Try 3 reasons, testimonial, how-to and more
Stuck for a benefits headline? Browse these eight approaches for inspiration:
1. Direct headline
The simplest approach, this headline just states the benefit clearly:
Display copy
How to write benefits headlines
4 steps for telegraphing the biggest benefit
To write a good benefits headline, list:
- 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.
Display copy: Why is it important?
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.… Read the full article
How to write press release links
Create nofollow links, anchor links
Now that Google has cracked down on link schemes, link networks and unnatural linking, PR pros have to work to avoid SEO penalties for linking.… Read the full article
Why writing links well is so important
Get clicked by writing good link text
Users look for links on pages like puppies look for your best shoes.
Or so say Kara Pernice, Kathryn Whitenton and Jakob Nielsen, the authors of How People Read on the Web.… Read the full article
Why write a multi deck headline?
Because it’s the best-read element on the page
Decks — those one-sentence summaries under the headline — do the heavy lifting on web pages.
Indeed, according to The Poynter Institute’s Eyetrack III study of reader behavior:
- 95% of web page visitors read all or part of the deck.
Subheads take the cake
They’re ‘the most important thing you can do’ online
Think of subheads as the icing on the cake.
Skimmers look at subheads to learn what content you’re offering on a web page, blog post or news release.… 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.… 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.
Their loss.… 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.… Read the full article