30 Proven Formulas for Writing Headlines

As mentioned in our recent blog, The Formula for Headline Success, the book Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples is an all-time classic and must read for all marketing professionals.

Here is another excerpt from the book that I feel is essential for B2B marketers and copywriters: 30 proven formulas for writing headlines that generate results.

News Headlines

Begin Your Headline with the Word “Introducing”

• Introducing a New Generation of Affordable Art Materials for Student Artists
• Introducing a New Way to Help Bridge the Gap Between What You’ve Saved and What You’ll Need During Retirement
• United Airlines Proudly Introduces Something Shockingly Amazing… Nothing (launch of e-tickets)

Work a Version of the Word “Announcing” Early in Your Headline

• Announcing a New Selection of Video Cameras
• Gulf Announces a New and Different Gasoline
• An Important Announcement to Homeowners

Use Words that Have an Announcement Quality

• Finally an Exciting New Look that Isn’t Retro Anything
• Good-Bye Old Fashioned Air Conditioners
• Just Published: a New Encyclopedia

Begin Your Headline with the Word “New”

• New 10 Channel Hand-Held GPS Only from Magellan
• New Black & Decker Electric Drill
• New Method of Keeping Your Personal Finances

Begin Your Headline with the Word “Now”

• Now in Paperback
• Now… Learn Both Ways to Write for Publication
• Now Even-Depth Tillage Is Even Easier

Begin Your Headline with the Words “At Last”

• At Last! A Steam Iron with a “Magic Brain”
• At Last—You Can Drive All over Europe with One Easy-to-Follow Road Atlas
• At Last—A Toothbrush Guaranteed for 6 Months

Put a Date into Your Headline

• Beginning June 1: Low Summer Rates at the Miami Biltmore
• Monday Save 30% to 60% on These Books
• Why GE Bulbs Give More Light This Year

Write Your Headline in News Style

• The Wines You Loved in Paris Are Here
• The World’s First Atomic Watch
• Comfort, Warmth, Quiet and Safety – A Remarkable Heater

Headlines That Make Special Offers

Feature a Free Offer

• Free Plato and Aristotle
• Free Trial Lesson
• Free Consultation

Offer Information of Value

• Only One of These Safety Features Can Help You Avoid an Accident
• Insider’s Guide to Old Books
• Straight Facts on When to Take Profits

Tell a Story

• How I Improved My Memory in One Evening
• They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano, but When I Started Playing…
• The Tallest Recycling Story Ever Told

Using Keywords in Headlines

Begin Your Headline with the Words “How To”

• How to Bring Home the Right Home Theater Receiver
• How to End Money Worries
• How to Start a Backyard Garden

Begin Your Headline with the Word “How”

• How Many a Down-and-Out Kitchen Has Been Reformed
• How This New Invention Is Revolutionizing Concrete Construction
• How Your Energy Curve Responds to the World’s Quickest Hot Breakfast

Begin Your Headline with the Word “Why”

• Why These Vitamins Can Make You Feel Peppier
• Why Your Feet Hut
• Why Some People Almost Always Make Money in the Stock Market

Begin Your Headline with the Word “Which”

• Which Stocks Will Outperform the S&P 500 Over the Next 12 Months
• Which Is the Best Battery Value for Your Car?
• Which of These 5 Skin Troubles Would You Like to End?

Begin Your Headline with the Word “Wanted”

• Wanted! Man or Woman with Car to Run Store on Wheels
• Wanted: Autographs and Historical Documents
• Wanted: A Few Good Men (US Marines)

Begin Your Headline with the Word “This”

• This Holiday Season, Stay Away from Your Relatives (hotel chain)
• This Is the Quietest Dishwasher in America
• This Friendly Sign… Everywhere

Begin Your Headline with the Word “Because”

• Because Your Pet’s Quality of Life is Important to You (cat food)
• Because Fleas Come Back
• Because You’re Worth It

Begin Your Headline with the Word “If”

• If They Gave Awards for Cash Management, We’d Be Thanking the Academy
• If They Ever Build an Autobahn Stateside, You’ll Be REady
• If People Seem to Be Working Faster, It’s Not the Coffee (office equipment)

Bonus – here’s an “if” formula that has practically unlimited application:

• If You Think You Can’t Afford [product or service], You Haven’t Checked [special discount, leasing terms, etc.]

Begin Your Headline with the Word “Advice”

• Advice to a Young Person Starting out in Business
• Advice to Husbands
• Advice to Brides

Use a Testimonial-Style Headline

• I Was Going Broke—So I Started Reading the Wall Street Journal
• Let Me Tell You How I Reduced for Keeps
• Why I Cried after the Ceremony

Offer the Reader a Test

• Can Your Kitchen Pass the Guest Test?
• Can You Pass This Memory Test?
• A Test of Your Writing Ability

Use a One-Word Headline

• Diamonds
• Bashful?
• Sex: Now that we have your attention, here’s how to get the most money for your used text books

Use a Two-Word Headline

• Free Money (free offer of Microsoft Money software for Chemical Bank customers)
• Engineering Opportunities
• Walk Softly (hiking footwear)

Use a Three-Word Headline

• Get August Free (long distance)
• Expand with Style (home remodelers)
• Double Bonus Sale!

Warn the Reader to Delay Buying

• Buy No Desk Until You Have Seen the New, All-Steel Executive
• Read This Before You Order Your Zoysia Grass
• Don’t Buy Maps: until you see the rep from Rand McNally in Booth 138

Let the Advertiser Speak Directly to the Reader

• I’ll Train You at Home for a Good Job in Computer Programming
• I Guarantee Results Worth $2,000 in One Year
• They Thought I Was Crazy to Ship Live Maine Lobsters 1,800 Miles from the Ocean

Address Your Headline to a Specific Person or Group

• We Take the Heart Cases Other Hospitals Won’t
• You Too Can Beat the Market (news service)
• To Men and Women Who Want to Retire on a Guaranteed Income

Have a Headline Ask a Question

• What Good Are Frequent Flyer Programs If the Miles Take off Before You Do?
• Will We Ever Run out of Trees? [forest products company]
• Can You Find the 26 Different Products from Amway in This Photo?

Offer Benefits through Facts & Figures

• [brand] Burns up to 79% More Calories than Ordinary Treadmills
• Because We Recycle over 100 Million Plastic Bottles a Year, Landfills Can Be Filled with Other Things – Like Land, for Instance
• For $5,000 Less than an [auto model], You Can Have a Feature That’s Priceless

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