Classified Advertising: How To Write Headlines That Make The Sale by:Jinger Jarrett

Your headline will make or break your advertising

. The headline is the first thing that your potential customers see. The headline helps them determine whether or not to read your ad.

If you want your ad read, and you want potential customers to take action, then focus about 80 percent of your effort on writing your headline.

There are several things you can do to help you write good headlines:

1. Study good headlines.

Does the headline make you want to take action? Does the headline make you want to read the ad? If it does, then chances are it's an effective headline. Put it in your sweipe file. (A swipe file is a file of good headlines, ads, and other copywriting you want to use to help you write your own effective advertising.)

2. Use a headline formula.

There are quite a few headline formulas. These formulas will help you in writing your headlines.

Here are several headline formulas you may use:

How To - How to do something.

News - Think newspaper headlines. Informative.

Guarantee - You make a promise.

Testimonial - Customer's testimonial as headline.

Question - Ask a question.

Problem & Solution - Present the problem then offer a solution.

As I said before, there are others, but these are some of the most popular and will help you in writing your headlines.

Regardless of what headline formula you use, you want to be specific. For example, "How to Make Money Online" is not a good headline because it's not specific. It really doesn't tell your potential customers anything.

Give your potential customers some type of details, like "How to Make Money Without a Website or List in 7 Days or Less." Specific details will get their attention.

3. Focus on the benefits of your product, not the features.

A feature tells them something about the product. A benefit tells them how the product will solve their problems.

For example, if you are selling shampoo, maybe the shampoo strips any styling products off of the hair. This is something it does, a feature. For a benefit, maybe the shampoo makes your hair look as sexy as Pamela Anderson's. In other words, what you are doing here is painting a picture of what the potential customers' lives could be like if they have the product.

4. Answer the question, "What's in it for me?"

When I say "what's in it for me?" I don't mean what's in it for you, the advertiser. I mean what's in it for your potential customers. They don't care about you, what you think, or anything else. They are trying to solve their problems.

Focus on solving their problems and nothing else. Draw them into your ad by answering this question, and you've not only gotten their attention, you increase conversion, and you're more likely to make the sale.

About the author

Jinger Jarrett is the author of "Internet Marketing for Free: The GUIDE," available on Amazon.

Like these tips? Then visit my site, Killer Marketing Arsenal and get your free internet marketing membership.

http://ezine.killermarketingarsenal.com

I'll teach you how to make money without a website or a list working less than one hour a day. Get free copywriting ebooks to help you write better ads.

http://www.procopyshop.com

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