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Learn MoreMAKE YOUR WORDS SELL (Headline Swiss-Knife Method)
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MAKE YOUR WORDS SELL (Headline Swiss-Knife Method)
What makes your "Ads" pop? Get attention? Sell more? Discover these secrets in this powerful headline creation course...
Created byDexter Paglinawan
Last updated 9/2015
English
What you'll learn
- Make the very first words you tell your customers "sell" with clarity and persuasiveness
- Write psychologically driven marketing headlines, so you know you have higher chances of getting positive results in your marketing
- Identify and use the eight ingredients of a powerful headline, so you're sure you don't leave out an important information about whatever you are selling
- Create principle based headlines for your advertising pieces, so you end anxiety and stress by writing marketing pieces cluelessly
Explore related topics
Course content
4 sections • 15 lectures • 1h 31m total length
- Why Headline is the Most Important Piece in Your Marketing5:36
By the end of this module, you'll be able to write (at your command – almost anytime, anywhere) powerful attention pulling and result grabbing headlines, based on scientifically proven psychology and principles... easier, faster, and better... even if you've been afraid of writing for the purpose of marketing or persuasion before.
Put it this way: If you're honest that you could discover a thing or two more about writing electrifying headlines (that does what it's supposed to do), starting from whatever level you have now, then chances are you'd be picking up some advertising (a.k.a. “Ad”) boosting gems from this itsy-bitsy module.
WELCOME TO “HEADLINE: SWISS-KNIFE METHOD”
~ The only course that takes you deep into the heart of the eight ingredients of a headline that sells
Brace yourself because being an initiate of “HEADLINE: SWISS- KNIFE METHOD” (a.k.a HEADLNE SKM, or simply HSKM) will be like switching your understanding and ability to write headlines from black and white television to a full-colored HD TV.
You'll see the psychology behind the headlines top-gun copywriters use.
You'll have a stable ground to safely say that your headline is calculatedly assumed to work.
You'll have a feel of what makes a headline work, or not work.
I know... amazing right?
Of course, just like how we humans we're naturally programmed, your instincts will tell you to want to grow and evolve.
So, during your marketing and copywriting exploration and escapades, you'll find yourself decoding different Ad headlines as if it was second nature to you – seeing what makes headlines you encounter rock or suck right through the blinds.
You'll have a feel if a material is worth grabbing and adding to your swipe file... or if it's just fluff 'n junk to be left alone.
You'll have a clear idea if your headlines have covered the essential elements to make it work, even by principle at first - because that's where every marketing material starts... zero prospect attracted - zero customer served – zero product sold... even marketing materials that have turned into cult totems (like Gary Halbert's “Coat of Arms Letter” and Martin Conroy's “Famous Wall Street Journal Sales Letter”).
Good thing is, your Ad will be sitting under stable marketing principles.
Just to slay the big pink elephant in the room – NO, it's not me who came up with these principles. They simply have been proven to exist. They're just there. What I'm just doing here is give you an organized system of going through these killer headline principles as fast and efficiently as possible.
I want to be clear that I'm no Joe Sugarman or Dan Kennedy (or any copywriting rock star for that matter). I just picked these things up while working as the in-house marketing guy of Philippines' #1 Success Coach John Calub (and then other #1's in different fields as well). I just had no choice but to study & implement fast while working with them.
Now, before we proceed to the actual “HEADLINE: SWISS-KNIFE METHOD”, let us first quickly establish our grounds regarding the importance your headlines.
Marketing legend Ted Nicholas, a guy who spent over $100 million dollars over the years testing every aspect of copy in his campaigns, says...
“The headline is 90 percent responsible for the success of any piece of copy.”
Almost not surprisingly, he does several headline tests for each campaign. The reason, as Ted explains, is:
“With exactly the same body copy, the winning headline alone can pull 8 to 15 times MORE when compared to the losing headline.”
According to a research, five times more readers read just the headline compared to those who have a look at complete Ad.
So the investment in an Ad is of no use, in the event the headline isn't good enough to win a person's attention.
It's possible that you may find yourself under the situation of having the content of the Ad being not that strong. All of the harm can be undone by having a powerful headline.
So without further ado, let's put our headline thinking caps on...
NOTE: I've included a PDF version of the entire course in the resources section. You can download it there.
- Headline as a Complete Dish and as an Elevator Pitch7:31
Think of the kind of headline you're about to create from now on as similar to a complete course of mouth-watering meal.
Let me explain further by starting with the keyword complete.
What I mean is you will have a magic-button option and control whether you want to serve your readers a complete headline – one that's composed of...
One) a headline main course
Two) a headline side dish
Three) a headline appetizer and dessert
The whole she-bang and enchilada of trigger words that describe your offer and sales message to a whole new level... or... you could choose to serve just some portions of headline.
Why?
Because your headline creation needs may differ. For example, at the time of this writing, Facebook only allows you 25 characters for the headline and 90 characters for the body text of your FB Ad.
You can NOT fit every ingredient of a complete headline when you are restricted by space.
So what do you do?
Depending on the situation - you may want to serve the main course (or the main point of your headline) only... because that's all your space can fit... or probably you'd want to tease your audience with your headline appetizer first with some side dish first - so he, your prospective client, clicks on that tiny little ad which leads to a landing page where you have unlimited space to unload your whole bombshell message of a headline and consequently your whole letter of course!
For your easy understanding we'll continue to use the complete meal course analogy almost throughout this module. Also, I'll be referring to the “headline ingredients” as “parts” or “steps” interchangeably.
Before we proceed further, let me first be blunt... because some people have asked me before – “is this a one-size fits all headline creation method?”
I wish it was ('coz for me it works that way so far), but let's just say that it ain't and put it this way: like anything that's worth your attention (as your headline), there will be times where you'll have to do some tweaking to meet your style and needs... I don't know if it's because eventually, after creating Ads for some time, you get a “gut feeling” on what might work, so you adjust and tweak accordingly.
It is part of the whole method anyway, so don't worry. By the time you have to tweak – you've already covered almost every base so the enhancements you do with your headlines will happen in a breeze.
Now, one more thing: I'm aware that there are many kinds of headlines out there.
There are those witty and creative headlines that inject curiosity immediately… others are formatted like news, stinging messages quickly like a bee... we also have question style headlines that invite immediate engagement... not to mention the how-to headlines, the guarantee headlines, reason why headlines, testimonial headlines, and of course, many other headline styles more.
A lot of options, right?
The thing is, the problem with having too many options is that it's simply a drag and can even be a blockage to accomplishing your goals – familiar with the term analysis paralysis? I mean, thinking of a headline alone takes energy. Why spend that valuable energy playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey figuring out which style or kind of headline to use?
So, for “HEADLINE: SWISS-KNIFE METHOD”, we are going to solve this dilemma.
We are simply going to start with ONE kind of headline:
The benefit headline. This single type of headline will be your seed that will grow different branches (or styles) of other headlines, systematically and easily.
You'll understand, as we go along, why we'll ONLY be starting with the benefit type of headline. I find it's more fun uncovering the unique system “HEADLINE: SWISS-KNIFE METHOD” has for you this way. All-in-all, this complete meal of a headline will be composed of eight principle-laden ingredients – again, a headline that's complete (in every marketing angle) as possible in describing your overall offer.
Let me describe this “completeness” further by borrowing an idea most commonly used in the offline world.
Have you ever heard of the marketing term “30-second elevator pitch?” I'm betting that, most likely, you have. Marketing techniques (whatever you wanna call it) as powerful as the 30- sec elevator pitch won't die for the coming great generations.
Anyway, an elevator pitch is a short summary that you would use to quickly define a person, profession, product, service, organization or event and its value proposition. The name “elevator pitch” reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.
The term itself comes from a scenario of an accidental meeting with someone important in the elevator.
If the conversation inside the elevator in those few seconds is interesting and value adding, the conversation will continue after the elevator ride or end in exchange of business card or a scheduled meeting.
I'm almost certain that you've probably heard gurus talk about variety of people, including project managers, salespeople, evangelists, and policy-makers, commonly rehearsing and using elevator pitches to get their point across quickly.
They need high impact message delivered in a small span of time so that they become irresistible in the eyes of their prospect, giving them an opportunity to enjoy more of their listener's time and attention – can you imagine yourself being able to say so many important things without having to waste your or your prospect's time, then being invited to talk more about what you have to say?
Elevator pitches kinda work that way.
But in case of a sales letter (whether in written, video, or audio format) your conversation would pick up immediately after your “acting elevator pitch” – your headline.
You can actually look at your headline as doing the same job as an elevator pitch – if in that few seconds you catch your reader's attention and he sees something interesting and valuable to what you're dangling in front of him... your conversation will continue.
- How to Maximize Your Study of this Course4:11
He (or she) will keep on reading, and at the end, you make that person do what you want him or her to do. It's quite useful to note that copywriter and author David Garfinkel once said that 75% of the purchasing decision is made at the headline alone.
It's a different figure from Ted Nicholas' 90% (and actually different figure from other brilliant copywriters too) but it brings the same message: have a well thought of headline and over 50% of your marketing materials work is done.
Going back... this is how we're going to dissect our way into the heart of a complete, powerful, and eyeball grabbing descriptive benefit type of headlines... by going through one) a headline main course, two) some headline side dishes, and three) a headline appetizer and dessert.
But since we can't actually see words just like how we see physical objects like ball, tomato, zombies and potatoes... we are going to use “boxes” to represent each headline ingredient. We will have eight boxes.
Just like I've said, we derived those eight boxes from one) the headline main course parts (2pcs), two) the headline side dishes parts (4pcs), and three) the headline appetizer and dessert parts (2pcs) – a total of eight.
We will chew on these boxes in this manner:
- First Phase, we look at – Boxes 1 & 2 as your headline main course
- At the Second Phase, we look at – Boxes 3 & 4, and boxes 5 & 6 as components of your headline side dishes
- And finally at the Third Phase, we look at – Boxes 7 & 8 as your headline appetizer and dessert.
Imagine a car's windshield wiper moving in front of you. It's going right-left, right-left, right-left back and forth right? You will actually see each part of your headline in that motion.
At first, you'll have one headline ingredient (or part).
(1)
Then we'll add another part to its right side.
(1) (2)
Then, as you may have guessed, the wiper moves back to the left
side... so we add the third ingredient on the left side:
(3) (1) (2)
And back to the right…
(3)(1)(2)(4)
And so on…
(5)(3)(1)(2)(4)
(5)(3)(1)(2)(4)(6)
(7)(5)(3)(1)(2)(4)(6)
(7)(5)(3)(1)(2)(4)(6)(8)
This is the manner how you'll be seeing your headline grow in thought and content naturally.
Again, the beautiful thing about this approach is, there will be times when all you might need is one ingredient to do a certain job for you.
I think this kind of flexibility in how you organize your thinking process is cool.
The time you spend going through how the entire “HEADLINE SKM's” process works for the first time is actually longer than the method-put-into-action itself.
Once you finish this module, your succeeding use of this headline creation technology will be faster... and as you use it many times, you get better exponentially – hopefully to the level that headline creation becomes second nature to you and... most importantly, the level where the actual activity becomes a fun thing to do. For me, I think the method actually keeps my mind kinda' sharp despite having smoked too much funny grass in the past lol (but that's just me – and do as your mama tells you, stay of the grass).
Anyway, it's now time take each box (a.k.a. part of your complete kick-butt headline) piece by piece... drum roll please.
- Ingredient 1 - The "FLR" (Finish Line Result)13:36
1. FLR – FINISH LINE RESULTS
(1)
FLR
This ingredient is the cornerstone of “HEADLINE: SWISS-KNIFE METHOD”. So I'll be going through this part longer than the others.
When on headline creation mode, the first thing I'd like you to do is imagine a “finish line tape” – just like what you'd see in almost any kind of race. Now, imagine your client crossing that tape after using your product or service.
That ultimate poster pose... that state and position a person falls into because of your product... that's the “result” we're talking about when it comes to the “HEADLINE: SWISS-KNIFE METHOD”.
Your headline's FINISH LINE RESULT (FLR) is simply the answer to the question: what will your client actually get as a result of using your offer. To understand this better, you can simply equate “result” to: the goals, benefits, or problems eliminated or solved by your product or service.
When maximizing the use of the time-tested benefit type headlines, no matter what you write to your clients or customers, the results have to be up front.
That's one heck of a marketing principle and we all know it. Question is, how do we stick to it?
The answer: make a results list.
One technique when making that results list of yours is by brain dumping: the act of just writing down a list about your particular subject without thinking of editing at all (at first at least)... just letting the juice flow freely like a someone possessed by the gods of don't-mind-it-dammit.
Simply brain-dump what you know your readers want to get out of their life, in their situation, or in their profession.
List what their FLR's are.
Hmmm... What do you think we take this for a spin? Ok... we'll need a test product to make a headline on.
How about we use “HEADLINE: SWISS-KNIFE METHOD” as our test product? You cool with that? Good.
Ok... let's “brain-dump” the FINISH LINE RESULTS (FLR's) some would get after using HEADLINE SKM.
First, I take a few seconds to do some breathing exercise. This breathing thingy before engaging in a creative process is one lesson I've learned from “The Emperor of Email™” Matt Furey. Some people like him. Some people don't.
Anyway. He said that, somehow it opens up some joo-joo of whatever creative “power-up” channel in your body. Makes sense to me because I've learned in nursing school that deep breathing oxygenates the brain.
So, here we go...
1... 2... 3... inhale... exhale (repeats a few times)... And, I set my timer to one minute... then... brain dump!
(Here's the time I start asking: “After using “HEADLINE: SWISS KNIFE METHOD,” a person would ?” – then just start writing like a madman)
1. Increase conversion
2. Sell more stuff
3. Grab the reader by the neck-instantly
4. Write powerful headlines
5. Be sure of the headlines you're writing
6. Be a master of headline writing
... Ok, one minute done.
But I'd like to do another round.
... Breathe in and out... and... Go!
7. Throw away your headline swipe file
8. No more copywriters to hire
9. No more money spent in hiring copywriters to write headline and “small space ads like” Facebook ads, PPC, Banner ad, newspaper, and related ads
After the second 1-minute brain-dumping (found immediately above)... I actually went back to edit some of the items just so the thought that was left hanging made sense. You can do that too.
For the third round...
Inhale... exhale... and... Go!
10. Write neck pulling headlines consistently
11. Write insanely complete headlines
12. Write profit pulling headline
13. Write neck (and profit) pulling headlines anywhere, every time
By creating this list, not only do you get candidates for your top “core” benefits (the ones you highlight and pound over and over again in your message later on), you also get possible bullet points for your sales letter body.
I've used a combination of just headline + bullets in a marketing material in the past and it worked out fine.
Now, let us review the list and create three condensed prototype versions (to work on) from our FINISH LINE RESULTS list. I'm shooting for something simple and easy to say if I were to say it to somebody face-to-face. Also, I'm going for three angles of benefits per version. Here goes:
- Write neck (and profit) pulling headlines, sell more stuff, and get rid of marketing campaign 'thinking' worries
- End the stress & anxiety caused by not knowing how to write profit-pulling headlines, expensive copywriter fees, and wasted money on Ads that don't work
- Write profit pulling headlines, sell more stuff, and end the stress & anxiety caused by writing Ads cluelessly
HERE ARE SOME PRACTICAL POINTERS: From here, you can see that we can already use the condensed versions of our FINISH LINE RESULTS (FLR's) to craft some headlines:
- “Write Neck (and Profit) Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and Get Rid of Marketing Campaign 'Thinking' Worries”
- “End Stress & Anxiety Caused By Not Knowing How to Write Profit-Pulling Headlines, Copywriters Charging an Arm & a Leg, and Wasted Money on Ads that Don't Work”
- “Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly”
Also, we can simply now convert them to one of the most popular (and my favorite) type of headline, the “how-to” headline. Simply add “How To” at the start and you're good to go.
If you'll be using this ingredient alone for your headline, don't hesitate to trim FINISH LINE RESULTS (FLR's) if you need to.
Don't get mislead if all you can insert as FLR's are some common and simple benefits.
The book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is a classic example of how powerful the “how to” headline is. The plain “how to” headline is perfect when you need a title for book chapters (or for the book itself), article titles, presentation topic titles and so many more.
Now, we will choose one from these three choices we have above. Let's go with (this will now be our module example):
Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written
Cluelessly
You can do this step (Step #1: FLR) fast... like within just 5-15 minutes, from brain-dumping your results list, to combining three benefits from your list to come up with three headline prototypes, where you choose one to use for the succeeding steps.
HERE'S THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND FINISH LINE RESULTS: The reason we are talking about your FLR's first is because all the other ingredients (and your headline) will make no sense without the things that matters most for your audience – the result you have in stored for them. From here, all other ingredients will exist
to support your FLR'S.
STEP SUMMARY:
1. Brain dump FLR's
2. Create condensed version(s)
3. Add “How To” as default stand-alone headline
Ok... this is it for step one and the first mode of your HEADLINE SWISS KNIFE.
NOTE: If you're having a hard time with step 1, this SIDE QUEST will help you.
Remember... It's best NOT to pull your FINISH LINE RESULTS out of thin air.
As much as you think you're close to your audience, and you know exactly what they're thinking... you'll often find yourself surprised to find them with new interests, needs, or things to talk about.
Here's how to stay current with them:
1. HANGOUT WHERE YOUR TARGET MARKET HANGOUTS.
One of the easiest thing you could do is read about what your market are talking about in places where they hangout like forums, magazines, facebook groups, etc.
2. GET IN TOUCH WITH A SELECT GROUP OF YOUR CUSTOMERS THRU EMAIL OR PHONE CALL. You'll want to choose people who you speak with on a regular basis and who are opinionated. They are not hard to find. These wonderful gems are on every businessperson's client list.
3. ASK THEM (MARKET-RESEARCH RELATED) QUESTIONS ABOUT THEMSELVES LIKE:
• What's your top three goals in <niche>?
•What's your top three challenges that stops you from reaching your goals?
• What keeps you up at night?
•Could you please describe your day from the time you sit at your desk in the morning until you leave at night?
•What's the toughest thing about your job (or about what you do, or what you're trying to do)?
•What's the one thing you would change about your job (or about what you do, or what you're trying to do)?
4. EXTRACT EMOTIONAL CLUES. Draw out their emotions. Once you have this info, look for any emotions your target market has. Ask:
•Are they angry expensive copywriting fees?
•Tired of having to carry heavy swipe files around when having to travel for work (especially when just starting out with marketing or copywriting)?
•Are they eager to systematize the headline creation process?
•Would like to have feeling of certainty that the Ad would work or at least break even?
•Are they suffering from information overload?
•Are they suffering from a lot of bull- cr*p information floating at the market place?
After doing some (or all) of these side quest pointers, try doing step #1 exercise again.
From here on, the process becomes much, much, much easier. - Ingredient 2 - "TEM" Triggers4:19
2. TEM T - TEM (TIME-EFFORT-MONEY) TRIGGERS
(1) (2)
FLR | TEM
If "how to headlines" seem incomplete for you, adding TEM Triggers is definitely the way to go.
TEM Triggers are simply phrases or words that tell how your audience can make more or save more of their TEM: time, effort, and money by using your product or service. The time trigger can also indicate time related factors like how fast a certain product works.
Here are some examples of TEM TRIGGERS:
TIME
Fast
Quickly
At breakneck speed
In just thirty minutes
At a snap of a finger
Faster than you can say “aaahhhhhhhhhh”
Twice the regular speed
EFFORT
Painlessly
Easily
In a breeze
Step-by-step
A to Z
Like holding you by the hand
If you can follow simple directions
MONEY
Enjoy the Benefits permanently
One-time payment only
No recurring fee
No hidden charges
You get more for less
For less than what you'd pay for a Starbucks coffee
Get two for the price of one
Going back to our module example:
(1) (2)
Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within 30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters
Take note that by this time, we are not yet going to “clean edit” our headline.
PRACTICAL POINTERS: You can choose not to use all three elements (TEM) in a single dropping. Simply choose one if you like and need to. Let's say I need a blog post title. I can simply use ingredients 1 & 2 together in a stripped version and arrive with
something like:
How to Write Profit-Pulling Headlines, Step-by-Step Within 30mins from Now
Fun and easy, yes?
HERE'S THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TEM TRIGGERS: Everybody naturally can't pull away from having more for less and being in a comfortable zone - period. Time, effort, and money are universal triggers of
desires in human psychology.
There you have it, the first phase of the HEADLINE SKM. You've just acquired the ability to serve a main course of a headline that magnetizes your prospects and sells powerful benefits early on.
But if you want to describe your offer in better detail, and you have the space within your headline to tell your message then, we should go onwards to the SECOND PHASE: HEADLINE SIDE DISHES.
In the second phase, we have two sets of headline side dishes. Both sets would carry two ingredients under their umbrella... so, all-in-all, we will be able to cover four ingredients in the second phase of HEADLINE SKM.
- Ingredient 3 - Packaging6:23
3. PACKAGING
(3) (1) (2)
PACKAGING | FLR | TEM
This step is equivalent to answering the question: “what form or packaging does your offer (or product) take?”
Here are some examples of form or packaging we are talking about (beyond being in ebook, audiobook, or video form): tips, secrets, home-study course, coaching program, step-by-step guide, blueprint, lost and found secret, etc...
To boost the color of your packaging up a couple of notches, you can do two things:
Packaging Color Tip #1
Add “words” to describe your packaging better. Here are some examples:
- BETTER <WAY = packaging> “TO”
- WONDERFUL WAY “TO”
- AN AMAZING WAY “TO”
- THE BEST WAY “TO”
Better [Wonderful, Amazing, Best] Way to Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within 30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters
- SHOCKING RESEARCH ON “HOW TO”
- BREAKTHROUGH ON “HOW TO”
- CASE STUDY ON “HOW TO”
Case Study on How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within 30mins from Now, Step- by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters
- (THE) COMPLETE GUIDE “TO”
- (A) STARTLING FACT ABOUT HOW “TO”
- (A) CUSTOM-DESIGNED PROGRAM ON HOW “TO”
- (A) FRESH APPROACH ON HOW “TO”
- (THE) AMAZING FORMULA “TO”
- INCREDIBLE TIPS “TO” GURU HUMILIATING TIPS “TO” HAIR-PULLING TIPS “TO”
- BLUEPRINT
- TOOLKIT
- TACTICS
- SHORTCUT
- TEMPLATE
- SWIPE-FILE
Fresh Blueprint on How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within
30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You
Get from Expensive Copywriters
Yep, it's that simple.
Packaging Color Tip #2
Add “numbers” to your packaging – ala “Seven Tips to..., Nine Steps to..., Three Golden Rules About..., Single Most Highly Guarded Secret on How to... etc.”
Going back to our module example, we get:
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint on How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within 30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters
For example purposes, here's a stripped version:
7 Tips to Writing Profit-Pulling Headlines Consistently, 30mins from Now
I hope you're having as much fun (as I am) going through this process of headline dissection.
Anyway, here are some...
PRACTICAL POINTERS REGARDING WHAT WE'VE COVERED SO FAR:
From here, you can see that our headline is now carrying more substance and greater benefit promises... so much that you may be left wondering if we could already do some “fine-tuning” with the headline that we have now.
You may have noticed that our headline seems fluffy right at this time too (and we're just at the third ingredient).
Don't worry. We can do the cleaning when we reach the final headline ingredient. By then, you've covered a lot of angles about your product that you'll have a better idea on what to keep and what to throw for you to have that magnetic headline.
While it's true that you can already fine tune here, I'd recommended that you do it after going through all the eight steps of HEADLINES SKM.
But for curiosity's sake, let's see how we could fine-tune what headline we already have so far.
From:
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint on How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within 30mins from Now, Step-by- Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters
To:
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint on How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines (Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters), Sell More Stuff, and End Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... All Within 30mins from Now
Decent. But we could still add a little trick to make this headline of ours gain some punch. And that trick is as simple as adding action word(s) to your packaging to make your headline feel like moving forward.
Check this out:
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint Reveals How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines (Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters), Sell More Stuff, and End Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... All
Within 30mins from Now
The psychology behind giving your headline a PACKAGING lies beneath the idea that things become more tangible and believable for our mind if they're enclosed in a category, form, number of steps or parts, etc. This is the same principle as having “pet names” or “nicknames” in relationships.
So far, we've covered FLR's, TEM Triggers, and Packagings.
Moving forward to the next ingredient... And oh, by the way, it just occurred to me that we haven't talked about formatting your headline yet, right? How to chunk your headlines so they're easier to read and understand? We'll do that later at step eight. We'll finish going through all the ingredients first.
- Ingredient 4 - Kickers4:00
4. KICKERS
(3) (1) (2) (4)
PACKAGING | FLR | TEM | KICKER
Ever tried eating bananas topped with ketchup?
How about pizza with that thick chocolate sandwich spread Nutella?
Ok... peanut butter and tomato sandwiches, together?
Strange enough, some people do actually love these weird combinations of food.
And what's quite more astonishing is the fact that some of you will think of trying these combinations yourself (or would want to see others try it in front of you)... just because you've read it here.
That is what KICKERS do.
Kickers are what I call “spices” of headlines.
They are counter-intuitive thoughts that bring to your audience a sense of intrigue, puzzle, awe and shock that leaves them with quick reactions like –
“That's impossible...”
“I gotta see what this is about...”
“Did I just read that right?”
...and more.
These are terms you see widely used by successful Ad campaigns such as:
•Get thinner without diet – (comment: But everybody says you have to go on a diet... Doesn't make sense right?)
• Play guitar better with lesser practice time – (comment: I
thought you needed more time of practice to get better?)
• Earn money while you sleep (comment: out of common sense?)
•Create stunningly beautiful web pages without photoshop knowledge (comment: is this even possible? WTF?)
Here are some of the 'magic' words used to set-up a kicker: even if..., with just..., with only..., while..., without..., even without...
You get the drift?
Going back to our module example, we get:
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint Reveals How to Write Profit
Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress
& Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within
30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters... Even if You've Never Written an Ad in Your Life Before
SIDE QUEST: By using the ingredients we've covered so far, in addition to the FINISH LINE RESULTS you have, you could easily make headline variations like:
How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines at Breakneck Speed, in a Smoother Easier (step-by-step) Way... Without Spending Truckloads of Your Time, Effort, and Money Collecting & Buying Regular-Old-Fashioned Headline Swipe Files
Now, let's move on to the second set of headline side dishes
(boxes 5 & 6), starting with Step #5... (next lesson)
- Ingredient 5 - Action Star4:05
5. ACTION STAR
(5) (3) (1) (2) (4)
AXN STAR | PACKAGING | FLR | TEM | KICKER
Action star simply refer to a person, group, body, event, or entity that is related to your offer... and we added the word “action” there because we want your headline to feel like moving forward.
It's better if I show you examples:
Exhibit A
Now at last, you can hear them too!
Mississippi Man Discovers Long Lost Tapes
Made By Elvis Presley Before He Became Famous
This is a Gary Halbert ad headline back from 1988.
“Mississippi Man” is your star... “Discovers” is the action.
Exhibit B
Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer
Adds 50 Yards To Your Drives, Elimiates Hooks And
Slices... And Can Slash Up To 10 Stokes From Your Game
Almost Overnight!
This is a John Carlton headline for an ad that ran successfully for over 12 years, offline and online. The “One-Legged Golfer” would be your star, and “Discovered” would be the action.
This trick of using a STAR for your headlines is one of the highlights I learned from John Carlton's “Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel” course. It's a really good copywriting resource material, so you might want to get it too if you have a chance.
Now, let's go back to our module example. Adding an “action star” - we get:
Philippines' Accidental Copywriter for the #1's Reveals Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint Reveals on How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly...
Within 30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters... Even if You've Never Written an Ad in Your Life Before
We'll be deleting the word “Reveals” (after the words Eight-Step Blueprint) so that the headline would make better sense.
HERE'S THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND AXN STARS:
Adding an AXN STAR to your headline gives it a more human or personal touch – this is on top of having that additional believability factor coming for being more specific at your headline.
Here are some more examples of the ACTION STAR element
• Biggest Convention of Hackers Exposes...
• Modern Age Einstein Proves...
• Freak Laboratory Accident Dispels...
Getting the drift so far?
Yes?
Good job.
Again...
Headline side dishes bring more color to your headlines.
It's not set in stone that you have to use them always, just as side dishes in real life are not a must every time you eat... but they're definitely fun to have.
- Ingredient 6 - Security Blanket3:31
6. SECURITY BLANKETS (a.k.a. Guarantee)
(5) (3) (1) (2) (4) (6)
AXN STAR | PACKAGING | FLR | TEM | KICKER | SECURITY BLANKET
A SECURITY BLANKET is a phrase which simply conveys to your audience the idea that – “Hey, you're safe with me.”
This ingredient usually appears in the form of a guarantee.
Here are variations commonly used by successful advertising people:
<headline>... Or Double Your Money Back
<headline>... Or Your Money Back!
<headline> - Guaranteed... Or Your Money Back!
Or... if you're not issuing any kind of money back guarantee, you can simply say:
<headline> - 99.9% Guaranteed!
<headline> - Safe & Proven Effective by Experts
<headline> - Recommended by World Health Organization
Can you imagine how phrases like these can make your audience feel more safe?
Now, if pull down our module example once again, and we add a SECURITY BLANKET ingredient, we get:
Philippines' Accidental Copywriter for the #1's Reveals Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint on How to Write Profit Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress
& Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within
30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You
Get from Expensive Copywriters... Even if You've Never
Written an Ad in Your Life Before
– Like It or It's FREE
Just like addition and subtraction - simple, isn't it?
Last two ingredients. Onward to the...
THIRD PHASE: HEADLINE APPETIZERS & DESSERTS
(next lesson)
- Ingredient 7 - The "TLI" (Trance Lead-in)5:44
7. (TLI) TRANCE LEAD-INs
(7) (5) (3) (1) (2) (4) (6)
TLI | AXN STAR | PACKAGING | FLR | TEM | KICKER | SECURITY BLANKET
A Trance Lead-in is a word or a phrase which is commonly used to put your audience in a quick trance or state of subtle subconscious shock, leaving him open to your headline.
As fancy as it sounds, this is as simple as words like:
• Finally!
• At Last!
• For the First Time –
• For the First and Final Time –
• Attention!
• Warning!
• Now –
• Announcing –
• Break All the Rules!
• Released at Last!
• New! Revolutionary!
• Is This Even Moral?!
• Instant <benefit>!
Remember your FINISH LINE RESULTS? You can actually modify them to act as TRANCE LEAD INS. This works because our FLR's are, more or less, benefits themselves.
Here are some examples:
• “Sell more stuff!” can remain as is
• Be a master of headline writing can be... “Master Headline Creation!”
• Throw away your headline swipe file can be... “Phaseout Headline Swipes!”
• No more copywriter to hire can be... “Fire Your Copywriter Now!”
• Increase conversion can be... “(Get) Instant Conversion Bump!”
Let's pull our restless module example one more time, and we'll get:
Get Instant Conversion Bump!
Philippines' Accidental Copywriter for the #1's Reveals
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint on How to Write Profit
Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress
& Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within
30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters... Even if You've Never Written an Ad in Your Life Before
– Like It or It's FREE
These examples belong to one group of TLI's... and then there's the other group.
You can also add or use a flag as a TLI.
A flag is a phrase calling for the attention of a particular person (or a group of person). Examples are:
• For Overworked Mothers:
• For Newly Grads:
• Attn Network Marketers:
• If You're Over Thirty...
Look at this ad: http://i.imgur.com/QLkkEc3.jpg
It is difficult to tell which will attract the reader's attention first – the image or the headline.
But NO wearer of false teeth is likely to miss this use of flag.
Anything other than the prospects should NOT be included in the headline.
If both young and old can use a product, it would make sense if both of them are referred to inside your title, right?
Missing out even one of the category is a lot like losing a giant amount of potential customers.
Back to our module example, again, we add a flag TLI and we get...
Attn: Business Owners, Marketers & Marketing Managers, Copy
Writers, and Anyone Who Wants to Sell More Stuff...
Get Instant Conversion Bump!
Philippines' Accidental Copywriter for the #1's Reveals
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint on How to Write Profit
Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress
& Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within
30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters... Even if You've Never Written an Ad in Your Life Before
– Like It or It's FREE
The psychology behind using flags (as TLI's) lies behind the marketing idea – qualification or qualifying.
It's like you calling out those people who have certain characteristics and inclination to buy your offer.
Here's one little secret (I got from another master copywriter, but I can't remember who specifically – Carlton or Halbert maybe).
Though this is not always possible, this alone could almost get your message read. The best way to flag someone is by using your audience' name.
Imagine getting an envelope with a sticky-note on top of it which says...
Attn: < Your Name >
Wouldn't you take a look?
A person's name would always be a good candidate for the most important word in a person's dictionary.
Well, so far we've looked at:
1. FLR's
2. TEM T's
3. PACKAGINGS
4. KICKERS
5. AXN STARS
6. SECURITY BLANKETS
7. TLI's
And now, finally, our finishing part – ingredient #8 (next lesson)
- Ingredient 8 - Poker Joker5:57
8. POKER JOKER
(7) (5) (3) (1) (2) (4) (6) (8)
TLI | AXN STAR | PACKAGING | FLR | TEM | KICKER | SECURITY BLANKET | PJ
I'm gonna gamble that you've seen a deck of playing cards before. In a standard deck of playing cards, there are two Jokers. In some versions of card game poker, the Jokers are used as wild cards. This means that in that game, Jokers can stand for any card a player wants it to if he holds it in his hand.
In HEADLINE SKM, your Poker Joker would simply be a phrase at the ending that you use for almost whatever angle you've missed or you'd want to mention.
It's your headline's dessert.
Just a fair note though: in the children's game named Old Maid, a solitary Joker represents the Maid, a card that is to be avoided. This means that your Joker can be an extremely beneficial, or an extremely harmful depending on how you use it.
This means you have a “wild card” which you can use and abuse to sell more... or not use at all.
Just like any other ingredient, I can think of only one method to really make sure – and that is testing.
Anyway, here are some examples Poker Jokers:
• Begin Today Starting from Scratch
• -- Starting From Scratch
• - by an Expert
• 1,535 Happy Customers Can't Be Wrong
• 70% OFF Until (Date)
• -- Hurry! Only 235 Units Available
• -- So Powerful It Is Beyond Your Wildest Dreams Today!
• - Just What You've Been Looking For
Back to our module example (yet again).
Attn: Business Owners, Marketers & Marketing Managers, Copy
Writers, and Anyone Who Wants to Sell More Stuff...
Get Instant Conversion Bump!
Philippines' Accidental Copywriter for the #1's Reveals
Fresh Eight-Step Blueprint on How to Write Profit
Pulling Headlines, Sell More Stuff, and End the Stress
& Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly... Within
30mins from Now, Step-by-Step, and Better than What You Get from Expensive Copywriters... Even if You've Never Written an Ad in Your Life Before
– Like It or It's FREE
... The only course that takes you deep into the heart of the eight ingredients of a headline that sells
Now, let's look at the standing issues with this one (and almost all the first drafts you'll have):
• Maybe it's too long
• Maybe it still contains fluff or unnecessary words
•Maybe there are bumps along the way if you read the headline out loud
• And a lot more maybes...
So what do you do?
Simple – you trim and tighten.
It's time to see how much of “say more with less” we can practice.
First: Read out loud and note for bumps and fluffs you can trim
Second: Break things down. Mix things up.
Third: Format. Play around and edit the hell out of the headline as you please.
Sample:
Attn: Business Owners, Marketer & Marketing Managers, Copywriters, Sales Professionals & Agents
Get Instant Conversion Bump! Philippines' Accidental Copywriter for the #1's Reveals Never Before Seen Eight-Step Blueprint On HOW TO WRITE PROFIT SUCKING HEADLINES (better than what you get from paid copywriters), Sell More Stuff, and End Stress & Anxiety Caused by Ads Written Cluelessly
“All These 30mins from Now, Even if You've Never Written an Ad in Your
Life Before – Like It or It's FREE”
NOTE: This is the only course that takes you deep into the heart of the eight ingredients of a headline that sells
There's our SWISS-KNIFE HEADLINE. Done using a simple eight step blueprint... composed of eight principle based ingredients.
Enjoy and good luck on your projects!
Go kick some butt!
Sincerely,
Dexter Paglinawan
P.S. I've prepared a bonus chapter for you. It's in PDF form and you can download it under the resources section.
- Hardcoding the 8 Ingredients of Your Killer Headline (...Like a Boss)7:12
One really fun module designed to ingrain the eight ingredients in your brain... so you could pull the information out, whenever you want, wherever you are. Enjoy!
- HSKM for Sales Letter Writing (Part 1)11:15
Sneaky trick to get your ideas flowing when writing your sales letter - a fun module :)
- HSKM for Sales Letter Writing (Part 2)7:41
Party 2: Sneaky trick to get your ideas flowing when writing your sales letter - a fun module :)
- Downloadables (Main PDF, Bonus Chapter, Wallet Sheet)0:06
I've prepared some cool stuffs to help you enhance your headline writing skills. Come check them out on the "View resources" section :)
Requirements
- I've included all your downloadables (PDF, bonus chapter, wallet cheat sheet) under the "Section: Resources"
- Every video has been transcribed. You can view them in each lecture's "Description"
Description
In the fast-paced world of advertising, the first words your customers encounter can be the difference between success and obscurity. Legendary marketer Ted Nicholas once declared, "Headlines can make you a fortune." Are you ready to unlock the power of compelling headlines?
Join us on a transformative journey as we delve deep into the art of headline creation with the "Headline Swiss-Knife Method" Copywriting Course. Guided by the principles of master copywriters like Gary Halbert, John Carlton, and Claude Hopkins, you'll gain a profound understanding of the psychology behind impactful headlines.
What sets this course apart is our commitment to not only equipping you with the skills to craft attention-grabbing headlines but also fostering a profound connection between your product and your audience. Learn to reflect on your product's essence and present it in a way that captivates your target market in record time.
Say goodbye to marketing headaches and anxiety, and say hello to the ease of crafting killer headlines that demand attention. By the end of this course, you'll be armed with the tools and knowledge to transform your headline writing abilities from black and white television to a full-colored HD TV experience.
Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your copywriting game and stand out in the competitive world of marketing. Join us for the "Headline Swiss-Knife Method" Copywriting Course, and switch your understanding and ability to write headlines to a whole new level of effectiveness. Your success story begins here.
Who this course is for:
- This course is perfect for business owners or any person involved in sales and marketing - even if you have no prior experience with headline writing before
- This is for you if you want more prospects, sales, or customers by using powerful messaging techniques thru headlines
- This course is probably not for you if you're a highly accomplished copywriter who's mastered the art of headline writing already.
- This course is not probably if you're a brutal and strict "Grammar Nazi"