A Free Email Lesson on Headlines that's Worth Your Time, boring. brutal. better.

What’s more important, the landing page or the headline?

But before we get to that, can you do me a quick favor?

If you like this series, can you reply and let me know?

I can go A LOT deeper on this topic, but I need to know what you would like to read more about. If you prefer, you can also reply with a topic you’d like covered.

Last week was Part 1: Creating Angles for Your Product/Service.

You can read part 1 by clicking on the link above. You can also read any past weekly newsletter by going here. Feel free to share that link with a friend if you find this content helpful.

Today, I am switching it up. I was going to do “Landing Pages & Headlines that Convert,” but as I got into it, that was way too much for one newsletter.

So today is simple: Headlines that Convert.

Don’t worry; I’ll give you my best landing page frameworks in the future, but not today.

Headlines vs. Landing Pages

Why only headlines to start?

Well, let’s bust a myth on landing pages first.

There are no magical landing pages.

Image left. Image right. Big font. Small font. Video. No Video. Black background. White background.

No ONE formula works. And when you do find a winning landing page. You’ve only found what’s working right now. It will, eventually, stop working and you’ll need a new one.

And going back to last week’s lesson on angles. You need to get the RIGHT angle in front of the RIGHT audience. That’s 80% of the battle.

The best landing page in front of the wrong audience will fail….

The best landing page in front of the RIGHT AUDIENCE with the WRONG HEADLINE (angle) will also fail…

Headlines are critical.

Where to Use Headlines

Headlines on EVERYTHING in digital business are crucial to your success. You need good headlines for…

Ads
YouTube Videos
Email Subject Lines
Instagram Captions
Blog Post Titles
ANY content you publish

How much time should you spend creating a headline?

Time Creating the Headline = 50% of the time Creating the Content

So if it took me 1 hour to write a blog post, I should spend roughly 30 minutes crafting the headline. Of course, as you get better at it, that time can go down. But this should emphasize the importance of a headline.

Crafting good headlines is not how I started.

I could spend days 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? Let’s get to it.

The 5-Part Headline Formula

Let me get the formula out there. Here it is:

I will not break each part down with a lengthy explanation; seeing it in action is much better.

But I will say, when I say trigger, I don’t mean this…

A trigger word in marketing is a word that ignites an audience and sparks curiosity.

So let me give you an example:

First, start with your angle. You have your angles from last week, right?

Here are my angles for selling apples from last week:

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: Finally, a quick and filling snack that can be eaten in 2 minutes that won’t leave a stain on your shirt - 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: Imagine a healthy snack you can eat now that won’t leave you bloated - 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: Instantly at your fingertips, a delicious snack that won’t break the bank - small decisions like this help you keep your hard-earned money.

Do you see how I am selling the same thing….

To different people….

In different ways…

Remember: The best landing page 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.

Homework

First, Practice creating headlines using the formula.

Second, test your headlines in a low-risk environment after you have a few created.

Post your headlines in tweets, Instagram posts, YouTube titles, etc. See if it boosts or drives more engagement. If it does, you are on the right track. After you practice on social media, you can take it to paid advertising.

Reply if you have any questions.

Try harder,