In a conversation around marketing recently, the topic of headlines came up. Someone I was working with was really struggling to come up with a headline that captured what their offer was about.
Unfortunately… it was boring, academic, and wasn’t really going to get anyone’s attention.
This is a really common struggle – boring headlines.
Yet, my client resisted making a more flashy or catchy headline. Too carnival, too flashy, too much trying to get attention, and it felt terrible to them.
And I support their resistance completely. Not only does it feel gross, but attempts to “get attention” like that usually create headlines that feel forced, weird, and they don’t really work, because then they look click-baity.
So, let’s take a step back and help you understand what a headline is, and what it’s purpose is, and who it really belongs to.
First off, I want to say that there is an incredible amount of study that goes into headlines to maximize eyeballs and attention… and I’m not dealing with any of that.
For your business, you don’t need a completely optimized headline, you just need one that connects with your audience.
So, what’s the job of the headline?
The job of the headline is NOT to describe your offer. It’s NOT to make a sale. It’s NOT to pull people in. Trying to do any of these things is a surefire way to tie yourself up in knots, and end up with something that feels forced and doesn’t work.
Instead, think of the headline as belonging to the audience, not to you. What I mean, is that your offer, or your content, if it’s well-crafted, if there is intention and love and care behind it, is here to help people in your audience.
People who need help, because they are facing something that isn’t working the way they want it to.
I say, give the headline to those people. What I mean by that, is that your headline should be an echo of the question or statement that your audience is struggling with.
So, for instance, with this article, I know plenty of folks who really struggle with headlines. And nearly everyone I talk to is asking, “How do I write a headline that isn’t completely gross, and yet attracts attention?”
Right? Right? Is that a question you ask yourself, at least sometimes? So, what did I title the article?
“Writing headlines that attract attention without being gross.”
I could have said, “How to write headlines that attract attention without being gross.” Or…
“Is it possible to write a headline that attracts attention without being gross?”
Or, “How in the heck do you write a headline that works, without being gross?”
All versions of the same thing. It’s a pretty direct echo of what the audience is asking. It’s meant to be a dialogue bubble, if you will, for what folks who face this problem are saying or asking.
What about more complex offers?
With complex offers, where you are looking at lots of different issues and nuances, it is more of a process, for sure.
So, for example, with our recent Heart Of Money & Power course, which covered a LOT of ground, here was the headline I used, and mind you the course has been filling for years with this headline.
“So much money and power in this world… Why is it hard to access your own power, and to have enough money to thrive?”
Nothing fancy, or hyped, or click-baity. It’s just a simple statement and question that I’ve heard voiced hundreds if not thousands of times.
It’s true that a headline does not have room for a lot of nuance. You do need to lean into a central or foundational question or issue, and then bring in the nuance within the content below.
Is there more to it than this?
Well, sure. You can get more focused and detailed in crafting of headlines. But, on the other hand, you don’t have to. This is a solid, good-enough way to write effective headlines.
If you can let go of the pursuit of the perfect, and embrace the “well heck, that’s pretty good. Let’s go with that.” you’ll get a LOT farther with your business.
Your turn.
Do you have an offer or a piece of content that you want a good headline for? What is a defining or foundational issue that your offer or content helps your audience handle? And what is it that your audience is asking or saying to themselves about that issue?
Write it out. Write it in conversational language. Write out five different versions of it, and see what you think.
And, if you’re willing, share them! I’d love to see what you come up with.
with love,
Mark Silver, M.Div.
Heart of Business, Inc.
Every act of business can be an act of love.
This is the kind of nitty-gritty help you get in the Learning Community
Our Learning Community is open for new members until April 10, or until we reach capacity.
Giving hands-on help is precisely why we are limiting capacity. We love, I personally love, digging in with members, and helping them- whether it’s tweaking wording in their marketing, or coming up with the overall plan, or figuring out how to communicate a price rise to current clients, or facing an emotionally draining issue of any sort within the business…
Or any one of a thousands things that goes into making your business really work.
There’s a clinic coming up later in April only for the members specifically on making your website really effective. But there’s also the multiple calls during the week to meet different schedules and different needs.
And… at the heart of it all, is spiritual connection, nourishment and healing. This is not just mechanical how-to. It’s about bringing your full heart in, it’s about honoring your spiritual, ethical self. It’s about doing business the way our hearts really want us to.
And yet, also, making the business work, really work, so you can depend on it to support you.
I think you’d have to look very hard to find this much support, this kind of unique, spiritually-centered loving care for your business, at this price.
Mark
