The secret of the One Word Headline
Published: Wed, 01/27/21
“Ben I’ve been watching your sales letters and want to know why you write so many heads line that are 1 or 2 words and thats it. Most are very long. Can you tell more?”
What the hay, I’ll take a whack at the question.
Here’s the story behind my 1 or 2 word headlines:
I started playing around with them a few years back after studying a gaggle of space ads by an outrageous space ad copywriter you have very likely never heard of, who perfectly practiced what Gerry Spence (famous trial attorney who hasn’t lost a criminal case since 1969…) advocates when it comes to persuasion & influence:
“It’s better be outrageous than join the ranks of the walking dead.”
Good advice for trial lawyering.
But it’s even better advice for sales copy.
And 1 & 2 word headlines help me do just that.
In fact, that’s why in the upcoming February “Email Players” issue I reveal the exact thinking behind my 1 & 2 word headlines I learned studying the mysterious old school space ad copywriter above, who first inspired me to do them. There’s a lot more going on with them than what you see on the surface, and there’s a very specific strategy & buyer psychology-application going on that must be learned before they can be properly used. Something the handful of low copywriting IQ marketers I’ve caught mindlessly swiping my 1 & 2 word headlines would do well to think about. But then again, if they were thinking they wouldn’t be mindlessly swiping. Thus the adage - you can lead a goo-roo fanboy to knowledge, but you can’t make him think…
Whatever the case:
I don’t use them with every ad.
Just when it makes sense to.
And the February issue goes more into this.
To subscribe in time to get the February issue go here immediately:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com
Ben Settle