John Caples Quotes
Remember that the reader's attention is yours for only a single instant. They will not use up their valuable time trying to figure out what you mean.
What good is all the painstaking work on copy if the headline isn't right? If the headline doesn't stop people, the copy might as well be written in Greek.
The purpose of the headlines must be to convey a message to people who read headlines, then decide whether or not they will look at the copy.
If you use a poor headline, it does not matter how hard you labor over your copy because your copy will not be read.
Remember that the headline and the appeals are ONE AND THE SAME. In successful ads, the appeal is almost always expressed in the headline.
The best headlines are those that appeal to the reader's self-interest, that is, headlines based on reader benefits. They offer readers something they want - and get from you.
Even today you can look through almost any consumer or professional publication and find headlines that possess not a single one of the necessary qualities, such as self-interest, news, or curiosity.
Don't underestimate the value of beginning a headline by naming the people you want to reach.
In striving to produce an attractive headline, the copywriter should not emphasize the "quick, easy way" to such an extent that the headline becomes unbelievable.
Avoid the "hard-to-grasp" headline - the headline that requires thought and is not clear at first glance.
The headlines are critically important. The majority of the public reads little else when deciding whether or not they are interested.
A long headline that really says something is more effective than a brief heading that says nothing.
Unsuccessful headlines were not written without a strong appeal, but it was the wrong appeal for that product and that audience.
Get the big point of your advertisement into your headline. Use your headline as a hook to reach out and catch the special group of people you are trying to interest.
The advertiser's logotype at the bottom of the ad can be considered as part of the headline. After reading the headline, the reader instinctively looks down at the logotype to see the company name.
If you are going to emphasize certain words in the headline, be sure that they are the words that say something.
The success of an entire advertising campaign may stand or fall on what is said in the headlines of the individual advertisements.
Now I spend hours on headlines - days if necessary. And when I get a good headline, I know that my task is nearly finished.
The business of judging a headline AFTER you read the copy is wrong. It takes for granted that everybody reads the copy.
