I snapped this on my phone at the weekend:

The Ultimate Headline

Here’s why it’s superb marketing:

1) Social Proof + New
If everyone’s talking about something it MUST be worth knowing, right?

socialproof

But this doesn’t just deliver a huge bolt of social proof, it also implies that this diet must be something new.

And that’s powerful because a common objection to most information products is the prospect thinking, “Mmm, I probably know this already – I’ll bet it’s just the same as XYZ.”

So by subtly implying the information is different/fresh/new we handle this objection right upfront.

2) Biggest Objections Answered
The sub-headline….

Objection Resolved

….pro-actively knocks the biggest objection to any diet right on the head, namely that you’ll have to severely restrict the foods you can consume.

Sub-headlines are an excellent place to deal with common objections after you’ve outlined the main benefits in the headline.

Here’s an example from one of my own products (WP Viral Payments):

benefit headline-objection subheadline

3) Benefit Based Hook
This is EXACTLY what people want: FAST benefits….

benefit based hookUsing a quantified benefit (7lb) in a specific amount of time (7 days) is classic copywriting – it worked in the 1950s, works now and it’ll work for years to come.

This particular hook is even more powerful because it’s concise (only 5 words), uses the “magic” number 7 and almost seems to rhyme.

4) The Image
copywriting-imageImages are great because:

(a) They hugely boost conversions

(b) They are so easy to use (I use www.bigstockphoto.com and Snagit to edit them)

Of course the image here is targeting females. It’s attractive and (interestingly) graphically reinforces the earlier objection-resolution that you can still drink wine with this diet!

5) Timing
The weight loss niche is obviously hugely seasonal so it’s no surprise that this banner was published on January 2nd.

copywriting-timing

However, even if your niche isn’t naturally seasonal you can still tie promotions into times: “Summer Sale”, “Thanksgiving Discount”, even… “My Birthday Bonanza!”

How To Make Money With This…

2 ways..

1) Keep the above points in mind and use them as a little checklist when you’re creating promotions, headlines, squeeze/sales pages etc.

There probably isn’t any such thing as the “ultimate” headline because it depends on the context, which varies. However, if you just implement the points above you’ll almost always end up with a great headline instead.

2) Remember that marketing is literally all around us everyday.

There are so many little tips exactly like these you can pick up from TV ads, billboards, signs on the street or, as in this case, newspaper banners.

The trick is you need to “observe”, rather than just “see” ; -)

Did you find this helpful? Please Share and drop a comment below – I’d love to hear what you think. As usual, comments good/bad/ugly are very welcome! Cheers, Rob. πŸ™‚