Let's have a little fun with this article. I'll take a look at some headlines that I saw this last week while waiting in line at the local grocery store. Then we'll see if we can turn them into formula templates that can be used for Internet Marketing.
On the front page of the Sun Tabloid was the following:
End Times Shocker
Killer Meteor Heads for U.S.
What You Must Do NOW To Help Save Millions Of Lives!
Wow, what a headline! Let's see if we can turn it in to a formula template we can use.
_________ Shocker
______________ ____ for ____
What You Must Do NOW To __________________________!
Now let's see if we can fill in the blanks. How about something like the following for someone selling Retirement Planning...
Retirement Funds Shocker!
Millions of Baby Boomers Headed for the Poor House!
What You Must Do NOW To Save Yourself From Disaster!
We could even swap the endings of the two last lines to read...
Retirement Funds Shocker!
Millions of Baby Boomers Headed for Disaster!
What You Must Do NOW To Save Yourself From The Poor House!
Ok, now your turn. Can you think of a way to use the above
formula for a headline for a product of yours?
Or how about this one also from the Sun...
10 Miracle foods to make you look 10 years younger
Good Doctor Blockbuster Report
__ Miracle (or similar word) ____ to make (or similar word) you(r) _____________
_____________Blockbuster Report
Try this...
7 Amazing Strategies to double your list in 90 days.
Internet Marketing Guru's Secret Blockbuster Report
or
5 Miracle herbs to make you arthritis free!
New Breakthrough Blockbuster Report
Now this one from "Elle girl" magazine...
Behind the Rumors, the Lindsay Lohan no one knows!
becomes...
Behind the Rumors, the __________ no one knows!
Now fill in the blank...
Behind the Rumors, the Mark Joyner no one knows!
(For those that don't know, Mark Joyner was a very successful Internet marketer who unexpectedly "retired" from Internet marketing to pursue other interest but who's name is starting to pop back up in some of the same circles - we're not sure what he is up to but he loves to play psychological tricks - so stand by for more from Mark).
Now this from the Globe...
What Lisa Marie Saw
The Videos that could put Michael away.
What ___________ saw (you can replace "saw" with heard, said, revealed, etc)
The ______ that could ________________.
What (someone) heard at the Big Seminar.
The well kept secret that could explode your business!
if we expand it a little we could get...
What I heard discussed in hushed tones behind closed doors at the Big Seminar...
Here are the well kept secrets the Guru's don't want you to know about, that could explode your business!
Well, that's enough for this article. However, I wrote down 14 more that morning while waiting in line! As you can see from the above examples, potential headline formula templates are all around you. You just have to take a few moments to look for them.
Some good sources are the covers of the tabloids and magazines found by the checkout counters of grocery stores such as I found above. Here are some examples from the grocery store that I was at...
Readers Digest, Marie Claive, Elle girl, The Globe, The Star, Soap Opera Weekly, Cosmopolitan, Vanity Fair, Weekly World News, CBS Soaps, Glamour, Fitness, Women's Health & Fitness, National Enquirer, National Examiner, Redbook, etc.
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