HEADLINES THAT WORKTHE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

GETTING READ & BEING IGNORED

Kim Albee & Margaret Johnson

Genoo / ContentZAP!

Your PresentersKim Albee

@kimalbee

/in/kimalbee @marketingsings

Margaret Johnson

Why we are doing this…Headlines can make the difference between getting your email read and having it ignored.

More reading = more clicks = more opportunity to engage and create a customer

Our open rates have increased by more than 10% since we’ve been paying more attention to subject lines (email headlines)

Today’s Focus• Identifying the concerns/problems of your target

audience• Identifying the primary motivator• Triggering self interest in your audience• What are you promising?• Headline formulas you can use• Brainstorming headline ideas• Traps that will hurt you• Testing & measuring headline effectiveness.

Remember this as we go forwardWhat we’re covering today applies everywhere there’s a headline:

• Email subject lines• Paper titles• Blog titles• Press release headlines• Ads• Direct mail pieces• Landing pages

The Top 5 Things That Concern Your Audience

• What are the big worries in your marketplace?• Not problems you solve • Not issues you address• Not benefits of your products and/or services

• Put yourself in the mind of your potential customers.• Think about their concerns – and the concerns of their

customers

71% / B+

Basic Motivators of Human Behavior• Gain or greed• Love• Self-indulgence• Self-preservation• Pride• Duty• Fear / uncertainty / doubt

75% / B+ 79% / A+

Get more, make more, win more

Be more loved, more likeable

Pamper, take care, spoil

Survive, thrive, innoculate

Stand apart, be honored, win

Responsibility, people who…

Failures, lacking, behind

Spark Your Audience with 8 Powerful Triggers• Self-interest• Curiosity• Offer• Urgency / Scarcity• Humanity• News• Social Proof• Story

71% / B+

Improve life or circumstance

Specific, yet vague

Give something, offer something

Limited time or number

Thank you, holiday greetings

Happenings of import

X is working for Y, results

Here’s what happened when…

Awesome Promises - The Rewards for Reading

What is your email/article/post providing to your reader?• Guarantees (results or money-back)• Instant gratification• New, improved alternative or solution• An easy way to try out a product• Special “secret” information• Something of vital interest to a specific, targeted audience• Believable results with actual figures

73% / B+

Warning: Swiping Formulas Can Be Effective, but...

• Don’t be too literal• Fill-in-the-blanks is fine if no one else is doing it• Popular tricks that are done by everyone leads to…

ME TOO!

• Find your own voice• Use the swipe files as inspiration, not prescription

73% / B+

Samples to Swipe – Find Swipes Everywhere• How Safe Is Your [Valuable Person/Object] from [Threat]?• 7 Warning Signs That [Blank]• 13 Things Your [Trusted Person] Won't Tell You • Can't Keep up? 11 Ways to Simplify Your [Blank] • Get Rid of [Recurring Problem] Once and for All • 11 [Blank] Mistakes You Don't Know You're Making • How to [Blank] -- The Ultimate Guide • 101 [Blank] for [Event/Cause/Process] • The Top 10 [Blank] • 7 Surprising Reasons [Blank]

Falling Into Headline Traps Will Hurt Your Results

• Company names & logos as headlines• Weak opening –

• Lacks energy and zeal • A plain Jane statement• Wrong order – (put good stuff first)

• Creating confusion by attempting to be clever• Vague, general descriptions that could easily be tied to

other products, services, or companies (like your competitors)

68% / B+

Brainstorm and Choose the Best to Test

• Write down as many headlines as you can think of for a particular piece of content – what will really resonate?

• Ask for other eyes and ideas• Use an analyzer to help • Choose the top two or three headlines for the content• Where do they fit?

73% / B+

In case you’ve been wondering…• We challenged ourselves to create

actual headlines for nearly every slide.• We know, that’s kind of odd…• The grey boxes at the bottom left are

the scores from the analyzer at http://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer

73% / B+68% / B+73% / B+71% / B+75% / B+ 79% / A+71% / B+

To A/B, or Not to A/B

• Many advocate doing A/B testing on your headlines• Let us tell you what happens when we do it

• Two different subject lines with Tuesday’s invite to this session

• Both subject lines were on-point• Results were….

(Here’s that extra R)

In Contrast…• Two different subject lines for an invite last month

• One subject line was on-point; the other was attempting to evoke curiosity

• Results were…

Here’s our suggestion for you…

Reminder: Follow the Basics for Emails & Content

• Have calls-to-action• Provide value• Engage, don’t preach• No billboard emails • Think like your prospect

One Big Hint…Write your title first

This will make the body easier to write

FIRST!

FIRST!

6 Stupid-Simple Rules for Better Headlines1. Target your ideal reader.

2. Your first mission is to get this ideal prospect’s attention.

3. Use benefits that appeal to the self-interest of your prospects.

4. Be bold and daring without being cuckoo.

5. Make your headline easy to read and understand – don’t convolute the subject

6. Concentrate your efforts on capturing attention and sparking interest. Get them to deliberately open your email.

74% / B+

6 Stupid-Simple Rules for Everything

1. Your headline and your text should flow cohesively

2. For emails, use the corner pocket to expand on your headline (but don’t depend on it to finish your sentence)

3. Don’t mislead your audience

4. Keep it real – be authentic

5. Don’t be too mysterious or cutesy

6. As a general rule, don’t get too negative

A Few Final Words to RememberEverywhere there’s a headline, these guidelines apply

• Email subject lines• Paper titles• Blog titles• Press release headlines• Ads• Direct mail pieces• Landing pages

Resources• Great Headlines Instantly – by

Robert Boduch• Headline analyzer: http://

coschedule.com/headline-analyzer • Emotional headlines info:

http://coschedule.com/blog/emotional-headlines/

Next Session: Amping Your Lead Gen with Events

• We will cover how leverage pain-free event marketing as a key component of your lead generation plan.

• Date is two weeks from today – Aug 27, at 1:30 CT• Registration is open at http://contentzap.com/events

THANK YOU! QUESTIONS?Follow Kim:

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/kimalbee

Twitter: @kimalbee

Follow Margaret:

Twitter: @marketingsings

Follow Genoo & ContentZAP!:

Twitter: @GenooMarketing

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/genoo-llc