"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
― William James
Hope you're having an awesome week! I'm juggling a family visit, a book launch, and literally
trying to learn how to juggle (ok not really).
Crazy week aside I wanted to send over some headline frameworks that should crush any writers block you may face.
This is my go-to list of prompts when I start to write anything, it doesn't matter if you're writing an email to a few colleagues that you need to convince that "your way is the right way", or if you're sending a broadcast out to a million possible customers.
Heck, it can even work if you're sending out a list of headline frameworks... pretty meta
right there! heh.
Why should you use persuasion frameworks like this when you write? It's simple... if you can understand what motivates people to take action, you can sell anything to anyone. Most people go their whole business lives without even considering the power of persuasive writing, much less learning how to do it, and it's why they rarely make it to the top.
The prompts below are a great way to write from a perspective of persuasion, and though they may seem simple each one is designed with a different "human" persuasion model in mind. See attached for specific examples.
Here are my favourite 33 headline copy prompts for you...
- 1. Ask a question:
- 2. Reference current events:
- 3. Create Your Own Terms:
- 4. Reveal News (New/Introducing):
- 5. Tell The Reader to Do Something:
- 6. Give Stats:
- 7. Make a Comparison
- 8. Promise Useful Information:
- 9. Direct Offer:
- 10. Tell A (Quick) Story:
- 11. Make A Recommendation:
- 12. State Benefit:
- 13. Use A Testimonial:
- 14. Arouse Curiosity:
- 15. Promise to Reveal A Secret:
- 16. Be Ultra Specific:
- 17. Target Section of Your Audience:
- 18. Time Based Headline:
- 19. Stress Urgency/Scarcity of Savings/Value:
- 20. Deliver Good News:
- 21. Challenge The Reader:
- 22. Highlight Your Guarantee:
- 23. State The Price (as benefit):
- 24. Set up (seemingly) Contradiction:
- 25. Address Reader Objection/Concern:
- 26. "As Crazy As it Sounds:"
- 27. Take Them To The Promise Land:
- 28. Demonstrate ROI:
- 29. Reason Why Headline:
- 30. List / Answer Questions:
- 31. Stress Cost Saving Value:
- 32. Highlight Cost of Mistakes:
- 33. State / Deliver on Reader’s Goals:
- I've attached an example in the health/fitness niche to give you some more context.
Now, even if you're not a copywriter in your business better understanding how to use words to sell is always going to give you an advantage over someone who doesn't.