80% of All Advertising Is Wasted!
And it’s due to one common mistake

By John Jantsch

You’re flipping through this publication as you wait for your latte, when suddenly you decide to stop and read an ad. What made you stop?

I’ll bet it was a headline.

Headlines Are Headliners
It’s a scientifically proven fact that five times as many people read headlines as read the body copy of an ad. So with the headline, an advertiser has spent about 80 percent of their advertising dollar. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the headline is the most important part of any ad.

Yet, most small business advertising is wasted for lack of an effective headline or, worse yet, no headline at all. Don’t make the same mistake.

According to one marketing school of thought, all advertising needs to include four steps. These four steps, collectively known as AIDA, are Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.

In terms of AIDA, the headline is your attention-getter.

This attention getting requirement is essential for any form of advertising: postcards, letters, magazine and newspaper ads, radio and television ads, yellow pages ads, and even Web copy.

This step is so important though that you should spend 80 percent of your copywriting time just on getting the headline right.

The headline is the first thing readers and prospects see when they open your letter, browse a magazine, or flip your postcard. In that moment (about 3 seconds), your reader decides whether or not to read any more of your message.

So first and foremost, any advertisement you produce must have a headline that grabs your readers’ attention immediately. If you don't catch them here, you never will.

Prove it to yourself. Pick up any publication and casually flip through it. What ads, if any, grab your attention? Even stories with good headlines stand a much better chance of stopping the reader. Of course the rest of the AIDA elements—interest, desire and action—also need to be in place. Still, without “attention,” you’re sunk.

Headline Writing Tips
Writing powerful headlines is not easy, but you can succeed by following some simple guidelines. Some of the most powerful and effective headlines of all time adhere to at least three of the following points:
1.    Gives the reader a reason to stop and read now instead of later—a carefully chosen word or two can create urgency
2.    Communicates something readers consider valuable—they need to be able to justify the time they spend reading your ad
3.    Screams how you offer something that is unique, or at least interesting
4.    Points to something very specific for the reader—it uses facts and how to’s

Using these points as a guide, you can create headlines that hook your reader quickly, offer readers a benefit they want, and compel readers to continue reading the ad.
On top of getting the attention of your prospects, great headlines can also accomplish the following:
•    Let the readers know they are the targets of your services
•    Stir readers’ curiosity
•    Offer a promise or guarantee
•    Challenge the reader
•    Let readers know you understand their needs

Never use boring, conventional or overused statements in a headline, and never use a headline simply to trick your reader.

Attention-Getting Power Words
If you study powerful headlines, you will see that many contain one or more of the following words that “sell”:
•    Discover
•    Easy
•    Free
•    New
•    Proven
•    Save
•    Results
•    Introducing
•    At Last
•    Guarantee
•    Bargain
•    Easy
•    Quick
•    Sale
•    Why
•    How To
•    Just Arrived
•    Now
•    Announcing

All-Star Headlines
Here are some headlines that fall in the "Headline Hall of Fame" category for their design and their effectiveness over time. Although some may seem corny or simple, they are considered great headlines because they have worked over and over again.
•    How Many of These Mistakes Are Causing You to Work Harder?
•    A Little Mistake That Cost a Farmer $3,000 a Year
•    Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market
•    How to Plan Your House to Suit Yourself
•    How Banks Play Tricks With Interest Rates
•    Burn Disease Out of Your Body Lying Flat on Your Back Using Nothing But the Palm of Your Hand
•    What Food to Never Ever Eat on an Airplane

Start of by writing some headlines that clearly communicate your promise, benefit or USP. Then look for ways to make your headlines even more powerful by adding a power word or two and checking whether they follow at least three of the guidelines presented above.

John Jantsch is the owner of Jantsch Communications, a marketing consulting company located in Kansas City, Mo. He is the creator of Duct Tape Marketing, a fully customizable turnkey marketing system. You can reach him at (816) 561-3931 or .