Content Crooner

Whether you’re writing articles, web copy, sales pages, emails or anything else, one thing remains constant: if your title or headline fails, everything after it is dead in the water. That’s a cold, hard fact in the marketing world.

Think about it. Have you ever seen a hammer drive a nail? Nope, hammers just lay where they were last set down until someone picks them up and puts them to work. Your writing is in the same boat: it doesn’t do a thing until someone picks it up and reads it.

Take a few minutes to read the article below. I’m sure you’ll find some invaluable information to keep your writing pencil sharp there.

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By Guillermo Rubio

I was minding my own business, doing my daily online research, when I was suddenly stopped by an Associated Press headline that read, “Woman Attacked With Burger, Police Say.”

I couldn’t resist. I just had to find out how this woman came upon such a terrible fate.

The weapon in question? A McDonald’s cheeseburger.

Apparently, she and her boyfriend had a spat, which ended in aggravated burger assault.

Funny as that may seem, there is a valuable copywriting lesson in this story.

And that is …

Curiosity is a powerful way to make your prospect stop dead in his tracks and read your sales message from top to bottom. Human nature makes it hard to resist a desire to find out more.

Think about it …

Have you ever been driving down the road, when you encounter a couple of police cars with lights flashing near a huddled group of curious bystanders? Chances are, you really wanted to know what was going on.

Or think about your favorite TV show …

How strong was your desire to learn more after watching the first part of a two-part series … especially after a really good cliffhanger?

No doubt about it, curiosity works.

Claude Hopkins, considered to be the “Godfather” of direct-response advertising, once said, “Curiosity is one of the strongest of human incentives. We employ it whenever we can.”

And as a copywriter, you’d be wise to follow his advice.

The most critical place to use curiosity is in your headline.

Here’s why …

If your promo’s headline doesn’t grab your prospect’s attention, your sales message is headed for wastebasket city.

Here’s an example of an attention-grabbing headline from a classic control that was responsible for bringing home the bacon:

Even if you don’t fly, the curiosity this headline builds is irresistible. You can’t help but want to read further.

Here’s another one:

If you’re an investor, you’d dive straight into the letter to figure out what this newly legal investment is.

And finally …

Back when this promo ran, the timeliness – and the promise of FREE health care – was enough to get even the biggest skeptic to keep reading out of sheer curiosity. Plus, who didn’t want to find out what it was that Hillary wasn’t telling them?

The second-most important place to use curiosity is in your lead.

Within the first two or three sentences, you’ve got to hook your prospect and make him think, “Wow, I need to keep reading this to find out more.”

Here’s an excerpt from one very successful lead:

In this case, the prospect wants to keep reading to find out what this “secret currency” is.

Here’s another example:

This promise creates an itch the prospect must scratch. He wants to find out, “How is this even possible?”

And finally, from a health promotion:

I want to warn you about a serious hidden health threat that’s likely targeting you and your loved ones.

Wow. How could you NOT keep reading to find out what this health threat is?

The headline and lead are the two most important places for using curiosity, since they form the critical portion of the letter that hooks your prospect and forces him to keep reading.

So how, exactly, do you create curiosity so you can boost your promo’s response rate?

Here are four ways:

1. Juxtaposition. Put two unlikely things together. For example, take a look at the headline of this article. Cheeseburgers and attacking usually don’t go hand in hand. This unlikely pairing, in itself, creates a good deal of curiosity.

Another great example of this concept is the classic headline: “The Lazy Man’s Way to Riches” Becoming rich is normally associated with hard work. By putting in the adjective “lazy,” it creates a juxtaposition which, in turn, breeds curiosity.

2. Absolutes. This is another great way to build curiosity. Take, for example, the headline you saw earlier: “What never … ever to eat on an airplane.” By making it an absolute – “never, ever” – it builds curiosity. This headline wouldn’t have the same appeal if it simply read, “What you sometimes shouldn’t eat on an airplane.”

3. Questions. One of the most famous of these is: “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” Another great example is, “Can You Write a Letter Like This One?” The key here is that the prospect would need to read further in order to answer the question.

4. Secrets. Secrets always have been – and always will be – a great way to create curiosity. Everyone wants knowledge that no one else is privy to. Here is a classic example penned by copywriting genius John Carlton:

So there you have it.

Whether it’s a brutal burger assault, a one-legged golfer’s secret to success, or a way to skim $5,250 off of Wall Street’s coffers … if you use curiosity in your writing, you’ll certainly see a boost in response … and your paycheck!

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Interested in taking your writing skills to the next level? This may be just what you need: The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting

Regards,
Mike Lawson

PS: This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.