Negative headlines = good money???

23 replies
Another user mentioned how his negative headlines were getting far higher click rates than his positive ones.

I noticed here as well my 'do u love IM' thread got only a few resonses compared to the 'IM sucks I can't take it anymore' kind of threads which get huge resonses.

Has anyone else found this in their IM work to be true?

Does negative headlines mean more money?

Thanks!

cheers Geoff
#good #headlines #money #negative
  • Profile picture of the author entrepreneurjay
    Yeah any headline that has that shock factor should get a lot more clickthrough rates.
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  • Profile picture of the author ozduc
    To a certain degree I think it is true. I mean you only have to watch the news or see what headlines grab your attention in a newspaper. It maybe not so much the negative aspect as more a dramatic tone that people a drawn to.
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  • Profile picture of the author danielgb123
    Negative headlines can mean more VIEWS, but don't necessarily mean more MONEY.

    It does depend on how you write the following, a good title can only get you so far; the sales page, opt-in page, etc is where you buy over your REAL audience; the ones that want to pay.

    It's a hard one to explain as it depends on how you are using the negative headlines, I will say they do introduce more interest though.
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    • Profile picture of the author innocent07
      Banned
      As Daniel says, more views doesnt mean more clicks or more orders,

      It might arrouse more curiosity, but thats all.
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    • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
      Like:

      Is Jay Abraham a scammer?
      Find out the truth about Jay
      Who wants all your money
      www.thetruthaboutallthegurus.com


      Like that?

      Yeah. Negative curiosity will get clicks, but the sort of sites
      that tend to use such advertising are transparently manipulative
      in general.

      You can run negative headlines like:


      Will **** juice kill you?

      And you'd probably get some clicks. Generally though, as
      a marketer you want to be the bearer of good news, so get
      to what they want to hear ASAP.

      Ie.

      "No! **** is so safe I'll drink 3 gallons of it on this video...
      and as you can see I'm a size 2 so it must be making me
      super skinny."
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  • Profile picture of the author ausslite
    yes the shock factor is better.
    but as said already not for sure more money but it will bring more eyeballs so i think it is worth some testing.
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  • Profile picture of the author dbonline
    That's a good question. I've never really tested this theory myself, but it's obvious in a lot of cases people are drawn towards drama, so I can see how negative headlines can have a high CTR.
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  • Profile picture of the author fasteasysuccess
    Curiousity can be good. fear can be good. greed. and so on. You need to always remember people will buy on emotions and justify with logic. Plus remember peope will struggle and fight more to save something they own already from being taken. The fear of loss is great.
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    • Profile picture of the author Geoff A
      thanks for responses everyone
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  • Profile picture of the author Karomesis
    I dunno, ask therichjerk it seems to have worked pretty well for him.

    it's known as "confrontational marketing" if you can pull it off in your niche, you can do REALLY well from what I've seen.
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  • Profile picture of the author tyroneshum
    Reverse psychology in one sense could be as effective as the use of "suspense approaches in marketing" where sometimes you'll have to speak it the other way around just to break the glass and fortunately, make a sale. But still, it would depend upon the whole content that this headline will portray to actually retain the Interest of the audience reading it. Headlines will stay as headlines but the Body itself would be carrying all impression all throughout.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author Geoff A
      thanks everyone for the cool responses!

      I guess the most important question is how many of these you convert to sales.

      I read something as well by an IM expert that gave test headline examples and the one that generated the most clicks was the more negative one - playing on a fear response almost.

      So it is interesting which type of headline is more profitable
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  • Profile picture of the author kytine
    "I'll strip my top off if you disagree with my idea" for sure guys will be curious whats inside my IM lolz.... not sure of the income maybe if the body content is really relative
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    • Profile picture of the author DeadGuy
      It is all about psychology. Whether you use positive or negative headlines will depend upon both the type product you are selling and the mindset of your potential customer.

      Writing ads from our own perspective of the product is common, and usually leads to disappointing sales. Remember. People will buy products for "their" reasons, not ours. So it's important to get inside the head of your prospects before you begin constructing your headlines or sales promotions.

      Using negative headlines can raise curiosity in many cases. But curiosity alone does not lead to greater sales across the board. Negative headlines work well if your prospects are already in a negative mindset. I'll call it twisting the knife for lack of a better way to put it. Depending upon how you approach your market, prospects tend to stay longer and read more if they get the impression that you "feel their pain". Push the negative buttons and then give them the solution to their problems.

      Keep in mind that there are no universal truths in marketing. Test, test and test again. When you find the optimum headline for your product (positive or negative), run with it.
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      • Profile picture of the author supermom_in_ny
        I remember getting an email from some guru regarding this topic. (If someone remembers the guy's name, add it to the thread please.) Anyway, the subject line was about someone puking on him. He went on to say that he always gets more of his email opened when his subject has a negative slant. He claimed it also brought him more sales, but I can't confirm that.

        I have tried it. My results? More people opened the email, got more clicks, but no conversions...

        Perhaps, you should give it a try. You may have better luck...
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Here's an excerpt from an article I wrote a couple of years ago.


    2: Be Negative and Go Viral

    Notice also that the article, "Ding Dong, Digg is Dead" is a negative article about Digg. Content with a negative slant will get discussed more than a positive slant! Search engines are very adept when it comes to finding information, especially reviews. Many readers out there search for the negatives of a product, website or even a person or event.

    Bad news travels faster and farther than good news, and you can use this to your advantage. Have you noticed what proportion of the news is bad news? It is a huge percentage.

    Negative topics cause controversy. Readers will comment agreeing and disagreeing with you, and that creates great content and buzz and spreads virally.

    Look at the buzz stories of the past several months and here are some of the articles you will see:

    o Mortgages/Foreclosure (negative)
    o Gas Prices (negative)
    o Britney Spears stories (negative)
    o George Bush/Politics (negative)

    How many headlines do you think Britney Spears would get if all the Paparazzi had to say is that she was a glowing example of motherhood, she was at the top of her career, and her marriage sound? Not many, is my guess. Trust me, a negative slant always has more chance of creating a buzz.

    http://domainingdiva.com/marketing/w...atch-a-buzz-2/
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    • Profile picture of the author Geoff A
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post



      Look at the buzz stories of the past several months and here are some of the articles you will see:

      o Mortgages/Foreclosure (negative)
      o Gas Prices (negative)
      o Britney Spears stories (negative)
      o George Bush/Politics (negative)
      Good point sbucciarel
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  • Profile picture of the author Brad Gosse
    If not done properly this can also backfire.

    A negative ad can bring the wrong type of buyer. You need to make sure you deal with that skepticism well when it arrives to read your sales pitch.

    I am all for catchy headlines but they can quickly drop conversions.
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  • Profile picture of the author TheMagicShow
    Originally Posted by Geoff A View Post

    Another user mentioned how his negative headlines were getting far higher click rates than his positive ones.

    I noticed here as well my 'do u love IM' thread got only a few resonses compared to the 'IM sucks I can't take it anymore' kind of threads which get huge resonses.

    Has anyone else found this in their IM work to be true?

    Does negative headlines mean more money?

    Thanks!

    cheers Geoff
    In Advertising/Copywriting being negative, in your copy reduces/eliminate your sales. Your headline, is the most important aspect of your copy and negativity and being entertaining is a sure way to kill your sales.

    As someone already mentioned, you may get more clicks but not more sales by having a negative headline. Your headline should be positive and deliver a benefit that is clear to the potential buyer.

    Cheers,
    Magic!
    Signature

    " You can either give a man a fish and feed him for a day OR teach him how to catch a fish and it will feed him for a lifetime"

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  • Profile picture of the author webiedge
    Yes this is true to some extent, but i think this only triggers reader's mind. To get sales, your content posted along with that headline should be very clear and positive for making reader's mind in your favor.
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  • Profile picture of the author Matt Green
    Banned
    Well it sure does look different when you run into a *shocky* headline. You may draw more readers to it but if you're doing a WSO maybe you will make less or as many sales as an WSO that has a rather *normal* headlines. It's about the sales, not the readers...
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  • Profile picture of the author prettyboy
    It does work, but you just have to make sure that once you've gained their attention that you hook them with the positive benefit that you already know they are looking for.
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