The Headline

Many people scan a newspaper deciding on the basis of the headline alone whether or not they will read any given article. A headline is there to sum up the content of the article, and if you are a copywriter you must be able to hit your audience smack between the eyes the moment they see it.

Which is most interesting as a magazine article headline? “My dog ran away”, “Aliens stole my dog”, or “Martians ate my Chihuahua”? The story itself may be the same – some nutty individual loses their pet and blames an ET – but the headlines say very different things. (The difference between the latter two is the level of detail in the third, which adds color and interest to the headline.)

Remember that unsolicited advertising material is normally only of interest when you are confined to one place with nothing better to do. In all other circumstances, it has to be very enticing to draw people in and get them to read it. A strong and attractive headline can make all the difference, and make or break an ad campaign.

Keep it Simple and Direct

Your copy will obviously be different if geared towards surgeons rather than schoolchildren, but whoever you are trying to reach, your message should be simple and direct. Cater to the short attention span and say what you need to say clearly and without going round the houses.

Even in a long piece of copy, the overall message should be contained in the opening gambit. You can go into detail later on, but many people will not have the time or patience to wait for the punchline.

Bear in mind also that – unless you are catering to an audience of rocket scientists – there will be a diverse group of people potentially in receipt of your message. You don’t need to talk down to people, as though you’re talking to five year-old, but you should say what you mean very clearly. Language that is difficult to understand may be a deal-breaker for some.

Imagine a school teacher addressing a class after a heavy fall of snow, and consider which message is most effective: “There shall be no gratuitous redistribution of nature’s benevolence” or “Don’t throw snowballs”. They both mean the same, but the message of the first will be lost on the majority of school-age kids, if not most adults. (This is a genuine quote, by the way!)

Remember that flowery or “clever” language can alienate a large part of your audience, either because they won’t understand what you’re saying or because they’ll think you’re being unnecessarily elitist. Don’t try to impress anyone, just write in a conversational tone that will reach your target audience.

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