Copy Tip 10: Headline Grabbers
Okay, this is another copy gem that makes it into the 101 tips earlier than planned — because it’s current news!
Another tip: relating to current news and issues is always a great idea … an example of Robert Collier’s advice for writers to “enter a conversation already going on in the reader’s mind”.
I did exactly that (relating to current news) for one client promotion I created several years back now … and it got an incredible 95% response the same day it was sent out!
(I’ll save that story and reveal the juicy details in a future tip!).
Anyway … back to today …
The Herald Sun (Australia’s largest circulating daily newspaper) put out a list of the 2008 top stories that were viewed on their website.
What a great resource! These are the headlines and issues that have grabbed the attention of readers this year … there’s a LOT you can observe from this: the types of stories, the words used, how celebrities and gossip grab the news spotlight.
Headlines are so important because they account for readership of 70 to 80 percent of your copy! So you MUST get this right to get high readership … and to boost your response.
Now, if you’re not an Aussie (or perhaps if you’re not a Melburnian) — then some of these stories might not make much sense to you. But the stories are a great example of what gets attention, so they’re worth including.
If you want to view the stories, just go the article on the Herald Sun website and click through.
Here’s the Top 50 … count them down …
50 - Fox Sports and 3AW’s Clinton Grybas dies at home
49 - Harbhajan Singh appeal may not be heard before Third Test
48 - Female stripper faces charges of rape after bucks show
47 - BMX death boy Alex Webb a rising soccer star, says mum
46 - Leigh Matthews resigns as coach of Brisbane
45 - Did Eamon Sullivan upstage former flame Stephanie Rice?
44 - The gang’s all here in Underbelly
43 - Driver faces horror smash charges
42 - The AFL draw for 2009
41 - Sam Newman told to take break from The Footy Show
40 - Best and worst dressed on Brownlow Medal red carpet
39 - Michael McLindon rape jail term ‘inadequate’
38 - Footy Show star Sam Newman in trouble over comments about women
37 - Olympic swimmer Stephanie Rice dishes out heartbreak
36 - AFL Trade week: done deals
35 - Plane crashes into Cheltenham house close to school, pilot killed
34 - Eight young people hurt in Melbourne car crash
33 - I always thought I would win Tattslotto
32 - Nikki Webster’s birthday wobbly
31 - High speed train crash in Dandenong South kills woman
30 - Pick-by-pick in-depth profiles from today’s AFL draft
29 - Brendan Nelson comments draw indigenous anger
28 - Wayne Carey subject to criminal investigation
27 - Alan Didak, Heath Shaw suspended for rest of season by Pies
26 - Cabbies in safety victory after stabbing
25 - Toddler found wandering in Deer Park
24 - Frankston mother of two murdered
23 - Club-by-club AFL draft analysis
22 - Mary-Kate Olsen took first call on Heath Ledger’s death
21 - Tania Zaetta denies Afghanistan tour sex claims
20 - Girl defends Oaks Day melee after aiding elderly
19 - Collingwood’s Alan Didak in drink-driving Heath Shaw’s car
18 - Actress Jessica Jacobs in train tragedy
17 - Fevola frock shock
16 - Young mum screamed for help as killer chased her
15 - AFL legend Wayne Carey to break silence after Miami bash charge
14 - World does not end as large Hadron collider switched on
13 - Brendan and Alex Fevola have blow up on Derby Day
12 - Wild brawls in Melbourne’s CBD as clubs fight 2am ban
11 - Parents’ anger at Corey over $20,000 house party bill
10 - Melbourne shootout gunman named
9 - Corey Worthington starts to pocket riches
8 - Big Brother’s Rima Hadchiti appears in nude shots
7 - Alan Didak should be punished: Tony Shaw, Nathan Buckley
6 - All Saints star Mark Priestley dies
5 - Teen-party parents may face $20,000 bill after 500 rampage
4 - Party boy Corey most downloaded
3 - Carl Williams tells of murders
2 - Winds cause transport chaos
1 - Heath Ledger found dead in New York apartment
While We’re On Headlines…
Headlines are always worth studying — for example, yesterday I picked up the latest issues of That’s Life, Take 5, Australian Men’s Health and Australian Women’s Health — to study the headlines on the covers!
Some of the great examples just off Take 5 …
- “He came back to life on Christmas Day”
- “Revealed — The secrets of Santa school”
- “Win! $80,129 in prizes”
- “We were given a house!”
- “Bargain bling”
And a few from Australian Women’s Health …
- “New Ways to Stop Stress-Snacking”
- “Find More Time For YOU — Instantly!”
- “Burn Fat Faster Than Ever! Get Flat Abs, Firm Arms and Toned Thighs in 10 Easy Moves”
- “Super-Healthy Salads That Really Satisfy”
There are STACKS more just from these four covers. Absolute gems.
You can gain a lot from what these masters/pros create to get their publications flying off the shelves (especially at that all-important last minute impulse buy in the supermarket checkout queue!).
And there is a very important headline lesson — the headlines are designed to meet the Objective of getting you to buy the magazine! They’re not the full story … but short, curious and compelling words that make you want to read more — so you buy the copy.
Notice too the “$80,129″ — it’s not “over $80,000″ or rounded down … but it’s a SPECIFIC number. The more specific you are, the more believable you are.
Here’s another example: I re-wrote some copy yesterday prepared by someone else — changing “nearly 6,000″ to “5,415″ — using the exact number again for believability.
Two Ways To Get These Headlines For Free
- If you don’t want to buy the copies, just look at them in the store and note the good headlines! Or sit at a bookstore like Borders and write them down — free ways to learn!
- You could even use Google’s image search, for example type in “Cosmopolitan magazine cover” to find images from Cosmo — again, free … just requires internet access.
Then just save copies of the images … I have a folder on my computer just for that!
Tomorrow we’ll hit the “V” for Vehicle section of our preparation … so stay tuned!
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