What is the next thing you do after you write the headline for you copy? Keeping the reader excited is necessary in order that every word of copy on your sales page or Direct Mail piece is read.
The headline is the attention grabber, the first step in getting your prospect into your sales funnel. So, you've crafted the headline. What next? How do you keep the reader engrossed in your copy?
Create a link between the headline and opening statement
The first step you need to consider is how you can create a link between your attention grabbing headline and the opening paragraph. If your headline begins with a question, lead your reader into how you are going to answer the question. At this stage you are not answering the question, or giving away the solution but just warming up the reader on what's to come.
Step into the readers mind and answer the question, "How will this product benefit me?" This is all that the reader cares about. Not how great your website looks, the fantastic web graphics or all the fantastic testimonials. That comes later. Summarise the benefits of your product. Turn benefits into questions running through the prospect's mind.
Don't bore your reader
Make sure the reader does not get bored. Make your copy interesting. The easiest way to do this is by relating your experience with the product or someone else's. People love to hear good stories. Cleverly insert the benefits of the product into your story. Use humour or shock tactics to break the reader's thought pattern.
For example you can say, "By the time you finish reading this sentence, 147 new cases of identity theft will be reported"!
Use the power of emotion
Anthony Robbins, one of the world's greatest personal development coaches believes that people take action or refrain from taking action due to two reasons - FEAR or PLEASURE. Just by using these two emotions cleverly in your copy you can easily evoke an emotion from your readers.
- What would happen if your prospect does not use your product?
- What will the prospect miss out on?
- Will the competitors of your prospect win the race to greater profits?
- What will life be like one year from now if the prospect uses your product?
- What will the prospect's family and friends say when they see the transformation in your prospect's appearance after using your product?
- What will your product do for the peace-of-mind of your product?
People tend to take action which helps them move away from pain, more than they will to move towards pleasure. So the next time you write copy try focusing on the FEAR factor or the pain the prospect will undergo if no action is taken.
So once you have written your headline, lead the reader into your copy, just as if you were leading a lady into a dance. Keep the prospect engaged, use sudden twists like those in a suspense film. Answer the questions running through the prospect's mind. Finally use emotional hooks - Fear, Pain and Pleasure. Paint a picture of the benefits derived from using your product. Get this right and you will have the prospect hooked.
Next Thing You Need To Do With Your Headline