And the winner of this week’s award for worst headline goes to ...
... the company that sent me a postcard with the headline that screams, “Who are we?”
(In a rare fit of mercy, I shall withhold their name.)
The subheads are no better:
“What do we do?”
“How do we do it?”
“What’s the benefit?”
Holy smokes, if they don’t know, I’m afraid I can’t help them.
Here’s a bit of free advice. Eighty percent of postcard recipients read only the headline. This is your opportunity to hook readers with an irresistible benefit. A headline asking a question that communicates nothing at all wastes 80 cents out of every dollar spent on printing and postage. As for the 20 percent who may read a bit more, well, the rest of the postcard is no more compelling than the headline and subheads.
Speaking of which, here is ...
... More free advice. Phrases like “high-level expertise,” “provide you with more time,” “we partner with our clients,” “enhance your business’s efficiency and effectiveness,” etc., etc., also say nothing at all.
Final free advice. Make your writer think harder. Try writing from the point of view of what matters to potential customers, rather than from the point of view of what your company wants to say about itself.
(In a rare fit of mercy, I shall withhold their name.)
The subheads are no better:
“What do we do?”
“How do we do it?”
“What’s the benefit?”
Holy smokes, if they don’t know, I’m afraid I can’t help them.
Here’s a bit of free advice. Eighty percent of postcard recipients read only the headline. This is your opportunity to hook readers with an irresistible benefit. A headline asking a question that communicates nothing at all wastes 80 cents out of every dollar spent on printing and postage. As for the 20 percent who may read a bit more, well, the rest of the postcard is no more compelling than the headline and subheads.
Speaking of which, here is ...
... More free advice. Phrases like “high-level expertise,” “provide you with more time,” “we partner with our clients,” “enhance your business’s efficiency and effectiveness,” etc., etc., also say nothing at all.
Final free advice. Make your writer think harder. Try writing from the point of view of what matters to potential customers, rather than from the point of view of what your company wants to say about itself.
—Steve Cuno
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