The magazine rack at the grocery store... a great place for headline ideas

I was recently at the grocery store and saw a great headline on the cover of a woman's magazine (Glamour or something similar).





Considering the average reader of the magazine (women looking to improve on something in their lives), this headline hits all the right notes.



1. People love being the talk of the town and making friends/family/strangers jealous. This headline reinforces this desire.

2. The idea that everyone wants your life means you're happy and successful

3. The subhead arouses curiosity. "Wow, just one secret is going to make me happy and change my life?! I gotta find out what it is!" ::frantically flip to page 108::


This made me think about how similar magazine-cover headlines are to ad headlines.



Cover headlines have to make the reader want to open up the magazine (or better yet, buy it) in just a few words.



That means almost always using the element of curiosity ("Trapped in a Closet: The Secrets, Lies, and Wild Times of a Gay Governor"). And for self-improvement magazines, also throwing in a big benefit ("See how to get rock-hard buns like Jillian Michaels... in just 2 weeks!")


Likewise, the goal of an ad headline is to get the reader to keep on readin'. This is done using the same tactics as a magazine headline (benefits, curiosity, and so on).


So next time you're waiting in line at the grocery store, scan the magazine headlines... you might stumble on headline you can swipe for your next sales letter. I know the next time in a headline-writing rut, I'm turning to Cosmo for inspiration.