Why display copy?

Because ‘readers’ don’t read

I’m often amazed at the amount of energy writers put into perfecting the sentence structure in the fourth paragraph of their piece when those same folks toss off a headline in the 17 seconds before happy hour on a Friday afternoon.

Put your message where their eyes are Reach skimmers, not just readers, with display copy. Image by Mohammad Metri

The sad truth is, most of your readers will never read the fourth paragraph of your brilliant copy.… Read the full article

Subheads take the cake

They’re ‘the most important thing you can do’ online

Think of subheads as the icing on the cake.

Piece of cake Readers go for the frosting — aka the subheads — in online stories. That makes it easier for them to find what they’re looking for. Image by Annie Spratt

Skimmers look at subheads to learn what content you’re offering on a webpage, blog post or news release. This creates the layer cake eye-gazing pattern — on an eyetracking heat map, it shows up as a series of horizontal lines.… Read the full article

Why callouts?

They attract attention, make messages memorable

Callouts (aka breakout quotes, pullout quotes or pull quotes) are “the print equivalent of a sound bite,” according to the authors of The Newsletter Editor’s Desk Book.

Call me Call out to readers using callouts, aka pullout quotes or pull quotes. Image by Pavan Trikutam

Actually, I think they’re more like movie trailers. They show just enough of the best stuff to get the reader to buy a ticket for the full show.… Read the full article

Make sure every picture tells a story

How to write compelling captions

Too often, editors crank out captions (aka cutlines) in the 15 minutes before happy hour on a Friday night.

Reach ’em where their eyes are Captions can be workhorses of communications — but only if you use them and use them well. Image by Jay Wennington

Their loss.

“No task involved in producing a newspaper has a greater disparity between its importance to the reader and its attention from most newsrooms than writing cutlines,” writes Steve Buttry, American Press Institute’s director of tailored programs.… Read the full article

Keep captions short

How to sell crisp cutlines to clients who want to include too much

“Help us with captions,” wrote Sue Grabowski, president of Grabowski & Co., in our recent member survey. “Our clients luuuuvvvvv to include long names, titles, etc. How can we make the caption shorter but keep the clients happy?”

Small packages Use your captions to communicate a key message. Image by Tamara Bellis

Sue, I’d start by reminding clients that the real opportunity with a caption is to communicate a key message, not to identify who’s in the picture.… Read the full article

Heads up on benefits headlines

8 types of benefits headlines to choose from

Stuck for a benefits headline? Browse these eight approaches for inspiration:

Get your head around this Write a command, question or testimonial headline. Image by Silvia Viñuales

1. Direct headline

The simplest approach, this headline just states the benefit clearly:

Save $100 on conference registration when you sign up by Feb. 13

2. Indirect headline

Use this approach to attract attention, arouse curiosity and prompt the reader to read on to learn more.… Read the full article

Write colorful benefits heads

4 steps for telegraphing the biggest benefit

To write a good benefits headline, list:

Heads up Write about ‘your greatest benefit for your reader’s greatest need,’ Image by Elizabeth Haslam

1. Your readers’ biggest needs in the topic you’re writing about. “Write about your greatest benefit for your reader’s greatest need,” counsels marketing guru Dan Kennedy.

2. All the problems your product will solve for your readers. You may need to ask more questions of your SME to find these.

‘They laughed when I sat down at the piano …’

Adapt proven benefits headlines

Here’s one secret of successful marketing copywriters: They steal.

Play on Steal headlines from these winners. Image by M I S C H E L L E

Especially headlines. If a headline’s been proven to work in the past, good direct mail copywriters will use it again and again.

How could you adapt these headlines, from 2001 Greatest Headlines Ever Written ,to your campaign?

• The people reading this will end up with your money
• The five most costly mistakes in business: How many of them are you making?

If I’ve told you once …

The deck should expand on the headline, not repeat it

Your headline and deck — that one-sentence summary under your headline — are San Francisco real estate. Make sure each word does new work.

Don’t replicate yourself Don’t repeat words from the headline to the deck. Image by Morgan Wylie

So don’t repeat words from the headline in the deck.

That’s right: Not. One. Single. Word.

Not the name of the product.… Read the full article

Take a load off

Three ways to streamline your headline with your deck

When you’re covering news, your deck can report a different angle from the headline.

Give it a rest To keep your headline short, move your secondary angle to the deck. Image by Isa

This approach will help you avoid repeating elements from the headline in the deck:

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