People ultimately buy benefits. So it’s important to communicate a strong benefit in your headline…
Headline Tip #3: Communicate a Benefit or Implied Benefit.
I once critiqued a brochure with nothing on the outer flap except the words “Going Beyond The Paycheck.” It was for a company offering wellness programs for corporate HR departments. Once I understood this, my response was, “Oh… now I get it.”
But unless you happened to know what the company did, it would be impossible to derive any meaning or benefit whatsoever from the headline. Consequently, their brochure wasn’t nearly as effective as it could have been.
Let’s see if we can add a bit of energy to this headline by making it more benefit-oriented. Assuming this were intended for corporate HR directors, the following headline may speak more to their concerns…
“Introducing A ‘Hands-Off’ Wellness Program With A Proven Track Record Of Increasing Employee Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Productivity. Turns HR Directors Into Company Heroes. Details Inside…”
Of course, we’d want to confirm whether these benefits are what would really capture their attention. That’s where interviewing your clients or customers comes into play. You’ll find out what benefits in particular are the real selling points to your target audience.
On the other hand, it’s important to communicate MORE than just a benefit. To use an earlier example, “Lose Weight Now” is a great benefit. But because it’s so over-used it’s just not very effective on its own.
The key thing to remember is that while the benefit (or implied benefit) is important, a headline almost always needs other elements to make it stand out and get attention. Take my earlier example:
“How To Melt Your Fat Away And Keep It Off For Good Using This
Little-Known Detox Secret The Diet Industry Doesn’t Want You To Know About…”
Notice how the benefit (which is communicated using different language than the overused “lose weight”) is woven in with other elements to give this headline much more impact.
Stay tuned for part 4. (We’re not even halfway through with headlines, yet!)
In the meantime, download your FREE Guidebook full of Persuasive Copywriting Tips & Techniques.
