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.

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.

Spelling Differences In British vs American English

English is spoken and written differently in different parts of the world. Some common types of English, which editors at our online content writing company work with are British English, American English, Indian English, American English, Canadian English and Australian English. This blog post will discuss some of the most common spelling differences between British English and American English.

For every version of English, there are sure to be a few ‘experts’ who will vow that their version is the ‘proper’ version of English. While a few British editors have a lot to say about the inability of Americans to spell simple words like colour and tyre; their counterparts across the Atlantic have often stated that the British can’t always tell the difference between words like ‘advice’ and ‘advise’.

Well, before we list the differences in spellings between British English and American English, let’s get one thing straight: writers from both countries struggle with bad spelling and grammar, which is why online professional copy editors still have work! Hence, if you wish to strengthen your writing skills, it is important to do a lot of reading, research and practice; whenever you find the time.

Here are seven common differences in spelling, which often confuse British English and American English writers:

1. Words that end in -our (British) against -or (American): Some common examples are colour vs color, flavour vs flavor, honour vs honor, and neighbour vs neighbor.
2. Words that end in -re (British) against -er (American): Some common examples are metre vs meter, centre vs center, litre vs liter, and theatre vs theater.
3. Verbs that end in -ise (British) against -ize (American): While both –ise (Cambridge spelling) and –ize (Oxford spelling) are used in British English, most people favour the more traditional spelling of –ise. In America, -ize is the only way such words are spelt. Some common examples are specialise vs specialize, optimise vs optimize, and realise vs realize.
4. Verbs that are spelt with a double L (British) against a single L (American): Some common examples are travelled vs traveled, counselling vs counseling, and cancelled vs canceled.
5. Verbs that end in -yse (British) against -yze (American): Some common examples are analyse vs analyze, paralyse vs paralyze, and catalyse vs catalyze.
6. Nouns that end in -ce (British) against -se (American): Some common examples are licence vs license, defence vs defense, practice vs practise, and of course, advice vs advise. Note, this rule applies only to nouns; the verb form of these nouns is always spelt with an -se.
7. Verbs that end in -t (British) against –ed (American): Some common examples are spelt vs spelled, dreamt vs dreamed, and learnt vs learned.

Here are a few more examples of British vs American English spellings to watch out for:

• Grey (British) vs Gray (American)
• Anaesthesia (British) vs Anesthesia (American)
• Cheque (British) vs Check (American)
• Oestrogen (British) vs Estrogen (American)
• Whilst (British) vs While (American)
• Manoeuvre (British) vs Maneuver (American)
• Tyre (British) vs Tire (American)
• Kerb (British) vs Curb (American)
• Programme (British) vs Program (American)
• Disc (British) vs Disk (American)

Please note, the spelling guidelines mentioned above are not comprehensive, and there are many exceptions to the rule. If you are not sure about the spelling of a word in your English dialect, always consult a dictionary or an online Internet resource, to make sure that you are spelling the word correctly.

Do you write in British English, American English, or both? Share your writing experiences with us, by posting a comment below.

StarEdits.com offers online copywriting packages and business communication services, at affordable rates. If you require high quality articles and marketing copy, just email us at info@staredits.com or fill in our Contact Us form today.