The headline is the single, most important part of your ad.  A good copywriter may write twenty or so headlines.  A great copywriter may write 100.  An “A” class copywriter may write a couple of hundred and spend a month trying to decide which one to use.

You can use a formula to help you write your headline and subheads.  In fact, most of the successful headlines, do just that.  If you can create a good headline, the ad is half written.  If you have a bad headline, it is almost impossible to write a good copy and even if you could, it probably wouldn’t be read.

The truth is, if your headline sucks, it doesn’t matter about the rest of the story.

One of the types of headlines to use is the “News” headline.  In advertising, we are always looking for news to present in our ad.  It is used to present new products or new uses for old products.  Try beginning your headline with “Introducing”, “Announcing”, “New”, “Now”, “At Last”.

Or try using a date in your headline…”For Christmas week only, 20% off!”  Another tactic is to write your headline in the News Style, “The best wines from California, are now here”  or “Hot off the presses, the new bestseller”, “Just discovered, the safe way to lose weight”.

Tests have shown that another great way to have a headline is to make an issue of price.  “Guaranteed 18 k solid gold watches, only $5000″.  Use a reduced price ” Levi Jeans, only $15 for slightly irregular…$60 if perfect”.  Feature a special merchandising offer, like “Big Gulp, for Big Thirsts.  60 oz. $1.00″.  This ad shows a feature for a price that loses money, just to get the customer to start using the product.

Use an easy payment plan, like “No money down…easy payment plan with no finance charges.”  Or a free offer, “Free 14 day trial for Time-Life books”.  If you use the Free headline, make sure that the Free gets special emphasis, if not the first word.  ” For small businesses, get 1 month free if you sign up today.”