The Three Ingredients To Writing A Killer Headline
- Pritesh Chauhan
- Aug 9, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 18, 2024
There’s a somewhat cliché quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln. No idea if he really said it or not, but let’s pretend:
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Abraham didn’t write many headlines. But if he did, he would have said:
“Give me six hours to come up with an ad and I will spend the first four coming up with the headline.”
Why?
Because The Headline Makes Or Breaks Your Ad
Let me explain:
David Ogilvy founded the biggest advertising agency in the world. The guy knew how to sell anything. His take on headlines was simple:
“On 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.”
What David is trying to say is:
If you mess up the headline your chances of selling to someone are pretty close to zero.
That’s why we want to spend most of our thinking power on coming up with a rock-solid message for the headline.
Then you can drive that message home in the rest of your ad, article, script or meme…
The Ultimate Headline Formula
The good news is that this isn’t like some 3 Star Michelin meal which consists of 412 ingredients and requires you to have a full science lab to even attempt making it.
It’s simple.
Only three ingredients are required to create the ultimate headline for your ad.
But you have to get it exactly right.
Ingredient 1: Right Bait For The Right Critter
Let’s say we gather all the best minds in advertising.
We even bring some of the all-time greats back from the dead. There’s a meeting and somehow we get them all to peak performance and out rolls the best advertising message for bikinis ever devised by man.
This thing is mind-bogglingly good.
So powerful it should be illegal. Anyone who has ever wanted to own a bikini would immediately start foaming at the mouth and yelling:
“TAKE MY MONEY!”
And then we gather 1000 people in another room to present this message to and see how many bikinis we can sell.
Just one catch though.
These 1000 people are all biker gang members.
Big, burly, hairy dudes wearing leather jackets and chomping on cigars.
You’re not going to sell very many bikinis.
Not because your messaging sucks. Not because the ad isn’t good.
But because the message doesn't match the market.
First ingredient in every marketing message:
“Speak the language of your audience.”
Tailor that headline to their wants and desires. To their world.
Ingredient 2: The BBP
If there’s one thing that can punch your marketing up a couple of notches, it’s a BBP:
BIG
BALLSY
PROMISE
If you’re not comfortable promising anything (you should be comfortable promising things to your customers if you sell good stuff, but let’s say you want an alternative), you can also do a Big Ballsy Benefit.
Most advertising is ultra-mega-super boring. Like being on a date with a girl that is only interested in astrology.
It’s not good.
You need to break through all the noise and nonsense. Bring something awesome. Come up with a big, stonking, BBP.
Ingredient 3: Tune In To W.I.I.F.M.
A long time ago, while sitting in a conference room in Manchester, a wildly enthusiastic American guy yelled this question to me:
“WHAT’S THE MOST POPULAR RADIO STATION ON THE PLANET PRITESH!?”
I don’t listen to the radio. So I had no idea. He proudly declared:
“IT’S WIIFM”
I didn’t get it. So even more proud of himself, chest almost bursting, he yelled:
“THAT STANDS FOR WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME”
Despite everything… the guy was right.
Whatever you write, make sure it’s about your customer.
Focus on THEM. THEIR needs. THEIR wants. THEIR desires. Do these three things, and you'll have a killer headline.
If you want to read more about the concept of WIIFM click here:
And if you’d like to see what we could do for your business, fill out the form here:
Talk soon,
Pritesh Chauhan
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