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Short or Long Headlines? Answers Within... (Great Article)

by Matt James
11 replies
Just read this fantastic article from Michel Fortin on Makepeace's blog.

If any of you guys missed it, go here...

The Truth About Mega-Headlines | The Total Package

Great discussion on when to use short or long headlines as well as the key differences between online and offline copy.

Enjoy!
#answers #article #great #headlines #long #megaheadlines #short
  • Profile picture of the author Ross Bowring
    Hey Matt,

    I appreciate that last paragraph...

    Brian Keith Voiles once noted that you should write 50-100 headlines or even more before you choose the headline for your ad. I agree. Coming up with the first 10 or 20 is easy, because you'll write down what comes to mind right away. The next batch, however, is what requires a lot of work.

    Don't know if you caught that BKV video he made of himself writing a bunch of headlines... but it was a long video! Luke Sullivan in Hey Whipple, Squeeze This preaches to get all the play-on-words stuff, all the obvious angles out of your head and onto paper... and THEN start writing headlines.

    That's usually where the gold is... in the same way that a second draft of a sales letter is often a world better than the first.
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    • Profile picture of the author arepb
      Originally Posted by Ross77 View Post

      Hey Matt,

      I appreciate that last paragraph...

      Brian Keith Voiles once noted that you should write 50-100 headlines or even more before you choose the headline for your ad. I agree. Coming up with the first 10 or 20 is easy, because you'll write down what comes to mind right away. The next batch, however, is what requires a lot of work.

      Don't know if you caught that BKV video he made of himself writing a bunch of headlines... but it was a long video! Luke Sullivan in Hey Whipple, Squeeze This preaches to get all the play-on-words stuff, all the obvious angles out of your head and onto paper... and THEN start writing headlines.

      That's usually where the gold is... in the same way that a second draft of a sales letter is often a world better than the first.
      Agreed. Carlton teaches that long headlines are not just a strategic decision, but are oftentimes necessary. A different way of looking at this is that your headlines should contain only the words that are necessary -- the length is immaterial (although most of the time the most useful headline runs longer than most people are used to)
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      • Profile picture of the author Matt James
        Don't know if you caught that BKV video he made of himself writing a bunch of headlines... but it was a long video! Luke Sullivan in Hey Whipple, Squeeze This preaches to get all the play-on-words stuff, all the obvious angles out of your head and onto paper... and THEN start writing headlines.
        Right Ross... I like Brian's idea of coming up with totally 'out-there' headlines first to get the creative juices flowing.

        Just realized I had the link in my favourites for his headline-athon...

        Headline Brainstorm part 1
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        • Profile picture of the author Ross Bowring
          Yep. Voiles certainly seems to have a lot of fun doing what he does.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Scott
    Matt,

    Will you marry me?

    Those are great links.

    -Dan
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    Always looking for badass direct-response copywriters. PM me if we don't know each other and you're looking for work.

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  • Profile picture of the author Pipinscott
    Of interest to me in the article was the confirmation that "People online surf. They browse. They skim, scan and scroll....Above all, people don't go online to shop or to buy something from the onset. While to a small degree that could be argued, by and large it sure rings truth.

    We all agree I am sure no matter what...our headlines need to suck!

    Suck in readers, scanners, browsers, skimmers...
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  • Profile picture of the author dtendrich
    Makepeace has such great information. If only he didn't send out two e-mails a day...
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    Copywriting Tips, internet marketing jargon, thoughts, and rants by me.

    Atlanta Copywriter, serving clients worldwide.

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    David Tendrich
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    • Profile picture of the author Hugh Thyer
      Originally Posted by dtendrich View Post

      Makepeace has such great information. If only he didn't send out two e-mails a day...
      Yeah, getting TOO much quality information sucks. :confused:
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Scott
      Originally Posted by dtendrich View Post

      Makepeace has such great information. If only he didn't send out two e-mails a day...
      Whether or not you're interested in the offers... take note of the writing.

      Makepeace's emails (whoever writes them) are always pretty damn good at selling.

      -Dan
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      Always looking for badass direct-response copywriters. PM me if we don't know each other and you're looking for work.

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