A Good Headline Conveys Value

Headlines should be able to communicate one benefit at a glance: value. Whether your headline is for a Pay-Per-Click landing page, a print ad, a blog or an article, it’s got to draw customers in, and keep them there (at least long enough for them to get to the first paragraph). That’s done by demonstrating that there’s value ahead. 

So what does “value” look like, and will you know it when you see it? Yes, if you watch for these particular qualities…

4 attributes of value

Your headline is your compelling invitation – whether with subtlety, humor or hard sell – to read the next paragraph. With this headline comes an offer, or value proposition. Researchers say that the power of your value proposition can be measured based on four attributes, and these same attributes can be used to create your headlines:

Appeal – The appeal of your offer will be emphasized by showing the benefit it provides – not its features, product name or article summary. Appeal is also related to “relevance.” Is it relevant to your ideal customer? Timing is part of relevance. Furnaces don’t sell well in July (at least in this hemisphere), but they could have an appeal as the seasons change when the value of early action reaps a benefit.

Credibility  – Is your headline believable? An outlandish claim – “Save thousands on a new system” – could be greeted with skepticism. Is the equipment faulty? Is a scam in the works? If your claim is legitimate, but still seems too good to be true, support it with a subhead or other verifiable corroboration.

Exclusivity – Show how your offer is uniquely valuable – and that it can only come from you. The words of exclusivity sound like this:  most efficient, highest-rated, safest, strongest, newest, first-ever.

Clarity – Don’t use tech-speak, jargon or try to be so clever people don’t know what you’re talking about. Write a headline that readers understand, where topic and value are clear.

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