Email marketing is a fabulous way to market your products and services to your readers and make sales---*if* they bother to open your emails to read them! In the world of marketing communications, your first impression — your headline — can lead to either marketing success or failure. The only way headlines will work is if they appeal to your reader's interests. The best headlines are designed to:



1. Grab your readers' attention

2. Get your readers to read the rest of your message

3. Convey your main selling points 4. Lead your customers to want your solution so they *open your email* and *make a purchase*

Remember, when creating headlines---"Start With The End In Mind"!

Many headline formulas work well. Here are my five favorites I use repeatedly, that have resulted in an average 67% open rate for my ezine and sales promotions:

1. The Question

"Do You Hate Your Job? Discover Seven Secrets For Escaping Corporate Slavery!" A question headline automatically gets your readers involved in your message, because they begin to answer the question in their minds. It also generates curiosity, because people want to seek the answer to the question, and not feel that they are "missing" out on some important information.

The question headline entices people to read further into your letter, ad, website copy, or open your eZine to find out the answer or solution you can provide to the question.

2. The How-To

"How to Lose 20 Pounds in 30 Days".

"How-to" headlines work very because people love information, steps, and checklists that show them how to do something. Think of the benefits your products and /services offer, and then try creating some "how to" headlines.

It's also a great idea to include numbers in your headlines, because numbers make the message more tangible, and measurable.

One More Simple Tip: Using the words "easy" or "simple" in your headlines gives people the sense that what ever you are teaching them "how-to do" is not going to be a lot of work, and therefore they'll read further (easy and simple wins over complicated and time-consuming every time). 3. Headline "Power Words" & "Phrases"

Weave these small, but mighty words and phrases into your headlines for added Oomph!

* The Truth About...

* Discover...

* Do You...

* How To...

* How Much...

* How Would...

* Secrets Of...

* Yes

* At Last!

* Imagine...

* Protect

* New

* Facts

* You

4. The Testimonial

"Bonita Richter's Coaching Is Pure Magic---My Sales Have Increased 50% in 3 Months!"

Why not get social proof working for you, and let your clients do the selling? Other peoples' recommendations can go a long way in convincing others to use your services.

Social proof means that we tend to view the behavior of others as an indicator of what we should do in a particular situation. If someone else says, something must be good or noteworthy, than it must be so.

If other people have received great results by working with you, or using your products/services, then other people will tend to want to share in the success, too.

Tip: To appear credible, always include your clients' full names and the cities they live in.

5. The Command

"Boost Your Business Today!"

Turn your most important benefit into a commanding headline, such as "Look 10 Years Younger Instantly!" and "Get 10 New Clients This Month".

By the way, throwing a number into your headline is another good tactic. Readers are attracted to odd numbers (especially 5, 7, and 9), as opposed to even numbers.

Once your readers know you have something they're interested in, they'll take the time to read your entire article, brochure, letter, ad, eZine, or Web page.

By putting some TLC into creating your email headlines, you'll *boost* your email open rates, opt-ins, and make more sales!

Copyright 2008, Bonita L. Richter