Saturday 19 May 2012

Eight Different Types of Marketing Headlines


One of the first things your readers will notice is the headline of your article. A headline is like a virtual handshake. It provides readers with a glimpse of what your article is all about. If your headline is cold or lacklustre, you could make a poor first impression. As a headline can be a great tool for attracting people’s attention, make sure that it is interesting and stands-out. If you can't get them written by yourself, you can always hire a professional content writing services company to help you out.


Online content writers use different headline styles for marketing a product, service or even an idea. In this article, we'll look at eight kinds of headlines for marketing a home theatre system.
  1. Direct Headlines: This approach may seem dull, but there are some people who may be looking for such plain statements. A good example of a direct headline is ‘Home Theatre Systems on Sale’. Anyone who is looking to purchase a home theatre system on sale would be pleased to see such a headline, and say “Oh, that's exactly what I wanted”.
  2. News Headlines: Such headlines convey authority, and are clear-cut without being too plain. A good example of a news headline is ‘Soundbar Home Theatre System to be Introduced in October”
  3. How-To Headlines: When searchers wish to learn something, they usually enter a search phrase, beginning with the words ‘how to’. Headlines that start with ‘how to’ tell the searcher that there is someone out there who is willing to teach them what they want to learn. A good example of a how-to headline is ‘How to Install a Home Theatre System’.
  4. List Headlines: An alternative approach to a how-to headline is a list headline. If you check article directory sites, you’ll see that a large number of articles begin with a number. People like browsing through items enumerated in a list, as such lists assure them of countable results from their reading experience. A good list headline is ‘Five Ways to Improve Your Home Theatre System’.
  5. Question Headlines: A query-based headline acts like an invitation, promising the reader that they’ll get a surprising answer if they click on the URL, and read the article. A good example of a question headline is ‘Is Your Home Theatre System Right for Your Home?’
  6. Command Headlines: You don’t have to be in military service to know that a direct command can get quick action. Of course, in the marketing world, such direct commands are more likely to succeed if the pitch supports the desires of the targeted audience. A good example of a command headline is ‘Go to Television Central for the Best Home Theatre Deals’.
  7. Testimonial Headlines: Whether authentic or fictional, a testimonial is a time-proven marketing strategy to promote a product or service. People are attracted towards sketchy user descriptions, especially if such content includes a photo of a celebrity or a good-looking model. While most testimonials are considered to be unreliable, if you routinely write trustworthy descriptions, it won’t be long before even the most sceptical readers begin to find them engaging. A good example of a testimonial headline is ‘I Got a Great Deal on a Home Theatre System’.
  8. Teaser headlines: Use such headlines carefully, as you can easily go too far with them. A good example of a teaser headline is ‘The Best Investment You’ll Make This Year’. When a reader reads this, he or she will undoubtedly ask themselves, “Really, how can a home theatre system be the best investment I’ll make?”  Hence, you’ll have to back up the tease with surveys or industry statements about why buying a home theatre would pay rich dividends, such as savings gained from not having to go to a stadium for a game. Remember, unproven teaser headlines can drive away readers forever.
StarEdits.com offers high quality web copywriting services and corporate communications services. If you require well-written marketing copy and articles, just email us at info@staredits.com or fill in our Contact Us form today.

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Write As You Write, Not As You Speak

Many people often unnecessarily include self-referential expressions like ‘as you will’ and ‘so to speak’ in their writing. This is known as word patronage. This article advises you on how to inspect your writing for anything that smacks of spoken English, and modify it to sound more professional.

If you compare a prepared script for a speech, with a transcript of the speech that was actually given, you will be able to clearly see the difference between written and spoken English. In some cases, the difference between the written speech and what was spoken can be immense, as speakers often ad-lib while speaking, giving their listeners spontaneous examples and quotations.

Spontaneous speech is usually riddled with qualifications and equivocations. While transcribing a speech recording into an essay, it may be easy to get rid of utterances like ‘er, um, uh, well or you know’. However, it is important for writers to also purge their writing of other unnecessary utterances, words or phrases; which while adding immensely to the word count, may not provide much to an argument or description.

Here is a list of some common hedging phrases, which transcribers and copy writers should consider omitting from prose:
  • As I see it
  • From my point of view
  • In my opinion
  • It seems to me
  • Be that as it may
  • Other things being equal
While such sentence fillers are understandable in spoken English, whether rehearsed or impromptu, they are actually quite meaningless words usually uttered when the speaker was trying to collect his or her thoughts, or thinking of what to say next. Such phrases usually clutter a speech, and often confuse or discourage the listener. As readers expect speech transcripts to be direct and dynamic, content writers should avoid using such self-gratifying phrases in the written form.

StarEdits.com offers high quality web copywriting services and corporate communications services. If you require well-written marketing copy, speeches and articles, just email us at info@staredits.com or fill in our Contact Us form now.