Edition #008: 📝 Crafting Headlines, Roxanne’s Warmup, and Going Beyond Van Gogh’s Ear
Hey Risers,
Welcome to EDITION 008 of the TRY HARDER Newsletter.
Today, it’s a formula for headline success, a 1978 song release that may just save your warm-up, and a deeper look into Van Gogh’s mind – which is a little easier given the missing ear and all.
Save it for later. Read it now. But don’t ignore this one!!
And if you like it, share it with a friend 🙏🏻.
Enjoy!
In this Edition:
Building the Business
Crafting Headlines
Building the Human
Roxanne’s Warm-up
Try Harder
Van Gogh – Beyond the Ear
Building the Business:
The Headline Formula 📝
Headlines are critical 🚨.
Headlines are EVERYTHING in the digital aspects 🧑🏻💻 of your business and they are crucial to your success in most marketing and sales efforts.
You need good headlines for…
Ads
YouTube Videos
Email Subject Lines
Instagram Captions
Blog Post Titles
ANY content you publish
Back in the day, I could spend a lot of time writing and researching an article I was going to post on my blog. Then, when I would finish, I was so tired 🥱 of working on the piece I’d slap any title on it to get it out there.
Wrong move ♟️.
That’s like putting your steak 🥩 and potatoes 🥔 in a blender🥤 because the “presentation doesn’t matter.”
It matters.
It matters a lot.
I thought the headline wouldn’t be a big deal if the content were good enough. It doesn’t matter if a Michelin-starred chef cooked your steak and potatoes. You’re not digging in if they put that crap in a blender and pour it on your table 💩.
It is said that people’s attention span these days is around 8 seconds ⏱️, which, compared to the attention span of a goldfish 🐡, 9 seconds, we aren’t doing so hot. I didn’t look into the validity of that research, but I believe it.
I don’t think people are dumber (well, maybe). However, I think people get bombarded with content, so we have learned to decipher what we deem “worth our time” quickly.
And that’s EXACTLY what a headline does. It triggers the “worth my time” threshold in your potential customers. And that spark is all you need.
So how do we craft a good headline?
Here it is:
I will not break each part down with a lengthy explanation; seeing it in action is much better.
First, start with your angle.
Here are example angles for selling apples 🍎🍎🍎:
🏎️ Angle Speed: There’s the guy/gal who is simply in a hurry and doesn’t really care that it’s an apple, but they need food now. [Speed (Time)]
Headline for Speed: 1️⃣ Finally, 2️⃣ a quick and filling snack 3️⃣ that can be eaten in 2 minutes 4️⃣ that won’t leave a stain on your shirt – 5️⃣ guaranteed.
😩 Angle Pain (decrease): There’s the guy/gal who knows that eating disgusting hotdogs from my competitor down the street will cost them either short-term digestion or long-term health problems. [Pain (decrease)]
Headline for Pain: 1️⃣ Imagine 2️⃣ a healthy snack 3️⃣ you can eat now 4️⃣ that won’t leave you bloated – 5️⃣ and if it does, we will give you your money back.
💰 Angle Money (make or save): Lastly, there’s the guy/gal picking my apple because it’s one dollar instead of $25 for a full meal at the restaurant right next door. [Money (make or save)]
Headline for Money: 1️⃣ Instantly at your fingertips, 2️⃣ a delicious snack 3️⃣ that won’t break the bank – 4️⃣ small decisions like this help you 5️⃣ keep your hard-earned money.
Do you see how I am selling the same thing….
To different people….
In different ways…
Rule: The best product/service in front of the right audience with the wrong headline (angle) will fail…
If I pitch a millionaire on eating an apple with how much money it will save them, they may not care. But if I pitch them on saving time, I may have a winner.
Now, it’s your turn.
Takeaways:
Use headlines in all content you create
Test them everywhere!
Use the formula
Building the Human:
Roxanne’s Warmup 🥵
Who hates warming up for a workout?? 🙋🏻♂️
Just me…?
Well, if you’re like me, then you may benefit from trying “Roxanne’s Warm-up.”
I picked this up in a certification year ago, and I still use it occasionally when I train groups of people today. It makes the warm-up fun and really gets the blood pumping! 💦
Every time Roxanne is said you have to do a burpee
You can mix up jumping jack with high knees, running in place or butt kicks
But EVERY TIME Roxanne is said you HAVE to do a burpee
Simple enough? It is really fun 🙂
I recommend you give the “Roxanne warmup” a try before your next workout.
Takeaways:
Try a new ‘fun’ warmup today
Try Harder:
Beyond the Ear: Van Gogh’s Relentless Pursuit
Let’s talk about Vincent van Gogh 👨🏼🎨.
Yes, the guy who painted vibrant landscapes and chopped off his own ear👂.
You didn’t know about the ear thing? Well, then this is a little awkward 🐢. Google it later…
But let’s cut through the usual drama and focus on what really makes his story stick: sheer, stubborn persistence.
Van Gogh wasn’t painting masterpieces 🖼️ right out of the gate. In fact, he was a late bloomer who didn’t even decide to become an artist until his late 20s. Before that? He was failing as a salesman👨💼 and a preacher🙏🏻. But when he finally picked up a brush 🖌️, he wasn’t exactly a hit.
Rejection? He ate it for breakfast.
Financial success? Not a whiff.
Despite selling only a handful of paintings in his lifetime and constantly battling severe mental health issues, Vincent kept grinding. Over a decade, he produced about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings. Most of these came in the last two years of his life. Talk about a productivity spike!
So what’s your excuse? Tired? Discouraged? Feeling a bit misunderstood? Van Gogh could have thrown in the towel many times — and no one would have blamed him. But he didn’t. He painted like a man possessed, driven by a need to express and create, transforming personal torment into works that would one day be revered worldwide.
Let Van Gogh’s grit inspire you.
Pick up your metaphorical brush and paint your way through whatever mess you’re dealing with.
Because if a struggling, earless painter can leave a mark on the world 🌎, imagine what you can do with all your ears intact.
