What good is all the painstaking work on copy if the headline isn't right? If the headline doesn't stop people, the copy might as well be written in Greek.
John CaplesEvery single element in an advertisement - headline, subhead, photo, and copy - must be put there not because it looks good, not because it sounds good, but because testing has shown that it works best!
John CaplesEvery copywriter knows what it is to struggle with a copy for hours, for days - fixing it, polishing it, rearranging it. We have all been quilty of leaving the headline until the last and the spending half and hour on it - or perhaps only ten minutes.
John CaplesDo not try to make your headline so short that it fails to express your idea properly. It's more important to say what you want to say - even if it takes 20 words to do than make it short and fail to express your idea.
John CaplesAvoid the "hard-to-grasp" headline - the headline that requires thought and is not clear at first glance.
John CaplesThe most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world's best seed!) that they forget to tell us why we should buy (the world's best lawn!).
John CaplesEven today you can look through almost any consumer or professional publication and find headlines that possess not a single one of the necessary qualities, such as self-interest, news, or curiosity.
John CaplesIf you are going to emphasize certain words in the headline, be sure that they are the words that say something.
John CaplesThe advertiser's logotype at the bottom of the ad can be considered as part of the headline. After reading the headline, the reader instinctively looks down at the logotype to see the company name.
John CaplesGet the big point of your advertisement into your headline. Use your headline as a hook to reach out and catch the special group of people you are trying to interest.
John CaplesRemember that the headline and the appeals are ONE AND THE SAME. In successful ads, the appeal is almost always expressed in the headline.
John CaplesTo impress your offer on the mind of the reader or listener, it is necessary to put it into brief, simple language...No farfetched or obscure statement will stop them. You have got to hit them where they live in the heart or in the head. You have got to catch their eyes or ears with something simple, something direct, something they want.
John CaplesIn striving to produce an attractive headline, the copywriter should not emphasize the "quick, easy way" to such an extent that the headline becomes unbelievable.
John CaplesYou can write a 1st paragraph that continues the same thought you expressed in your headline. If you stop a reader with a headline about house paint, you can be sure of at least one thing about that reader: He wants more info about house paint. You will not lose him as long as you continue to give him what he wants.
John CaplesThe business of judging a headline AFTER you read the copy is wrong. It takes for granted that everybody reads the copy.
John CaplesThe success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the individual advertisements.
John CaplesRemember that the reader's attention is yours for only a single instant. They will not use up their valuable time trying to figure out what you mean.
John CaplesA long headline that really says something is more effective than a brief heading that says nothing.
John CaplesThe best headlines are those that appeal to the reader's self-interest, that is, headlines based on reader benefits. They offer readers something they want - and get from you.
John CaplesThe purpose of the headlines must be to convey a message to people who read headlines, then decide whether or not they will look at the copy.
John CaplesNow I spend hours on headlines - days if necessary. And when I get a good headline, I know that my task is nearly finished.
John CaplesUnsuccessful headlines were not written without a strong appeal, but it was the wrong appeal for that product and that audience.
John Caples