!
Want proof? OK . Answer this question: “What do you get when you put a headline on a book?”
Answer: A headline on a book would be it's title, right?
Ever hear of a book with the title Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus? According to it's publisher, Harper Collins, it's “the greatest selling relationship book of all time.”
This book has been sold worldwide, translated into over 40 languages, and has sold over 15 million copies.
Let me ask you something – Would it have had as much success if the title had been “How Men And Women Are Different”, instead of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus? I don't think so. The real title was so catchy it spread like wildfire. Both sexes, men and women, could relate. They laughed upon hearing it, then made sure to ask their friends if they'd heard it too.
Then they went out and bought it. (And it's a safe bet to say that most of them probably haven't even read it!)
Think the title made a difference? Think it increased the sale of the book? I do. Think about how YOU reacted the first time YOU heard it? It captured your imagination, and got your attention too - didn't it?
Let's try another one. Which book title (headline) do you think would sell more copies, “Think and Grow Rich”, or, “Study Your Way to Prosperity”? (I hope you said the first one).
Same book. Different title. See what I mean?
Any time the title of a book (which is the equivalent of it's headline) can catapult it to “the greatest selling relationship book of all time” status, it should be evident that the right headline can indeed make you rich!
Which is why we need to give headlines their proper respect.
I've included a quick and easy formula for writing world class headlines in my book, The Beginner's “Easiest Book in the World” For Learning How to Write Powerful Sales Letters.
Article author
About the Author
Further reading
Further Reading
Article
The Greatest Story Ever Sold
Back in the late 1980’s, the Honda Motor Company ran a memorable series of commercials, the basic premise of which was that the company’s cars were so amazing, they sold themselves. This commercial’s “hook” was that it featured a salesman who was bored out of his mind and had nothing to do because the cars were so in demand they were practically walking off the lot. The brand’s slogan at the time was “Honda, the car that sells itself.” Ha!
Related piece
Website
Chase the Championship
From motivation and leadership skills to peak performance and sales training, chasethechampionship.com is dedicated to presenting you with strategies, advice and information vital to gaining the upper hand, acquiring power and finishing first.
Related piece
Article
Uncover True Joy
What is ‘Joy’? Is ‘Joy’ attainable? Webster’s defines ‘joy’ as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” Based on that, joy is definitely attainable. You see, each of us has our own definition of ‘well-being’, ‘success’, ...
Related piece
Article
Decision-Maker or Decision-Faker?
Excerpt from the book "Chase the Championship - Kicking Ass, Taking Names and Becoming a Dealmaker!" Stay far away from the boss’s underlings when you are in search of a decision. The heads of Marketing, IT, Human Resources, or whoever else is part of the “decision-making chain” for the product or service that you are selling should never be the people that you go after for a commitment.
Related piece