The Greatest Headlines I Ever Wrote

How important is a great headline?

Legendary copywriter Eugene Schwartz writes in his classic book, Breakthrough Advertising, that “your headline as only one job—to stop your prospect and compel him to read the second sentence of your ad.” Some of his memorable headlines include…
*At last, a plastic surgeon’s diet
*How to make up to 13% on your savings or more—all fully insured
*Turn up your “digestive furnace” and burns fat right off your body
*Break all the rules and win a 35-year-old body at 50-60-70 and beyond

And who can forget David Ogilvy’s memorable headline for a Rolls Royce ad:
“At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock.”

Or what may well be the most famous headline in advertising, John Caples’ unforgettable headline:
“They laughed when I sat down to play the piano. But when I started to play!”

This got me thinking about some of the greatest headlines I ever wrote, all that proved to be very, very successful. These include…

[ ] Beyond Glucosamine and Chondroitin: The Next Breakthrough for Joint Discomfort
Many vitamin buyers with joint discomfort were buying Glucosamine and Chondroitin, yet finding these solutions were not working for them. This headline got their attention and promised something new.

[ ] The Surprising Truth About Co-Enzyme Q10
Most prospects had heard about CoQ10, but few knew that in its most common form it was very hard to digest and absorb. This piece promised three times more CoQ10.

[ ] A Rare Sea Plant That’s Better than Green Tea?
Green tea was hot as a super antioxidant. But doctors and scientists found something even better 200 feet below the ocean.

[ ] “62-cent Green Energizer Keeps You OUT of the Doctor’s Office”
This headline brought a mundane, green drink alive with big promises of money savings and super health.

[ ] How Annie, age 74 of Arizona, WOKE UP!
Age-related memory loss can make the brain fall asleep. But this headline promised a wake up call!

[ ] A Doctor’s Shock!
What would shock a leading natural doctor?   The fact that the vitamins he was taking were falling short in his quest for self healing.

[ ] The 4 Most Costly Estate Planning Mistakes Made by Those Worth $3 Million to $250 Million
This headline did two things well: Teased readers to the fear of expensive estate planning mistakes and called out the readers.

[ ] For Futures Traders Who Hate Losing Money
Fear and greed are two of the biggest emotional triggers to get the attention of investors. This headline focused on fear.

[ ] Secret formula beats the market 3-to-1
This headline focused on greed—and learning something the big “fat cats” on Wall Street knew—now revealed.

[ ] XXFIRST NAME LAST NAMEXX, you stand a 55% chance of being misdiagnosed in a hospital
This personalized headline was so effective, we had people calling and writing us with comments such as, “How did you know about my health problems?” What does a review of these great headlines teach me?

Each project is unique and every headline needs to be looked at fresh—based on the uniqueness of the product/service…and needs and wants of the prospects…and the emotional triggers to get them to respond.

The truth is, there is no easy or magic formula for writing a great headline. It takes a lot of hard work and tons of research. Sometimes I get a great headline idea from a testimonial…from an interview with the expert behind the product/service…or from a nugget of research. Lots of blood, sweat and tears. But the end result is worth it.