How to compose sales headlines with amplification elements and the 4U method. Each person has his own information bandwidth. Someone is able to perceive more information, someone less. It is a kind of natural filter that helps protect a person from overload. It is no longer enough to just bring up hot topics on your blog or create original advertisements. First you need to get the user’s attention. This is where headlines come in to help a catchy image. They help not only to catch the user’s attention, but also to motivate them to read the material, to give it preference among hundreds of others. This is why the role of headlines has become so important.
Table of Contents
1. How to write catchy headlines
2. Methods for strengthening headlines
3. Formula of selling headlines according to the 4U method
4. Five common mistakes when writing headlines
How to write catchy headlines?
The main purpose of any headline is to grab the user’s attention and push them to read the entire material. To achieve this, the following methods of influence must be observed when drafting the heading: informational, psychological (emotional) and pragmatic.
Informational impact: the title should reflect the main meaning of the text of the publication.
Psychological (emotional) impact: the heading should evoke the necessary emotions (positive or negative). For example: fear, empathy, curiosity.
Pragmatic impact: the headline should talk about the benefits for the audience, what benefits it will receive as a result. For example, saving time / resources, material benefits.
In order for the headline to fulfill its purpose, at least 2 methods of influence must be observed in it, ideally all 3.
Example: “5 fatal mistakes that every SMM manager makes.”
The title reveals information – what the material will be about. Emotions are touched – curiosity and fear, perhaps the reader also makes these mistakes. There is an element of pragmatism – the material is useful, because after reading it, errors in the work will be identified and eliminated, and the conversion will increase. All together motivates to read the material under the title.
Experiment with headlines and track post performance with statistics
| Connect advanced statistics |
Methods for strengthening headlines
For each method of influence described by yours, there are elements of strengthening. They will allow you to create a catchy headline that will stand out from the rest.
one
Use numbers. Numbers attract attention well. You need to write exactly the number, not the number in words.
| It was | Has become |
| Errors in resume writing. | 5 mistakes when writing a resume. |
2
Reinforce with adjectives. Use bright and non-standard epithets to stand out and convey the mood to the reader.
| It was | Has become |
| What mistakes are made when writing a resume. | Embarrassing (critical / disastrous) mistakes when writing a resume. |
3
Create you headline oriented . Make the message pass on to the user.
| It was | Has become |
| Frequent mistakes that are made when writing a resume. | Mistakes that everyone made when writing a resume. / You definitely made these mistakes when writing your resume. |
four
Add calls to action. Most often these are verbs that cause a reaction from the reader.
| It was | Has become |
| Errors in resume writing. | Find out what mistakes are made when writing a resume. |
five
Establish trust. This is achieved through authority or expertise.
| It was | Has become |
| Frequent mistakes that are made when writing a resume. | HR revelations: exposing common resume mistakes. |
To maximize the impact, use several amplifiers at once, for example: “5 embarrassing resume mistakes that everyone makes” or “Find out what mistakes in your resume do not hire you.”
4U sales headline formula
Separately, we can single out the 4U method, which is used more often for selling headlines. It partially includes the elements described above, but the main difference of the 4U header is that it should include all the elements at the same time, and not a choice. The sequence in which the elements are used is not important.
Usefulness
This is pragmatics, that is, in the title, the reader should feel his own benefit or a solution to a specific problem. Not the services of an SMM manager (product / service / property), but an increase in sales in social networks (benefit / solution). Usually, verbs are used to indicate benefits: double, save, increase, get, etc.
To understand what benefits to offer, you need to know the target audience well. For example, why do people buy a bike? For maintaining health, driving without traffic jams, saving on gasoline and car maintenance. It is necessary to identify the main benefit and sell it to customers.
Uniqueness
This is the USP of your proposal, the specificity that sets you apart from the competition. This difference should be presented as an advantage. For example: “The only child transforming seats in Russia” or “MARKA cars are designed with spare airbags.” The main thing here is to avoid hackneyed phrases: individual approach, wide assortment, high quality, etc. Such clichés create the opposite effect of the headline – they do not catch attention and do not sell, they only get lost against the background of the rest.
Specificity (Ultraspecificity)
Here, the reader needs specific numbers than your product / offer exclusively. Exactly how much a client will earn if they take your online course. How many percent will increase conversion or reduce costs. In how many days the result will be achieved.
Urgency
A time frame or quantitative constraint that prompts the reader to make choices faster. For example: “before June 30”, “first 10 customers”, “first 30 days without interest”. This parameter is important, but if because of it the heading is overloaded, it is allowed to place the condition in time in the subheading.
Examples of 4U headers:
In 24 hours, we will install a nanosystem of underfloor heating in your home 30% below the market price by the end of the month.
Only in June, a planning solution for your apartment in 14 days according to the author’s method of Artemy Lebedinsky.
Online assessment of credit history for all databases in 24 hours. When submitting an application before the end of the month, the consultation is free.
Five common heading mistakes
Even well-formed headlines don’t always work. Let’s take a look at the most common mistakes due to which the title remains unnoticed.
one
The title is not targeted at the target audience. For a headline to catch on, you need to understand who your customers are , their needs and pains. If you are just probing users or testing advertisements, experiment with headlines using different techniques and with different amplifiers.
2
Avoid being overly creative. If the topic allows you to approach the name creatively, then the meaning should be original and understandable for everyone.
3
Do not use hackneyed quotes and metaphors , they do not dwell on the user’s attention. This also applies to abstract titles that do not reflect the content of the publication.
four
The tone and emotionality of the headline should match the text and the audience. If the title is written with flashy epithets, and the text is sustained in a calm manner, then this will only confuse the reader. If you have your own blog, it is better to write the headlines in the general style of the blog and the manner peculiar to the author.
five
Do not use complex terms and abbreviations unless it is a narrow topic blog. Rarely, when an incomprehensible combination of letters motivates to read, the reader does not like to seem stupid.
6
Long title. It is recommended that the title has no more than 5-6 words. Long headlines are harder to read and less read. The exception is 4U headers.
Conclusion by example
Not every headline has to fit the rules. The main thing is the feeling of the audience, their needs and pain. For example, one blogger on Instagram published a post with a text about women’s complexes, cellulite and beauty standards in different countries.
Post title: “Brazil heals for complexes.”
This title is short and contains a minimum of reinforcement elements, but subscribers took it with a bang. And all because it is original, intriguing and partially reveals the meaning of the publication, and most importantly, it hurts the pain of many subscribers. Thus, the title alone has already motivated me to read the publication and even share my story in the comments. And all because the blogger did not change himself, wrote in his own style and described the problem that many women had.
