Advertising - 4 U’s” FOR WRITING EFFECTIVE HEADLINES and HEADLINE TYPES

  

When see an advertisement, people make a quick decision, usually in a couple of seconds, to read it or turn the page, based largely on the subject line. But given the flood of commercial messages today, how a busy prospect—in just a few words can you convince that ad is worthy of attention.

The “4 U’s” copywriting formula— which stands for

1.      urgent,

2.      unique,

3.      ultra-specific, and

4.      useful

 The 4 U’s formula states that strong headlines are:

 1. Urgent. There is no urgency or sense of timeliness. Urgency gives the reader a reason to act now instead of later. advertiser can create a sense of urgency in their headline by incorporating a time element. For instance, A sense of urgency can also be created with a time-limited special offer, such as a discount or premium if customer order by a certain date.

 2. Unique. The powerful headline either says something new, or if it says something the reader has heard before, says it in a new and fresh way. This is different than the typical. Not every marketer offers a free special report, but a lot of them do. So “Free Special Report” rates only a 2 in terms of uniqueness

3. Ultra-specific. The ultra-specific bullets, known as “fascinations,” that tease the reader into reading further and ordering the product. Examples:

4. Useful. The strong subject line appeals to the reader’s self-interest by offering a benefit.. When you have written your headline, ask yourself how strong it is in each of the 4 U’s

EIGHT BASIC HEADLINE TYPES

1.      Direct Headlines: Direct headlines state the selling proposition directly, with no wordplay, hidden meanings, or puns. Most retailers use newspaper advertisemets with direct headlines to announce sales and bring customers into their stores.

2.      Indirect Headlines: The indirect headline makes its point in a roundabout way. It arouses curiosity, and the questions it raises are answered in the body copy. The headline has a double meaning, and you have to read the copy to get the real message.

3.      News Headlines: This news can be the introduction of a new product, an improvement of an existing product.

4.      How-to Headlines: The words how to are pure magic in advertising headlines, magazine articles, and book titles. How-to headlines offer the promise of solid information, sound advice, and solutions to problems.

 5.      Question Headlines: To be effective, the question headline must ask a question that the reader can empathize with or would like to see answered.

6.      Command Headlines: Command headlines generate sales by telling your prospects what to do. Here are a few command headlines that the first word in the command headline is a strong verb demanding action on the part of the reader.

7.      Reason-Why Headlines: One easy and effective way of writing body copy is to list the sales features of product in simple If write an  ad this way, can use a reason-why headline to introduce the list.

 8.      Testimonial Headlines: In a testimonial advertisement, your customers do your selling for you. An example of a testimonial is the Publishers Clearinghouse commercial in which past winners tell us how they won big prize money in the sweepstakes. Testimonials work because they offer proof that a business satisfies its customers. In print ad testimonials, the copy is written as if spoken by the customer, who is usually pictured in the ad. Quotation marks around the headline and the body copy signal the reader that the ad is a testimonial. When writing testimonial copy, use the customer’s own words as much as possible. Don’t polish his statements; a natural, conversational tone adds believability to the testimonial.