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When someone sees your ad the first thing they look at is your headline. Does it grab them? Does it interest them? If it doesn’t YOU LOSE. They won’t come back.

If there is a picture they will look at that and something more at the bottom…but, which headline is best? Try writing 25…too many?

Read this famous headline…

‘At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock’

David Ogilvy of Ogilvy & Mather wrote 104 before he got this one and he was a master copywriter.

Try this quick test. Show your headline to several people and don’t tell them what you’re selling. Did it get their attention? And don’t be clever, if you confuse your busy reader they’re over the page.

Instead give them good reasons for reading your advert like: What do I get? How can you help me? Well, that’s why they are reading your ad isn’t it?

If you are a florist imagine if you ran a headline like this.

"7 Ways You Can Make

ATTRACTIVE FLORAL BOUQUETS

just like Professional Florists…

At a Fraction of the Cost…"

Isn’t that much better than just saying

J D’s Florists as a headline…

And a restaurateur can say…FREE CAPPUCCINO…I know one who does!

So, a quick summary.

• The order of reading is the picture (if you have one), the headline, your offer.
• Keep making the same mistake…you lose.
• People don’t read adverts - they read what interests them.
• A good headline gets their interest.
• Make your headlines say something and get a better chance of a response immediately.

Look at your advert? Does it catch your eye? After all you are paying for it to sell.

And remember: “On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the rest of your ad” (David Ogilvy).

There is one mistake many people make in their ads - you see it all the time - people use their logo as a headline.

Finally - can you get readers back? Yes, when you change your headline.