What if there was an equation to build a great headline?
Good news — there is!
Author and Facebook marketing expert Nicholas Kusmich discovered a headline-creation “equation” that generates lots of clicks…
“How to X without Y so you can Z.”
Here’s the breakdown:
X = what a customer wants
Y = what the customer wants to avoid
Z = what the customer wants as a benefit
Using this equation has the potential to dramatically increase your effectiveness. How does it work?
Imagine you’re selling an EXERCISE PROGRAM:
X = customer wants to lose weight fast
Y = customer wants to avoid exercise
Z = customer wants to look good
Using the equation, your headline could be:
How to lose 10lbs in 10 days without exercise so you can fit into your skinny jeans for the high school reunion.
Let’s try another one — consider a WATER COMPANY trying to protect the environment.
X = customer wants clean water
Y = customer wants to avoid harming the environment
Z = customer wants to satisfy thirst and benefit from water
Your headline could be:
Enjoy BIODEGRADABLE-PACKAGED water without harming the earth so you can quench your thirst and lEAVE YOUR GRANDCHILDREN A BETTER PLACE.
We even gave it a shot for OUR MARKETING BUSINESS, promoting website design.
X = customer wants a website
Y = customer wants to avoid high design costs
Z = customer wants to grow their business
Here’s our headline:
How to get an amazing website without spending much MONEY so you can reach more customers and grow your sales.
How do you know if a headline is great? When it works.
If your headline doesn’t draw eyeballs, no one will read your content or consider your offer. But watch what happens when you give your blog title, email subject line, or headline more thought.
Go ahead, try it for your business: “How to X without Y so you can Z.”
About Me
Hey, I’m Brian, co-founder of Genie Jar Marketing. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I can do a great moonwalk on a slick floor. If you need help with your small business marketing, check out these resources for either your start-up or established business.