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The secret of a winning headline starts with knowing your target audience. Before hiring a professional writer, you must make sure they know the market that your advertising piece will target. Who is your end user? What benefit does your product provide to them? Why should they buy your product? Ask yourself these three questions, answer them and use those answers to formulate your winning headline.

Use customer testimonials to get ideas for your winning headline. Don't worry about the length as much as the ability of the headline to draw the customer in. In this world of information overload, many times the headline is the only thing the prospective customer is going to read. This is why the headline is so important. If you can snag them in and compel them to read your advertising piece, you've got a better chance at getting the sale.

Avoid headlines that are tricky, confusing or incomplete. Steer away from clever headlines that require reading your entire piece to be understood. People use headlines as a guide to tell them whether it's something they will be interested in. With all the competing messages, you want yours to stand out. Make your headline entice your targeted audience to stop and read more.

Before settling on your winning headline, write at least 30 different headlines. I know it probably sounds like a whole lot of writing, but it's the secret many professional copywriters use when crafting those award-winning headlines that sell.

Don't forget the sub-headlines and the area above the headline. People will usually scan the article or advertising piece for the sub-heads, only stopping on those areas that have the hook to snare them in.

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About the Author
Margaret Crum, United States
margaret@shewritesforme.com