Headlines: how to attract more attention

The question is how you can attract the attention of potential customers with advertising copy. One of the many answers: it depends on the wording of the headline. David Ogilvy, a copywriter from the UK, considers this point to be particularly critical. He explains that, on average, a headline is read by eight out of ten people and only two of those ten people read the rest. If you are surprised by these hard-hitting facts, you should think about how you read your newspaper yourself, so the headline should not be chosen intuitively. It has been proven that some tricks encourage people to read on: Getting to the heart of the matterEven if a headline is short, it is not always read to the end. It is therefore important to put the most important information at the beginning. This is also important for Google, as the headline of the search results should be displayed in full. As a headline is often only skimmed, it is important to attract attention with a good beginning. Convincing figuresFigures are evidence and make the facts more concrete. It is more convincing to talk about "electricity savings of 50 percent" than to simply say "you save electricity". The focus is on benefitsBenefits are particularly important in a fast-moving world. When formulating your headline, you should ask yourself how the article will benefit the reader. Giving the headline more powerIf you start a headline with "How you...", you give it more power and attract more attention. The reader will quickly see how they can benefit from the article. Provocation arouses curiosityProvocation always generates attention, but it depends on the right tone. Conservative newspapers attach great importance to not appearing lurid. However, it is possible to provoke in a subtle way, for example "Do you already have a strategy for social media?" Stand out by being differentBeing different attracts attention, even if it is not always easy. The approach depends on the industry. If a headline is very short or very long, it catches the eye because it stands out from the rest. A short story as a headline is unusual, but it encourages people to read on: "Regina has already lost ten kilos and still enjoys three delicious meals a day!" Attention through wordsWords can attract attention if they can be linked to a benefit. One such word is "mistakes", for example "mistakes you should avoid on a mountain tour".Why?Why should I read this article? If you start your headline with "Why...", the reader can quickly grasp what benefit the article will bring them.successful advertising copy depends on other points in addition to a successful headline. Günter W. Heini, author of the free guidebook "The copywriter's guide to successful advertising copy", has many years of experience as a consultant to medium-sized companies and shares his insider knowledge in the eBook continue.