Costliest Copywriting Mistake #3: Having a Weak Headline, or None at All

If you had just three seconds to interest someone in your product or service, what would you say? Think about it. What would you tell them, in a handful of words, that would make them stop in their tracks and declare "Wow, that's pretty neat. Tell me more."

If you can't come up with anything, you're in trouble. Big trouble. Because your first communication with your potential customer -- whether it's an ad, webpage, sales letter, email blast, pay-per-click ad, or brochure -- is your headline. And if that headline isn't absolutely riveting, given today's fleeting attention spans, you can kiss your prospect, and the money you spent to reach him, goodbye.

Worse is no headline at all. It's amazing how many websites greet their visitors with merely a company name, or a feeble "Welcome." A sterling opportunity to make a powerful statement about yourself or your product...completely blown. If you were investing $60,000 in a full-page ad in a magazine, would your headline be "Welcome"?

Readers of your ads, and visitors to your website, aren't looking to settle in for a long stay...or embark on a scavenger hunt to decipher what exactly it is you offer. They want it up front, and they want it now. And you can't justify a poor headline with the belief that "it's all explained in the body copy." If your headline doesn't work, they'll never get that far.

A successful headline embodies your unique selling proposition (USP) -- the product positioning that sets you apart from everyone else -- and communicates a clear benefit to your customers. Without it, you have little chance of convincing anyone to read further.

A good headline can become a great headline when it works in conjunction with a provocative visual. In the book 'The 100 Greatest Corporate Ads,' an ad for Swingline Staplers shows a large picture of a paper clip with the headline 'Our only real competition.' That says a lot about the company and its products. And notice that the name of the company doesn't appear in the headline, which isn't necessary at all. In fact, it often gets in the way of a good concept. Note also that the headline and the visual complement each other, rather than merely saying the same thing. A good test of this is to see if either the headline or the visual can work alone by itself. If it can't, you know you're on to something good. I wrote this Swingline ad, which also won an Andy Award for advertising excellence, with these considerations in mind.

Small wonder writing effective headlines isn't easy. It takes years of experience and not a little bit of talent to boil a business down to a few captivating words. But once accomplished, it can send a never-ending stream of intrigued customers on a quest to find out more.

That's one of the reasons why hiring a professional copywriter is such a worthwhile investment. Why throw away money on advertising that doesn't even get to first base?

Jerry McTigue -- advertising copy pro -- has worked at top Madison Avenue ad agencies on blue chip national accounts. He writes ads, brochures, websites, sales letters, email blasts, press releases, and more. View his portfolio at: http://www.JerryMcTigue.com