June, 2011
 

Exactly how long should the headline of your ad, brochure, or Web page be?

 

The answer is, when it comes to headlines there are no rules. All that matters is that the ad communicates benefits (the direct response approach) or entices the reader to move on to the body copy (the teaser approach). The length of the headline itself means nothing. Results mean everything.

 

Examples . . .

 

About a week ago my wife and I were on vacation in England and we took a train from Canterbury up to London. As I was sitting there, speeding through the countryside, I glanced up at a poster on the wall of our railway "carriage" promoting the Web site www.webuyanycar.com. The big bold headline read:

 

We buy any car that's sitting in your driveway somewhere right now

costing you money whilst you're sitting on this train.

 

The headline was full of fun and made its logical point with style. Terrific!

 

Many years ago, I was asked to write a brochure for a company called 800-SOFTWARE. They were one of the first companies to sell discount software by mail. I wanted the cover of the brochure to stop the reader cold and grab their attention. So I wrote the following headline:

 

If you hate going into a high-priced retail store and buying from a cocky salesperson who probably knows less than you do or answering a mail-order ad from a company whose corporate  

headquarters might very well be a telephone booth, read this . . .

 

Again, a long headline can let you have fun and make an important point at the same time.

 

Of course, this doesn't mean that long headlines are the only way to go. One of the old, classic Doyle Dane Bernbach ads for the introduction of the Volkswagen featured a simple photo of the car. It was accompanied by the one-word headline: "Lemon."

 

To see how the body copy played off the header and photo, CLICK HERE. 

 

The take-away message this month? When it comes to writing headlines, or just about any copy, know the rules but never be afraid to think outside the box.

 

If you need some outside-the-box thinking, feel free to get in touch any time. I write emails, sales letters, Web copy, you name it. What kind of results can I get for you? CLICK HERE and read the whole page. When you're done, all will be revealed!