I love good headlines.
At this point, my subconscious is trained to spot them. But they still work on me.
And by work I mean it makes me go look.
The really good ones make me stop everything because I just have to see what it’s all about.
This is a marketing life lesson.
If you are going to market your business and be successful, what makes people look is important.
It’s the first part of the most effective copywriting formula ever created.
AIDA
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
Headlines get your attention. Doesn’t matter if it’s an article, a banner ad, a sales page or an email subject line.
So it’s useful to become a student of headlines.
Keep a file of them. (I have a file that is called “made me look”)
Here are some attention grabbing headlines that made me look from around the web this week.
These all have ONE thing in common.
See if you can figure it out as you read them. (Answer down below. No peeking!)
Mexican amusement park offers
fake border crossing attraction
Bear spotted running around DC
Storefront Window-Smashing Rampage
Surge in ‘digital dementia’
Man convicted for sex act with discarded couch
Woman’s Breast Implant Explodes
After Playing Game For 4 Hours On iPhone
Rare Tsunami Hits East Coast
Compost Pile Spontaneously Combusts;
Destroys Home
Suicidal man coaxed off bridge
by offer of pizza
Russia To Send Olympic Torch Into Space
The World’s Most Vice-Prone Nations
Baby Wipes Clogging Sewer Systems
In Small Minnesota Town
Ancient Egyptian Statue Moves On Its Own
Have A Broken Computer?
Pay With Sex To Have It Fixed
Facebook’s Plan To Suck Up
Even More Of Your Time
7 Surprising Household Items
That Invade Your Privacy
Derriere-flashing guest manages to upstage
cast of explicit lesbian film
California kayaker survives attack by Great White
PAYPAL wants to launch intergalactic currency
I could do an entire webinar on these headlines. Why they work and what makes them work so well.
Maybe I will someday soon.
However they all have one thing in common. Did you figure it out?
Hint: What is it that kills the cat?
CURIOSITY!
These headlines make people go WTF??? or No Way! or What in the world is this about?
So they have to click through and find out what the story is all about.
That’s getting ATTENTION!
This is what you want in your marketing.