Headlines: Understand Their Importance
Or Loss Your Readers
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By: Toni Grundstrom

Your headline should force your reader to want to learn more. It should
ignite a certain emotion and intrigue them to read on. To achieve this
response you need to learn how to achieve reaction and use words.

The importance of a powerful headline is that it grabs your reader's
attention. To accomplish that you need to get into your target audience's
head and understand what they want, need, and desire. Before you begin
to write your attention grabbing headline understand that there are five
basic human needs/motivators.

1.) Physiological - basic needs including hunger, shelter, clothing,
2.) Safety - physical, emotional, and financial,
3.) Social - need for love, companionship and acceptance,
4.) Self Esteem - achievement, recognition, respect, and attention, and
5.) Self Actualization - Need to reach one's full potential.

Appeal to your reader's emotions, needs, wants, and desires by incorporating these motivators into your headline.

There are several formulas for writing intriguing headlines. They include 'How To', 'Question', 'Command', 'News', and 'Testimonials'.

-"How To Sell ... When There Is So Much Competition". Begin with 'how to' which appeals to the reader's desire to learn. If the headline offers a solution to their problem they will continue reading.

-"Are You Tired of Trying To Lose Weight?". Questions appeal to your reader's emotions and curiosity. When they read a headline in the form of a question the reader will try to answer the question in his own mind and then compare his answer with your content.

-"Double Your Sales in Six Months - Guaranteed". A command headline focuses on the most important benefit your product/service will provide for your reader. It demands their attention.

-Announcing a Breakthrough in ...". News headlines are an effective way to create curiosity about a new process, product, or service.

-"Before Working With ABC's Product Our Sales Were Flat - Now They've Increased By 45%". Testimonials instantly begin building trust.

Specific segmentation of your audience gives you the most effective opportunity to talk directly to their unique needs/motivators. The individuals in each segment need to have similar emotions, needs, wants, and desires. Write down how your product/service fulfills each of those motivators for that segment of your target audience. You may find that there will be several specific segments from the larger group of your target audience. Plan a campaign that uses a combination of headline formulas for each of the human motivators, all talking directly to your specific segment. This series will create a powerful marketing campaign.

Keep in mind that you only have a few seconds to get your reader's attention. If your headline does not catch their attention they will move on. Understand the human needs/motivators for your readers and use these headline formulas to write headlines that are captivating and will be read.