Several years ago Raphael Marketing searched and compiled what we believe is arguably the definitive list of the best press advertising headlines ever written. The advertisements that ran under these headlines sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of products for the advertisers, and many of them continued to be used - unaltered - for close to three decades.



Although some of these headlines are a little dated now, their pulling power is undeniable. A headline is generally the single most important part of an advertisement. If your headline does not grab a readers attention, its unlikely they will ever get to read your copy. After all, how many advertisements do you ignore every day because they failed to "grab" you? Probably hundreds! Whenever we have to prepare advertisements for our clients and were at a loss for a good "grab", we review this list to refresh our thinking and jog our minds. We have found it incredibly useful, and we hope you do too.

1. They laughed when I sat down at the piano - but when

I started to play!

2. They grinned when the waiter spoke to me in French -

but their laughter changed to amazement at my reply.

3. Do you make these mistakes in English?

4. Can You Spot These 10 Decorating Sins?

5. How a "fool stunt" made me a star salesman

6. How a strange accident saved me from baldness

7. Who else wants a screen star figure?

8. Who else wants a lighter cake - in half the mixing

time?

9. Free to brides - $2 to others

10. Free to high school teachers - $6 to others

11. Announcing the new Ford cars for (year)

12. Are You Ashamed of Smells In Your Home?

13. Buy No Desk Until You Have Seen The Sensation Of The

Business Show

14. Can You Talk About Books With The Rest Of Them?

15. Car Insurance At Low Cost - If You Are A Careful

Driver

16. Car Owners. Save One Gallon of Gas Every Ten

17. Double Your Money Back If This Is Not The Best Onion

Soup You Ever Tasted

18. Free Book Tells You 12 Secrets Of Better Lawn Care

19. Get Rid Of Money Worries For Good

20. Girls.Want Quick Curls?

21. Greatest Bible News In 341 Years

22. Great New Discovery Kills Kitchen Odours Quick -

makes indoor air "country fresh"

23. Hand Woven by the Mountain People of New Mexico

24. Have You These Symptoms of Nerve Exhaustion?

25. Five Familiar Skin Troubles - Which Do You Want To

Overcome?

26. "Here is an extra $50, Grace - I am making real money

now!"

27. Here is a Quick Way to Break Up a Cold

28. How a Man of 40 Can Retire In 15 Years

29. How I Became Popular Overnight

30. How I Improved My Memory In One Evening

31. How I Made A Fortune With A "Fool" Idea

32. How Investors Can Save 70% On Commissions This Year

33. How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In

Selling

34. How To Do Your Christmas Shopping in 5 Minutes

35. How I Retired On a Guaranteed Income for Life

36. How I Started a New Life With $7

37. How $7 Started Me On The Road to $35,000 a Year

38. How The Next 90 Days Can Change Your Life

39. How To Beat Tension Without Pills

40. How To Collect From Social Security At Any Age

41. How To Feel Fit At Any Age

42. How To Get Rid of an Inferiority Complex

43. How To Get Your Cooking Bragged About

44. How To Have A Cool, Quiet Bedroom Even On Hot

Nights

45. How To Make Money Writing Short Paragraphs

46. How To Stop Worrying

47. How To Stretch Your Inflated Money

48. How To Win Friends and Influence People

49. How $20 Spent May Save You $2000

50. How you Can Get a Loan of $500

51. I Lost That Ugly Bulge in 2 Minutes With This

Reducing Belt

52. It Cleans Your Breath While It Cleans Your

53. "I Gambled With 3 Cents And Won $35,850 In 2 Years"

54. Imagine Me. Holding an Audience Spellbound for 30

minutes.

55. "I Have Tried Em All, But This Is The Polish I Use

On My Own"

56. I Was Tired Of Living On Peanuts - so I started

reading (publication)

57. Men who "know it all" are not invited to read this

page

58. Money-saving Bargain from Americas Oldest Diamond

Discount House

59. New. A Cream Deodorant Which Safely Stops

Perspiration

60. New House Paint Made By (manufacturer)

61. No Time For Yale - Took College Home By Reading The

Harvard Classics

62. Now! Own Florida Land This Easy Way. $20 Down and

$20 a Month.

63. One Place-setting Free For Every Three You Buy.

64. Order Christmas Gifts Now - Pay After January 20.

65. Owners Save 20% to 50% On Fuel With The (name) Oil

Furnace

66. Play Guitar in 7 Days or Money Back

67. Quick Relief for Tired Eyes.

68. Lose Ugly Fat - an Average of 7 Pounds a Month.

69. If You AreAa Careful Driver You Can Save Money On

Car Insurance.

70. Readers Digest Tells Why Filtered Cigarette Smoke

Is Better For Your Health

71. Ways To Beat The Overweight Habit

72. Ways To Beat The High Cost Of Living

73. New Ways To A Mans Heart In This Fascinating New

Book For Cooks

74. The Lazy Mans Way To Riches - Most people are too

busy earning a living to make any money

75. The Deaf Now Hear Wispers

76. The Most Amazing Shakespeare Bargain Ever Offered

77. The Most Comfortable Shoes You Have Ever Worn Or

Your Money Back

78. The Most Complete and Most Scholarly Dictionary in

the English language $17.50. Publishers List

Price: $90 79. The Secret of Making People Like

You

80. The Tastiest Ocean Treat from Gloucester- Plump,

Tender, Juicy Salt Mackerel Fillets

81. They Thought I Was Crazy To Ship LIVE MAINE

LOBSTERS as far as 1,800 miles from the ocean.

82. Thousands Have This Priceless Gift - But Never

Discover It

83. Thousands Now Play Who Never Thought They Could

84. To A Mother Whose Child Is Three Years Old

85. To A $15,000 Man Who Would Like To Be Making

$30,000

86. To A Man Who Is 35 And Dissatisfied

87. To Men Who Want To Quit Work Some Day

88. You Do Not Have To Be Rich To Retire On a

Guaranteed Income For Life

89. A WARNING To Men Who Want To Be Independent In The

Next Five Years

90. Wanted: Safe Men For Dangerous Times

91. Wanted - Your Services As A High-Paid Real Estate

Specialist

92. Whats New In Summer Sandwiches?

93. Tonight Serve This Ready-mixed Chocolate Pudding

94. Who Else Wants A Whiter Wash - With No Hard Work?

95. Whats Wrong In This Picture?

96. When Doctors "Feel Rotten" This Is What They Do

97. Which Of These Five Skin Troubles Would You Like To

End?

98. Will Your Scalp Stand The "Fingernail Test?"

99. Give Me 5 Days and Ill Give You a Magnetic

Personality. Let Me Prove It Free

100. What Makes A Woman Lovable?

101. To People Who Want To Write - But Can Not Get

Started.

There are people who make things happen

There are people who watch things happen

There are people who wonder what happened!

Which are you?