To the prospect suffering from a seemingly incurable case of Hay Fever, a headline such as ?Stop Hay Fever In Seconds With This Secret Ingredient Found In Every Refrigerator!? is guaranteed to interrupt his online travels and the dozen or so thoughts swirling around in his mind and draw him towards your message.



The obvious keyword is ?hay fever? -- this is what the prospect's radar is set to detect. More specifically, it's the cure, or the alleviation of pain and discomfort that the prospect seeks. But it's the use of the word ?hay fever? that identified the message as having importance, triggering the reaction and shift in focus.

Prospects are constantly on the lookout for ?new? ideas, solutions, and upgrades -- hence the common practice among marketers to unveil ?new and improved? versions of older products. ?New? implies an improvement over the old, established way. It hints at the promise of a greater benefit.

Promise a unique advantage in your headline and you'll pull eyeballs towards your proposition. As humans, we're wired to be on the lookout for ways to get more living out of life. We want more? and we want it faster, easier and at a lower cost. Headlines that scream such advantages reap the reward of higher readership.

Another strategy to create great headlines on demand is to employ proven, attention-getting words and phrases. Following is an ongoing list of such headline words and phrases. Obviously, you'll want to customize your own headline, but stringing together a few words from this list can get you off to a good start.