Nov
22

National Enquirer Headlines

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Here we go now with the “National Enquirer” that all the major league copywriters are raving about.

For some reason I have a really hard time to get the brilliance of them - because most of them reference to celebrities that I don’t know (despite consuming more mainstream media recently). But, now here’s one that caught my attention:

JACKO MUSLIM CONVERT
King Bizarro becomes Islamic Mikaeel.

Michael Jackson becoming a muslim? I mean, com’on, there’s no explaining why this is a good headline. (Although I find it a lot less weird than “Michael Jackson getting white”…

SHOCKING INVESTIGATION: MOM BURIED MISSING GIRL AFTER SHE DIED IN CAR

“Shocking investigation” will go into my swipe file of power phrases… Can you imagine something like: “Shocking Investigation: Former Librarian Evaded $1.2 Million Taxmoney He Made On MySpace” or something like that…

STALKER SENT RAZOR BLADES TO PAULA BEFORE HER SUICIDE
‘Idol’ judge STILL IN SHOCK over deranged woman’s note

Makes you wonder what the note was, doesn’t it? The formula here of course is ___ sent ___ to ___ before his ___

LARRY KING CATCHES WIFE CHEATING
Her 1-Year Affair With Son’s Baseball Coach

Obviously another headline with celebrity appeal, but think about ways you could use that same headline formula without the celebrity… ___ Catches ___ ___

JOHN REESE CATCHES GOOGLE ENGINEER SPYING
His “Industrial Espionage” That Made Him Millions

and here’s another one

AFTER 4-YEAR WAR…
ANGELINA APOLOGIZES TO JEN!
- Their private conversation
- Jen gets the last laugh
- Brad ducks for cover

Now, this is like a soap opera, and we’re taken IN on the celeb world (we even can eavesdrop on “their private conversation”. Why does Jen get the last laugh? And why is Brad running for cover? Uhh… wanna know that (well, no, not really, thanks).

But could you imagine…

AFTER 3 YEARS OF SILENCE…
JOHN REESE APOLOGIZES TO INTERNET MARKETERS
- His shocking confession
- Small guys get the big bucks
- Frank Kern ducks for cover

Now, after this little rewriting exercise I’m beginning to see that NE headlines could be quiet powerful - if we can find a way to use their “formulas” and match them to our offers and market. However, it takes some serious digging to make a great headline out of it, and the above examples are still far from the final thing.

Nov
17

God’s Press Conference

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All right, this is not exactly about copywriting, but it’s about GOOD writing:

http://budurl.com/PressConferenceByGod

Nov
16

Headline Analyzer: Wired Magazine

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Below you find some WIRED headlines. To me, the WIRED headlines aren’t that strong, but the magazine is going strong - maybe that’s because they’re a pretty good magazine, rather than the headlines? Overall my headline rating for WIRED would be like: 7/10 - but they surely know better than I do what their target audience likes.

The Future of Food
How Science Will Solve the Next Global Crisis

A couple of good points in this headline. First, “Future of Food” sounds good. Then, it talks about the NEXT crisis, when we are now obviously in the middle of a CURRENT global crisis. So that’s curiosity. And then, there also is a very under-the-radar provocative thing hidden inside: because it talks about food science, and most people think about GMO foods, and there is A LOT of controversy around this. So readers will ask themselves: well, are they saying all this GMO food is good? Or are there other ways? Is it safe? What’s up with that?

Search Secrets
How to Google Better

Everybody uses Google every day, and if there’s a way to do it better, then that’s great. And “search SECRETS” is in and of itself great already of course.

DIY Rockets Conquer Space

That’s a great curiosity headline. DIY rockets in space? Now, wait a second… are there really people shooting DIY rockets up to space? DIY is usually something that we associate with: I can do that too. So…. could I shoot my own rocket up in space?

People Powers:
The Facebook Underground

Now, if there is such a thing as a facebook “underground”, wouldn’t you want to know about it? Be part of it? It’s like being one of the cool kids in high-school. This works on the desire to belong to. And curiosity too… szenes from “Fight Club” come up in the back of my mind.

Escape from Iran: Inside a CIA Covert Op

Now, this one is pure curiosity. I don’t know why they put this up in the WIRED magazine… maybe because the readers are interested in “secret”, “conspiracy”, “insider knowledge” kind of stuff?

World’s Dumbest Inventions

“Hey, what are these? Let’s see what whacky stuff people came up with!” (So I get a good laugh - and see how stupid some people are [and thus feel smarter])

Memoirs of Human Guinea Pig

Now this headline makes you wonder: human guinea pig? Was this someone who “sold” his body for scientific experiments and now he’s talking about the secret experiments the CIA did with him? (As you can see, sometimes it’s better to just TRIGGER the crazy fantasy of the readers, rather than being outragous in your headline).

Two AI Pioneers. Two Bizarre Suicides. What Really Happened?

(Btw. AI stands for Artificial Intelligence). Obviously, this one again hits on the “want to know the REAL truth” button and caters to the conspiracy-minded people. Is there something nasty going, was there a scientific breakthrough that the government (or another powerful institution) wanted to keep a secret?

The Life Cycle of a Blog Post, From Servers to Spiders to Suits - to You

As WIRED readers are obviously a little more technophile than you and me, I guess this is really interesting to them - to REALLY understand how blogging works, the technical aspects of it.

Soul-Baring Quotes from Bill Gates, George Lucas, and More

Guess we’re always interested in that kind of stuff.

Advertisers Paid Me to Blog About Them. Is That So Wrong?

This is a passionately discussed topic in the blogger world. Some people say “never mind, we’re blogging to make money anyway”, others say we have a responsibility to stay true to the reader. so, a statement like that (and notice that it’s made in “confession mode”) can definitely trigger attention.

Three Smart Things You Should Know About Leap Years

Well, we all like to be smart, and we all have an interest in this interesting pieces of information that we can slide into everyday conversations (that make US more interesting [hopefully...]).

Nov
11

Headline Analyzer - The Motley Fool

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This Stock Is Cheap — or Is It?

This one suckered me in, because it’s something that I thought a lot recently. With all the stocks going down, I’m thinking: there MUST be opportunities. Just look at Google - they are still growing to be the big mega-monopoly, and as far as I can tell there’s nothing that’s gonna take Google’s steep climb to uber-power down. Just a couple of months ago, I thought to myself: gee, if I would have bought Google stock earlier one, when it was still below the $700 mark… and now it’s at $305. I mean, come on! This MUST be a golden opportunity.

Now, I’m not into investing, I don’t even know HOW to buy stocks. So I’ll leave my fingers of that. (And apart, I don’t have a big amount of cash sitting on the side, waiting to be invested anywhere). But you see… it’s ITCHING me now! Because it’s so cheap. And that headline pulls me in. (see, it get’s my greed glands going… all that ranting… I’m not gonna touch any stocks with a 10 foot pole. Marketing is a far better way to get rich ;-)

Fearful Stocks for Greedy Investors

Great… “for Greedy Investors”. Even though usually nobody likes to refer to himself as greedy… but “greedy investor” is hitting our secret sweet spot. I mean, we all want to invest in a pennystock and cash out when it reaches a $100 or whatever.

The Death of Excessive Luxury

Now this is compelling to read, because it plays on our Schadenfreude. Nobody likes excessive luxury except for those mega-rich oil sheiks and these crazy yacht collecting kids who inherited their wealth from daddy. So when we see that stops, we’re kind of: “Yeah, now they get what they deserve!”

Facebook: Bigger Than France

Now this is curiosity pure… Facebook bigger than France? Does that mean facebook is worth more than France’s GDP? Or more people? Or what? (Obviously, I’d never make it in economics)

What the Financial Media Don’t Want You to Know

Classic headline formula here… like that Kevin Trudeau book.

Don’t Poison Your Portfolio

Uhhh… no, I wouldn’t want to do THAT! I’m probably not, but just to be really sure, I’ll check it out.

Nov
9

Headline Analyzer: Times Online

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Why a whiff of body odour might reveal more than you think
Read this week’s breakthroughs, tips and trends

That’s of course intruiging to find out.

Is chocolate really good for you?

Well, this one gets you from two sites. On the one site, if you’re a chocolate lover with a bad conscious, then you’ll want to read this in hope that you find another justification for indulging in your favourite treat. On the other hand, if you are part of the jaded group of people who think this “whole chocolate health benefits things” is ridiculous, you’re gonna click that just so you get confirmation for your opinion. “Yeah, I knew it. I was right!”. That kind of thing.

Do you have a mental health problem?

I’m pretty sure I don’t, but still… it’s kind of intriguing to “find out something about myself”.

What ails the rich and famous?
We give celebrities a thorough check-up with our Body&Soul interview

Ah, great headline! Don’t we all like to know the “secrets” of the celebrities? For example, I asked myself how did Brad Pitt get that body. (Well… the answer is probably he sticks to a hardcore training and diet plan consistently and I’m not… but still… wouldn’t it be nice if there’s a real secret that helps us to get the same abs guaranteed with a lot less sweat?) Or how about the skin beauty secrets of Claudia Schiffer?

Ten things you need to know before you have an HIV test

That one is only appealing to people who think about getting an HIV test, but for everyone who does, it’s pretty irresistable. It’s a classic headline formula (like: Warning! Don’t buy X before you read this.)

Nov
4

Body+Soul Magazine Headlines

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Sleep Better Tonight!

  • How to wake up rested
  • Your personalized sleep plan
  • Natural cures that work

Now, this is kind of a “weak” headline, but because it’s not a “internet headline”, but a magazine cover headline of the body+soul magazine, it’s probably a good pick.

If you have problems sleeping, and you read “Sleep Better Tonight!”, I think it’s tough to NOT continue reading.

Eat Breakfast, Get Healthy

It’s true! Start with our quick+easy recipes

Now, that sounds great. Everybody likes to eat, and if you can eat your way to health - why not? Quick & easy recipes is a given.

No Energy?

It could be your thyroid. Learn to spot the signs

That’s great because there are LOTS of people with low energy, and if you tell them: it could be your thyroid. They’re like: oh my god, this could be the answer! How do I know? Ah, here I can learn to spot the signs.

Kick the Habit

Satisfy your sugar cravings naturally

Great headline, because the market is very aware of the sugar health-effects, yet… who doesn’t have a sugar craving every once in a while? And I’d guess lots of people feel a little guilty about that, so if there’s a way to “satisfy the cravings” in a “proper” way - I’m all game!

Scary Scents

Everyday home products could be harming you and your family

Again, this one is almost impossible to ignore for many mothers who take great pride in taking care of their family. “Everyday home products? Oh my god, am I using them? What are they?”

Meals That Heal

Power-packed soups

Simple but good sounds.

Get Wild!

Outragous ideas for breaking out of your rut!

I could imagine lots of Body+Soul readers are not exactly “wild gals”, and lots of them probably crave some adventure and need some extra kicks in their life. So this appeal to “let the beast out”, coming from a trusted and known source, is probably pretty appealing.

10 Best Cold and Flu Fighters

Well, quiet frankly, I’d like to know what they are… it’s autumn season here and flu is going around.

Holiday Eating

7 strategies for guilt-free feasting

Great headline - it’s probably on top of their minds anyway during Christmas season, and everybody talks all the time about “how much weight they gained at Christmas”. “Guilt-free feasting” still gives them permission to indulge themselves, but obvious there are 7 (specificity!) strategies that “legalize” it.

Tummy Trouble

What your waist size says about your health

Tummy Trouble is just a good sounding curiosity trigger if you ask me, followed by something that is about everyone’s favourite subject: me, myself and I. And obviously I can discover something new about myself. What’s that?

Stop Stressing, Start Living!

6 essential strategies for breaking free from worry

Again, kind of appealing to a similar desire like in the “Get Wild” headline. The reader’s life is “too small”, “too tiny”, “too boring”, “too timid”, and it’s time to break out of that and “start living”.

And again - 6 (essential) strategies - specificity promise again. Better than “Strategies for breaking free from worry”, because it makes you wonder: what are the 6 strategies? How many of them do I know of? etc.

Train Your Brain

Better focus in 5 minutes

This one is just great, almost has song quality lyrics, and good promise.

Morning Energizer

The key to starting your day off right

Morning Energizer is great, because it’s something that is DOING IT FOR YOU. Obviously an “energizer” is something that gives you energy - you GET energy. So it’s not “How to have energy in the morning”, but it’s almost like automatic.

Find your passion

Our action plan will get you going

Seems to be a major motivator for the readers of body+soul, kind of like “Get Wild!” or “Stop Stressing, Start Living!”. It’s again about finding fullfilment & zest of life. Notice again that the action plan will ‘get them going’ - they don’t need to do it themselves. It’s being done for them.

Save your skin

19 summer sun-care strategies

“19? That’s a lot. There must be some in there that I don’t yet know about.” (And the appeal to keeping skin beautiful is… well, a given with women)

Feeling jealous?

Surprising advice on letting it go

Again a straight shooter - just picking out the target audience - women who feel jealous, and then hooking them through curiosity promise: SURPRISING advice on letting it go. “Why is it surprising? What is it?”

What to do with tofu

6 easy recipes

Now, many have probably “heard” of tofu, and how healthy and good it is - but it’s still something exotic from that place where people have the funny eyes… so this is basically addressing the: oh, it’s foreign and strange and I don’t know it barrier and making it really, really simple.

Overall, I’m not too impressed with their headlines, but they know a lot better what they are doing than I know. So obviously I’m missing something here. I guess coming from the internet marketing & copywriting world, I tend to need more sensationalism and bolder promises to get interested, and the fact that I’m definitely not their target democraphic is a big factor too.

But it just shows how much you can learn about another market just from sitting down, reading the headlines and thinking about which buttons these headlines push for a minute.

Nov
3

More Headlines

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Ten people who predicted the financial meltdown

  • great headline, because we’re looking for people who we can trust
  • curiosity
  • want to know: what do they predict now? (thinking goes: ‘will probably be right again’)

Ten executives who should have kept their mouths shut

Again, this one is heavy on curiosity. It’s almost irresistable, and many people feel resentment towards executives these days:

  • Who are these executives?
  • What did they say?
  • WHY should they have kept their mouth shut?

Big Winners for Small Investors

It’s a pretty “plain” headline. I’d give it a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Yet, it’s so simple and clear, so I guess if I’d be a small investor, I’d be interested.

Buffett Says It’s Time to “Be Greedy”

Cool headline. Everything Buffett almost sells itself already, but when he sais “be greedy”, then that’s totally not what we usually associate him with - the man who gave away his fortune for charity.

Will You Recognize the Next Apple?

That’s a great headline, because it’s almost like a “quiz”, and it challenges our savyness. Will I? What’s gonna be the next Apple? How can I tell what the next Apple will be?

Should We Force Bailed Banks to Lend?

Again, I like this because pretty much EVERYONE has an opinion on this one, and probably a strong one. And there sure are very strong emotions attached to this subject. It plays on the “us vs. them” theme, controversy and triggers a response.

Unloved Stocks Ready to Shine

Again, a plain headline like “Big Winners for Small Investors”, but the words just have a good rhythm and sound. Could almost be a song lyric, and it tells a whole story in five easy words.

Help Stop the Stupidity!

Great headline. Everybody see’s lots of stupidity in the world (although for everyone it’s different what they think stupidity is). Help to stop it? Great, I’m all in! I hate stupidity! (Stupidity is of course also the reason why we didn’t get what we deserve yet, why the wrong president got elected, etc.)

A Message From the Editors: When Panic Becomes Opportunity

I like this one because it makes the bridge from “panic”, crisis, etc. to -> something good. Takes the reader from intense negative emotions to positive emotions. “Message From The Editors” makes it a lot more personal and in this case gives it some extra weight. It’s the copywriting pendant of having burnt your hand and putting it under floating cool water.

Easy Come, Easy Go

Good headline for the financial newsletter, I think, because we all have seen people who made (undeserved) easy money, and they bloated and got all puffed up. That of course triggers our complexes and we want to prove them wrong. So, when we see the guy lose, there’s a bit of Schadenfreude too, and kind of like that: “See? I told you so.” thing going on. And of course we love to read about that.

Oct
5

John Carlton’s “Biggest Copywriting Frustration”

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Over at John Carlton’s blog all hell broke loose. He asked people to write about their biggest copywriting challenge in the comments section… and… well… go see for yourself. This is crazy, so far 66 people have commented - and it’s not “hey John, I have writers block” kind of comments. No, people bleed through their fingers. They really are at it.

I mean, really - you should just read the comments for market research reasons alone. Anybody who is involved into marketing, or copywriting, can get A LOT of insights there. It’s almost like you can wiretap on people’s thoughts and frustrations - which of course provides a great potential to offer solutions that can be marketed to the starving croud :-) It’s like the market is giving you an instruction manual that says: here are my hot buttons, push them and get rich. (I added my biggest copywriting challenges there too).

But the real reason why you should go over to John’s blog now really is to also share YOUR biggest copywriting obstacle. Because John is providing so much great value on his blog totally free. And this is a great opportunity to pay him back at least a bit.

And as if that’s not good enough in itself… you might actually end up with the new version of Kickass Copywriting Secrets 2.0 that John is giving away.

So, what you waitin’ for? Click here!

Sep
22

Peek Inside The Prospect’s Head With Amazon.com

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Entering the conversation that’s already going on in your prospects head is one of the most important things that need to get done before you can put out a great salesletter… or even come up with a new product to develop.

Adam Kreitman wrote a good post on how to “eavesdrop” on this conversation - with the help of Amazon.com. It’s called “How to Strike Marketing Gold on Amazon” and well worth reading.

Sep
18

Clayton recommends these posts…

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