Copywriting
Key question
How does a headline get people to keep reading?
Most people only read the headline. It decides in seconds whether someone stops, keeps reading, or scrolls on. That is why it pays to write twenty variations for a single headline.
Learning objective: You will be able to develop headlines using proven formulas, generate numerous variations, make well-reasoned selections, and distinguish between headlines and claims.
The headline is the advert for the copy underneath.
2.1 / What a headline achieves
Hold back, promise, intrigue.
A good headline fulfils at least one of three tasks, the best ones all three. It speaks to the right people and quite happily lets the others move on.
01
Stop
It interrupts the gaze, through surprise, direct address, or a familiar problem.
02
Promise
It tells you what is in it for you. Most of the time, this is the benefit outlined in the value proposition.
03
Pique curiosity
It raises a question that the text below answers.
A headline doesn't have to say it all. It just has to ensure the next sentence gets read.
Better one thing done properly than three half-done.
2.2 / Formulae and Variants
Twenty variants, one choice.
Tried-and-tested formulas help you get started: the benefit ("So that …"), the question, the number, before/after, the imperative, or the contrast ("Not …, but …"). They are scaffolding, not rigid templates.
Professionals write many variations before making a choice. The first ideas are usually the obvious ones. Things often get exciting from the tenth attempt onwards. The selection is based on clear criteria: concise, specific, tailored to the target audience, and matching the image.
The best headline is rarely written first.
2.3 / Claim and slogan
The headline changes, the slogan remains.
A headline belongs to a campaign or an advert. A strapline belongs to the brand and often sits next to the logo. It sums up an attitude or a promise in just a few words and remains the same for years.
Good taglines are short, distinctive and credible. They cannot simply be transferred to the competition. The test: would the tagline also work under a competitor's logo? If so, it's too generic.
A slogan that fits everyone belongs to no one.
Exercise
Develop and test headlines
Task: Develop headlines for a poster for Rheinrad or your own project.
STEP 1
Write at least 15 variations using the Headline Lab.
STEP 2
Choose five that meet all the criteria.
STEP 3
Combine the three best with an image and sketch the poster.
STEP 4
Have five people look at the sketches for three seconds each.
Evaluation: Which headline was understood and remembered within three seconds?