Break through the clutter, with breakthrough headlines.

Self Promotion
Media: Postcard

This self-promotional postcard presents some of my favorite headlines over the years. (Advertisers' names have been removed from some.)

Advertising headlines and other promotional head may be the ultimate usability experience (UX) situation. The head must immediately understood, without putting the reader's mind through mental gyrations or extra steps. (I've been saying "Don't make the reader think," for decades.)

Heads themselves don't necessarily have to state "what's in it for me, the reader." Sometimes the headline is a promise of entertainment, or interesting information. But whatever the value promise, it must be readily apparent, relevant to the reader, and paid off in the subhead or start of the body copy. By then, the reader'd better have a good sense of what's in your product or service for them.

What can't you see here? The conceptual thinking that leads up to breakthrough headlines, and the follow-up writing and other work that leads on to a sale.

Oh, and you can't see the visuals. Darn. Headlines that work synergistically with the visuals are the best of all.