Most of us do some kind of written marketing / advertising. There is something simple that can be added or “tweaked” in every marketing piece that can get us a greater response and, in turn, more students.
There is one simple thing that almost any one of us can do to get our written communication read. Often, the reason letters, notes, flyers, and advertising aren’t read is because we have failed to spend a couple of minutes adding the key ingredient.
The new Readers Digest arrived today. I unwrapped it and set it down in the designated place for Reader's Digest...the bathroom.
As I laid it down, I noticed the article headlines on the front cover. Here are the ones for the current issue: • #1 Secret To A Sharper Brain • 5 Ways To Spot A Liar • Iran Threat - What You Need To Know • Nic Cage - The Inspiring Story He Had To Tell • Where All That Gas Money Goes • America's Worst Judges • Broken Family, Tender Reunion And the HUGE headline in the middle of the page: How Doctors Gamble With Your Life
7 Ways to Protect Yourself
Personally, I would first read the article about ways to spot a liar, then the secret to a better brain, and finally the doctors that are gambling with my life.
The main point here is that the "teaser" headlines make me open up the magazine and read. And once I start, there is no telling what I might end up reading.
I continuously see advertising, letters, emails, flyers, etc. that have no headline. And those that do have a “headline” are often so poorly written they actually hurt the message.
The purpose of a headline is to “make” the reader want to keep reading.
It should give people a reason to keep reading the rest of the document.
So often, people don’t read our advertising or marketing materials because there isn’t a headline compelling enough to make them want to keep reading…or even start reading.
And when good prospects don’t read your marketing, it costs you money.
Typical -
A client called recently and asked me to look at a letter they were getting ready to mail out. As I opened it, the first thing that jumped out at me was the "headline" -
Please understand, this is not a headline. Your company name is NOT a headline…EVER!
I don’t care who you are until I know you have something interesting to say to me.
A headline is not just text at the top of the page.
The headline has to be something that appeals to your reader. It has to grab his interest and make him want to read. It has to demand attention. It must be irresistible. It must connect. It must "jump out" from the page.
It can't be neutral. It can't be timid. It can't hint.
Many years ago, I was hired to write an advertising plan for a learning center. For one year they had been running an ad with this headline:
That headline generated only one call in a whole year!
I replaced it with this headline:
FREE Report: "7 Specific Things
You Can Do At Home
To Help Your Child Read Better"
They got 14 calls the first week.
That is a headline designed to get a response from those people that are looking for help with reading.
Just to be clear - no matter what you are writing, there should be a headline on it. That includes communications home to parents, bulletins to your staff, as well as all advertising.
If your business is closed next week and you are writing a letter or flyer to your clients, put this headline on it:
“Don’t Come Next Week – We Are Closed.”
I know this may sound silly. After all, people can read. But they don’t! Instead, they glance. They put off reading things. Make it easy for them to get the message.
The worst collection of headlines I know are in the Yellow Pages where people generally use their own name as the headline. That certainly doesn't give me any reason to call them!
If you want people to read what you write, you must get good at writing headlines.
Here are 5 kinds of headlines that have been used successfully over the years:
• Number Headlines - [Number] of ways you can [something the reader wants to know] I use these all the time - "7 Things you can do at home to help your child read better this summer"
“12 Ways DYSLEXIA is more than just mixed up letters”
They are easy to write and make people want to find all 7 of the things you are going to tell them.
• Questions - A very popular way to get people involved. The classic was "Do You Make These Common Mistakes When Speaking?"
That headline sold thousands of courses in English grammar (if you read my writing very much you'll know I didn't order or pass the course!).
Some other examples -
"How Long Will You Continue to Suffer From Headaches?"
"Is This The Year Your Child Finally Catches Up In School?"
Questions can start the reader thinking about his situation and what he might actually be able to do about it. It really isn't my favorite, but used well, the question headline can be very effective.
• How To... - This is a classic and is very effective if you give people something they want to know how to do.
The famous example is Dale Carnegie's "How To Win Friends and Influence People." It continues to sell books and courses.
“How to” headlines are everywhere and cover every subject imaginable. You just have to make sure you have the right audience for whatever it is you are going to tell them how to.
“How to Make SURE Your Child Gets Into College."
You can even use it on flyers you send home with students -"How to Make Sure You Are on the Right Schedule Next Week."
• News Headlines - These are things like: "Announcing..." or "At Last..." or "Finally..."
These headlines tell people something you believe your audience has been waiting for.
"Finally, a Permanent Cure For Baldness."
"Announcing a Pain Reliever So Strong You Take it Only Once a Week."
“NEW – A System That Makes College Entrance Practically Automatic”
You can also just announce something - "Next Week’s Schedule IS Different. Here Are The Details”
· Break The Myth - My favorite example is the title of Dr. Joan Smith's Book, "You Don't Have to be Dyslexic.
If you can come up with a headline that breaks a common myth, most people will want to keep reading.
"Why Birds Will Fly North This Winter"
DON'T BUY THIS LIE: "Your child will always struggle." HERE'S HOPE!
The late Gary Halbert used to get paid lots of money to improve other people’s ads. Often, the only thing he would change is the headline. In fact, he once improved an ad’s response by 2200% by putting a stronger headline on it.
He said in one of his last interviews that almost all local (as opposed to national) advertising could get a better response just by fixing the headline.
Start writing compelling headlines on all your marketing materials and measure the response. In the end, you’ll get more clients and make more money.
Remember, headlines are important only if you want people to read what you have written.
David Stowell is the owner of Learning100 (http://www.learning100.com) a membership web site and network designed to help private practice educators build a business that serves both their community and sustains the owner. He is also author of the free e-course “The 7 Biggest Marketing Mistakes That Are Killing Private Practices.” He can be reached at david@learning100.com.