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Quotes around the headline of a sales page?

by Kwerk
17 replies
Why do so many sites put " " around the headline at the top of a sales pitch page? For example, "Discover The Amazing Method For Weight Loss That Shaved The Weight Of Two Adult Donkeys Off My Hips!". Then the rest of the article is typically devoid of quotes (unless quoting someone's testimonial or such).

Also, in the main headline of your sales page and in the smaller headlines of the subsections below it, Should You Capitalize Every Word Even Words Like The And Or And To? Or capitalize everything except the, or, for, to, etc?
#headline #page #quotes #sales
  • Profile picture of the author Ross James
    Because subconsciously the brain picks up on those little subtleties and sends the brain into neural catatonia and usually has long-term side effects if not used properly...

    Kidding.. From what I know.. Is that people have a/b tested with and without and with them performs better? I don't know never tested myself.
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    • Profile picture of the author ARSuarez
      Originally Posted by Ross James View Post

      Because subconsciously the brain picks up on those little subtleties and sends the brain into neural catatonia and usually has long-term side effects if not used properly...

      Kidding.. From what I know.. Is that people have a/b tested with and without and with them performs better? I don't know never tested myself.
      In my opinion (which neither of these are original), it's two-fold:

      1) People are naturally voyeurs. They like "seeing" and "hearing" what others are saying or doing. When you put quotes around something, people feel like they're "listening in."

      2) Along the lines of 1, people are always interested in what others have to say. Especially people who are credible. We usually only ever quote someone who is "credible" of something, such as a witness to a crime, a politician, a professional athlete, etc. Nobody quotes the know-nothing.

      Best,

      Angel

      PS. But Ross is also right - it has been tested many times and very often boosts conversion. I'm just explaining why it is so.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ross James
    Wait.. I was right? That's awesome..totally guessed...

    made sense to me.

    It also makes a lot of sense, specifically bullet #1 - Angel

    in that also people do subconsciously recognize these little things... I have to be sure of it this time.

    -Ross
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Scott
    Quotes (and capitalizing every word in a sentence) also tend to draw the eye, make you slow down and read properly.

    Another possible reason why they are effective.

    -Daniel
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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 Marvin Johnston
    While double quotes have been tested to improve conversion, I also heard about the opening quote alone having better conversion than the double quotes.

    Marvin
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  • Profile picture of the author Oxbloom
    There's a bit in copywriting that says: the purpose of the headline is to get the prospect to read the first line of copy...the purpose of the first line of copy is to get the prospect to read the second line...etc.

    Expanded, you can say that the graphical elements of the page are dedicated to the sole purpose of getting prospects to read the headline. And the quotes are one such graphical element.

    People are X% likely to be interested in reading a headline. Studies show that they are more than X% likely to be interested in reading something that they believe somebody said.

    Once they get there, it's up to the strength of the headline to do the rest of the work. But the quotes are a gimmick to get them started reading.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Carl Kelly
    Interesting discussion. Several years back I split test a sales page with quotes and without quotes. Haven't tested it in years, however, so I don't know if anything has changed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rezbi
    The only reason that matters...

    They've been tested and they do better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Quality Copywriter
    personally -i dont think its as important as the content of the header itself

    thats the key
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    • Profile picture of the author magman01
      To quote or not to quote. What does it matter? Unless you're willing to test, just choose and go for it.
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  • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
    Banned
    I like the look of just opening quotes -

    "Copywriting Wizard with its built-in quotes can turn even a brain-dead hillbilly hick from the boondocks into a world-beating internet marketing copywriter in just 7 days with a simple push of a button - GUARANTEED! - or your money back, Gomer
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  • Profile picture of the author Len Bailey
    I'd say one reason so many headlines are put in quotes is because Ted Nicholas recommends doing so. In his 87 Marketing Secrets of the Written Word*, Ted writes:

    "23. Use quotation marks around headlines. Studies show 27% more people will read the headline. It increases the feeling that something important is being stated."
    Another reason they may be effective: They give the appearance of a testimonial. For instance, look at the difference in visual impact of the same headline with and without quotes. Which feels more powerful, Version A:
    "It's Like Growing a New Heart!"
    ... or Version B:
    It's Like Growing a New Heart!
    I always recommend split-testing to see what pulls best. It may not make a difference ... but then again, it might make a surprisingly big difference. However, if the headline simply doesn't look right in quotes, I'd probably test other aspects of the copy first.

    Hope this helps!

    Len

    * To grab a copy of 87 Marketing Secrets of the Written Word, sign up for Ted Nicholas' free e-zine at: www.tednicholas.com
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  • Profile picture of the author Bruce Wedding
    Simple. They increase readership and that in turn, increases sales.

    But, if you're going to use quotation marks, please learn the difference between quotation marks and inch marks:





    Inch Marks
    "I know squat about typography"

    Quotation Marks
    “I'm a Freakin' Warlock Typographic Rockstar From Mars!”




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    • Profile picture of the author Len Bailey
      Good point, Bruce. Although depending on the program or media, curly quotes may not display properly. Which is why most designers I've worked with prefer copywriters use straight quotes (i.e., inch marks) -- especially if the copy is delivered in Microsoft Word.
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      Len Bailey
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